Former Vanderpump Rules star Brett Caprioni says he will always be grateful to Lisa Vanderpump for standing by him even though he was fired from her reality show.
The former Bravo star, who was one of four axed cast members in the aftermath of a racism scandal, praised Lisa for giving him a chance. Brett worked as a waiter at SUR, the Vanderpump-owned restaurant that serves as the backdrop for Vanderpump Rules, and served as Lisa’s personal trainer while he was on the show.
“I appreciate Lisa for the opportunity she gave me,” Brett said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight . “It all started with her. Her constant support through this journey has meant a lot to me. She understood that I was a good guy who made a mistake. And, she also believed in my capacity to learn from it and change. For that, I will always be grateful.”
While he was fired from Vanderpump Rules , an insider close to the situation told ET that Brett’s employment status at SUR is “still to be determined.”
Brett was fired after one season on Vanderpump Rules when racist tweets he posted between 2011 and 2013 resurfaced online. Lisa initially stood by Brett and fellow newcomer Max Boyens when their past social media activities were unearthed shortly before they made their debut on Vanderpump Rules earlier this year.
At the time, Lisa told Page Six she did “not condone any of the heinous comments” made by her employees in the past, but that she feels they have both matured as adults.
“I am glad they understand the severity of their offenses and have shown utmost remorse and contrition,” Lisa said. “Max and Brett are both appropriately ashamed of their past obnoxious teenage arrogance and casual use of unacceptable terms.”
Lisa also defended the two during the recent Vanderpump Rules reunion when she was asked by host Andy Cohen why she didn’t fire them when the Twitter scandal broke. Lisa said she saw no signs of racist tendencies from either Brett or Max, and if she had, they wouldn’t be working for her.
In the end, it appears that it was Bravo that made the decision to fire Brett alongside Max and Vanderpump Rules veterans Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute. But in a lengthy Instagram post, Lisa noted that she recently found out some things about the cast members that she was previously unaware of. Lisa did not name Brett in her post.
Brett told Us Weekly that while he’s “disappointed” to no longer be part of the cast of Vanderpump Rules , he respects Bravo’s decision to fire him and that he plans to work to repair the damage he has done.
