Vanderpump Rules star Billie Lee explained her decision to quit the reality show and her job as a hostess at SUR. While she called boss Lisa Vanderpump her “fairy godmother,” she said that bullying from some of her coworkers led her to have suicidal thoughts. She called these people, who she did not name, “evil.”
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Billie, 35, explained in
her blog post, titled “Two Week Notice,” that she had always wanted to work in television. After trying and failing to get a role as a journalist on camera when she was closeted, she decided to move to Los Angeles and transition.
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“I stayed on my new path as an activist which led me to SUR and to my fairy godmother Lisa Vanderpump. My whole life was working in restaurants so it made sense my TV debut would be in a restaurant.” she wrote.
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“During my time at SUR, I met some of the most wonderful people, a few in particular that I now call family. They saw me in a way I never saw myself – they saw beauty, light and love,” Billie said.
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“They saw a powerful activist who was unstoppable. These beautiful souls put a mirror in front of me, they showed me how far I’ve come and how far I can go,” the trans activist wrote.
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“They saw a powerful activist who was unstoppable. These beautiful souls put a mirror in front of me, they showed me how far I’ve come and how far I can go,” the trans activist wrote.
“But with good always comes evil. Some of my coworkers were threatened by my differences,
going out of their way to exclude me, one demanding I be fired from the show because he didn’t feel comfortable working with me,” she revealed.
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Billie said of the unnamed coworker, “His exact words were, ‘I’m not gonna [lose] all I have worked hard for for something stupid I may say or do to offend her. Are we all supposed to tip toe around her because she’s trans?’ Like most men during the #MeToo movement he was so afraid of saying the wrong thing that he just wanted me gone.”
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She continued, “The bullying on and off camera brought my deep insecurities to the surface, this dark black mirror held up high for everyone in public to see and to judge. The reflection of fear and anger led me back to depression and suicidal thoughts.”
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“I honestly thought I was finished with this type of bullying after high school and college but once again I found myself 34, depressed, and fantasizing about taking my own life,” she said, referencing fights she had with cast members like
Katie Maloney and
Lala Kent.
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Photo credit: MEGA
“During this time, I realized that SUR was no longer right for me! I had many people try to convince me to stay, ‘Billie do another year! You are stronger than this,’” she recalled. “But honestly, I couldn’t do another year and I wasn’t strong enough.”
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She thanked Lisa for her “encouragement and blessing to move forward with this new chapter” and pledged to continue to fight to protect trans lives.
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Star had reached out to Bravo for comment.
Billie, 35, explained in
her blog post, titled “Two Week Notice,” that she had always wanted to work in television. After trying and failing to get a role as a journalist on camera when she was closeted, she decided to move to Los Angeles and transition.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I stayed on my new path as an activist which led me to SUR and to my fairy godmother Lisa Vanderpump. My whole life was working in restaurants so it made sense my TV debut would be in a restaurant.” she wrote.
“During my time at SUR, I met some of the most wonderful people, a few in particular that I now call family. They saw me in a way I never saw myself – they saw beauty, light and love,” Billie said.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
“They saw a powerful activist who was unstoppable. These beautiful souls put a mirror in front of me, they showed me how far I’ve come and how far I can go,” the trans activist wrote.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“But with good always comes evil. Some of my coworkers were threatened by my differences,
going out of their way to exclude me, one demanding I be fired from the show because he didn’t feel comfortable working with me,” she revealed.
Billie said of the unnamed coworker, “His exact words were, ‘I’m not gonna [lose] all I have worked hard for for something stupid I may say or do to offend her. Are we all supposed to tip toe around her because she’s trans?’ Like most men during the #MeToo movement he was so afraid of saying the wrong thing that he just wanted me gone.”
She continued, “The bullying on and off camera brought my deep insecurities to the surface, this dark black mirror held up high for everyone in public to see and to judge. The reflection of fear and anger led me back to depression and suicidal thoughts.”
“I honestly thought I was finished with this type of bullying after high school and college but once again I found myself 34, depressed, and fantasizing about taking my own life,” she said, referencing fights she had with cast members like
Katie Maloney and
Lala Kent.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“During this time, I realized that SUR was no longer right for me! I had many people try to convince me to stay, ‘Billie do another year! You are stronger than this,’” she recalled. “But honestly, I couldn’t do another year and I wasn’t strong enough.”
She thanked Lisa for her “encouragement and blessing to move forward with this new chapter” and pledged to continue to fight to protect trans lives.
Star had reached out to Bravo for comment.
Photo credit: Getty Images
