Kristina Kelly had experience with reality television on Vanderpump Rules, but joining Hulu’s new Stassi Schroeder-led series House of Stassi was a different ballpark.
“I was basically an extra on Vanderpump Rules. Let’s be real,” Kelly tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Stassi was just so excited about [House of Stassi] that it made me feel like, OK, I need to have a bigger role in this.”
Kelly popped up numerous times during the early days of the Bravo series, re-emerging during its now infamous 10th season in support of Katie Maloney. Kelly’s cameo on Vanderpump season 10, which led to a shifty friendship dynamic, is addressed on House of Stassi, with the new reality series they now star on also playing into the cracks of their friendship.
Kelly was surprised when Schroeder brought Maloney back into the mix for House of Stassi, and was shocked by a comment she made about Schroder’s inner circle. “It’s like if, I don’t know, they didn’t come out of you or they’re not married to you or they’re not on your fucking payroll, they don’t get to be in your life,” Maloney said, which eventually got back to Kelly, who was not happy with the word “payroll” being used.
“It was interesting watching it back, because I’m like, Why was I so triggered in this comment?” she says. “I’m like, Wait, I’m not being paid. I don’t do your hair. I don’t do your makeup. I’ve just been your supportive friend for over 10 years.”
Below, Kelly reflects on that “payroll” comment and why she better understands what Maloney was saying, where they stand today, if the rumors that she was really supposed to be an OG star on Vanderpump Rules are true and if she’d return for a potential second season of House of Stassi.
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You were on Vanderpump Rules before House of Stassi, so what has it been like for you re-entering this whirlwind of being a part of a reality TV show?
I was basically an extra on Vanderpump Rules. Let’s be real. (Laughs.) Like, I’d show up, I’d get a drink, say something vaguely controversial, then disappear for a few seasons. And now, I actually feel like I have real problems to deal with. But honestly, this show feels different, and the storylines are different, so it’s worth investigating and being a part of this show now.
That was something I wanted to touch on; you were always a recurring cast member on VPR, but now you are full time on the House of Stassi cast. Is there anything that stood out to you about being a “main cast member” on a reality TV show?
Stassi was just so excited about this show that it made me feel like, OK, I need to have a bigger role in this, because she’s the queen of reality TV, so I felt like this show was so big for her that I needed to be big, I needed to be louder, whereas my opinions mattered this time around with this cast.
There are rumors that you were originally supposed to be a main cast member on Vanderpump Rules alongside Stassi, Jax, Katie, etc., but you had a boyfriend who didn’t want you to be a main character on the show, and he also did not want to be involved. Is that true?
Yes, that’s all true. We’re also talking [about,] like, 10 years ago. Reality TV was so different back then, and I had just started dating Max [Ville,] and what I knew of reality TV was that it definitely was toxic. It tore relationships apart, and that did happen on Vanderpump Rules, so I am really happy with that decision because we’re still together. And I think if we would have joined, everyone broke up, if you think about every relationship that was on Vanderpump Rules. We have a beautiful three-year-old son now, so I’m really happy with that decision.
But yeah, that’s all true. In the very beginning, it was a hard decision to make because I had to watch my friends follow a path, and the FOMO was real. I did my best to kind of bounce in between seasons, and because I was around them and I was working there [at SUR,] it was hard not to be a part of it. But also, my relationship was so important to me, and I definitely chose that.
You speak about Max on the show; is his sentiment still the same that he would not want to appear on House of Stassi?
No, because this show is different, and again, times have changed. He’s incredibly supportive of me and what I want to do now. We’ve been together for — brace yourself — 16 years. We’re in a very strong place now, and we have a good foundation. He trusts me to handle this show in the right way, and he gets it. So I think now it feels different. He supports me, and if I need him to film with me, if I need to talk to someone I trust, he’s there for me.
Something that I appreciate about House of Stassi is the smashing down of the fourth wall. As somebody who has done reality TV before, what is your take on how House of Stassi strips down this fourth wall?
The viewers are a part of the process, right? Like, you’re filming this reality show, and you’re being let in as a viewer. You’re actually seeing behind-the-scenes moments, the vulnerable conversations, all the messy parts. It can’t get realer than what we’re giving you access to.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is in this Disney/Hulu family; House of Stassi is reminiscent of that series because now, the show plays a big factor in a lot of conversations amongst reality TV cast members. Specifically, Katie coming into the cast was a huge conversation amongst your cast; do you agree that the show plays a role in cast dynamics?
