'I Chose to Ghost': Stassi Schroeder Admits Ditching Katie Maloney Before New Reality Show

Stassi Schroeder has revealed that one of the most talked-about friendships from Vanderpump Rules fell apart long before fans realised, admitting she deliberately 'ghosted' longtime friend Katie Maloney rather than confronting the issues between them.

Speaking on the Girls Gotta Eat podcast, Schroeder opened up about the years-long distancing that happened between the former best friends, explaining that avoiding a fight felt easier than risking a huge, possibly public argument. However, she now says filming Hulu's upcoming reality series House of Stassi ultimately forced them to confront what had gone wrong and begin rebuilding their relationship.

Schroeder Opens up on Distancing From Maloney

Schroeder confessed that she internationally distanced herself from Maloney after their friendship hit a bump in the road several years ago.

'We did have a bit of a falling out a couple of years ago, and that was a moment where I actually chose to ghost because I didn't want to blow up a friendship,' she said during the podcast appearance.

Instead of addressing the problems directly, Schroeder admitted she just stepped away from the friendship, hoping distance would prevent an even bigger problem. Still, as time passed, she realised avoiding the conversation only created more awkwardness.

'I wanted to separate myself; we've barely spoken, but we haven't acknowledged there was a fallout,' she explained, before adding that eventually she saw how weird the problem got.

For fans of Vanderpump Rules, this came as a surprise. Schroeder and Maloney were original cast members when the Bravo series premiered in 2013, and their connection quickly became one of the show's most important relationships. With their cast members, they navigated the ups and downs of life over more than a decade of reality TV.

Since their friendship was so public, many viewers had no idea the pair quietly drifted apart after Schroeder left the series.

How the Two Went on Separative Lives

Early this year, Schroeder announced that she and Maloney had actually been distant for years. In an interview with Marie Claire in April, she spoke about how their lives had taken them in completely different directions before they eventually returned to each other's lives.

'Now we're rebuilding our friendship after growing in two completely different directions,' says Schroeder.

The friends' reunion will be shown on-screen in House of Stassi, Hulu's new reality series centred on Schroeder's life. According to the former Bravo star, Maloney's joining the show became one of its more important aspects.

Schroeder described filming with her old friend as 'incredibly comforting,' saying there is a unique level of understanding between them after spending years together in the reality television spotlight.

She also stated that the cameras created a space where neither of them could continue to avoid the difficult circumstances, explaining that reality TV forces you to express how you're feeling, so you can't really sweep things under the rug.

Maloney has agreed with these statements during the series promotion, explaining that House of Stassi truly captures the pathway to repairing their friendship after years apart. Speaking in May, she said viewers will see 'the road back to friendship' as both women go through difficult moments in their lives.

Maloney, who was married to former Vanderpump Rules co-star Tom Schwartz from 2019 until their divorce in 2022, said the show's honesty is what makes it special, describing the experience as a genuine reflection of how relationships evolve over the years.

While many reality TV reunions become messy catfights, Schroeder and Maloney's story focuses on something more relatable: how close friendships can slowly fade without a tragic ending, and how hard it can be to revive an old connection.