The viewers, you guys are smart. We’re not going to dumb this down; you know that we had a call time to be here. Sometimes I feel like you see these scenes, and you’re like, “Why did she come to the birthday if they’re not friends?” In real life, that person wouldn’t be there, right? We’re opening this all up. We’re smashing down this fourth wall, so it’s like I think at one point Beau or something says, “I wouldn’t even be coming to this if I didn’t have a call time, but here I am,” and it opens up these conversations where they’re real and hard, and we are forced into this dinner party to have them, but in the end, the goal is hopefully to get something out of that conversation. It’s like being forced into therapy.
You were very taken aback, specifically by Katie’s payroll comment to Stassi. Why do you think that comment in particular stood out to you?
Looking back now, rewatching it, it gives you a lot of time to reflect. It was interesting watching it back, because I’m like, Why was I so triggered by this comment? I think it was a mix of things, because I had my own personal issues with Katie in our friendship, and I was already feeling like Katie’s back in the mix. Like, why? I need to know more. I know Stassi was like, “It’s for the show. It’s this and that,” but I had more of [the thought process of] if you had a group of friends, and you weren’t really friends with this person anymore, and all of a sudden they’re back, you have a lot of questions and I wanted answers. Then on top of that, hearing when they did have this discussion, [the payroll comment] was something that was said, it felt hurtful for the people who are in Stassi’s inner circle, and it just felt like it was a dig to all of us; like we are all using her in some way, and we’re not just around her to be her friend and because we enjoy her company. It almost felt like we were in her company because we were being paid.
[That] isn’t a fun thing to hear. I’m like, Wait, I’m not being paid. I don’t do your hair. I don’t do your makeup. I’ve just been your supportive friend for over 10 years. I guess I took it very personal in that way of her taking our friendship and making it feel less. I have to say, looking back, I am a little more like, OK, I do sort of see where she’s coming from. I do understand more of what she meant by that comment.
It seemed like you two had that conflict, and then it appeared that you were able to move on from that and form a better friendship. Would you say that’s the case? Where do you two stand today?
I probably talk to her the most out of the entire cast right now. It’s therapy, and either it can make or break those hard conversations. And with Katie and I, it definitely made our friendship stronger. I’m glad that it got put out there because honestly, if this show wasn’t happening, Stassi and I probably would have just swept a lot of this under the rug, and it just would have been this slow burn of we see each other and on a surface level, say “Hi,” and that would be it. I’m almost really grateful for the show forcing me to sit down and really lay it out there, because we probably are stronger than ever in our friendship.
Let’s talk about the end of the season finale dinner party where the cast tried to speak with Stassi and Beau about their relationship. You connected with Beau and his story about feeling stuck at home with the kids while also having a partner who has this other part of their [professional] life fulfilled. Did you feel at all like you were looking in a mirror when Beau was sharing his feelings on his dynamic with Stassi?
That’s where editing comes in, and you could have heard more because I had a lot to say that night. Hopefully, if we get a season two, there will be more of that, and in detail, just me and my life and what I’m going through. But yeah, it’s funny, because I almost sometimes joke and say that Beau is more of a mom friend to me. We’ll be, like, sharing recipes and talking about all the kids’ stuff, whereas with Stassi, I’ll get drinks with her, and we have more of a girlfriend bond. It’s interesting, because the roles are reversed, and yeah, I can completely relate with Beau on a lot of things. I think Stassi was a little surprised to hear me, instead of just obviously taking her side immediately on it, having a different viewpoint of it all.
The cast was obviously there for the conversation that happened at the dinner table, but then the conversation between Stassi and Beau went off away from the table. Was there anything that was said after they left the table that you weren’t privy to that shocked you?
We all just felt pretty sad and low. It was a really, really, really hard night. Obviously, Stassi and Beau had a lot to talk about. I think viewers looking in, seeing friends sit down and say these things at a dinner party, that all feels probably like, What are you doing? But at the end of the day, Stassi, when we started filming this, was like, “Don’t hold back.” Like, this is the whole point of the show. You wanted us to be real. You wanted it to be raw. Well, here you go.
I think she wasn’t expecting it to be so much on her, but it was real concerns that we all had. Individually, we had these private conversations with Stassi, and she wasn’t quite hearing it and understanding or changing anything. So it felt like we all needed to come together to really shake her, which definitely happened. But I don’t think we were expecting it to go quite that way, so I think we all just sat there, like, What did we do?
Where does the group stand now, and would you be open to returning for a potential second season?
100 percent, yes. I love this cast. I love what this show is doing, so I’m fully on board. That would be amazing if we got a season two. We all still have so much more to share individually about ourselves and what we’re going through currently, and then also I feel like we have a lot to say with Stassi, some unsaid things. I feel like we have to have season two. We have a lot to unpack.
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Season one of House of Stassi is now streaming on Hulu.
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