Vanderpump Rules

Lisa Vanderpump's struggled, like all restaurant owners, due to the pandemic, and now she has another headache ... a lawsuit for unpaid produce.

As you know, Lisa and Ken Todd own and operate PUMP and Villa Blanca -- 2 L.A. hotspots ... pre-COVID, of course. Both joints shut down last year during quarantine, but used to get fruit and veggie shipments from a company called West Central Produce.

Now, West Central Produce is suing the restaurants, not Lisa, for past deliveries. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, WCP says it got its last payment from Villa Blanca in March 2020 for $8,890.10 ... while PUMP forked over $9,144.70. That's a ton o' veggies!

But, that's right around the time quarantine started, forcing restaurants to close for several months -- and WCP claims the money also stopped coming in from Vanderpump's restaurants.

All told, the company claims it's owed just under $100k from both eateries. It's suing for that amount, plus some interest.

What's interesting is Lisa and Ken announced last summer that Villa Blanca was shutting down for good. Like so many restaurants, the pandemic closures were just too much to overcome -- but the good news is Lisa says PUMP will eventually reopen.

Ken tells us, while he wasn't aware of the lawsuit, if he owes money to anyone, he'll make sure his accountants get WCP paid. He says COVID has been a tough time for everyone in the restaurant biz. PUMP has been closed since the pandemic started.

Faith Stowers -- the former Black cast member on "Vanderpump Rules" -- is glad Bravo isn't cutting checks for Jax Taylor ... and she says he needs to bone up on Black culture.

We got Faith outside of BurgerRock Media in Downtown Los Angeles and asked her reaction to Jax and his wife, Brittany Cartwright, leaving the show amid tons of controversy.

Faith, who has a long history of beef with Jax, says he's not a good fit for Bravo and she's glad the network finally agrees.

Remember, Jax accused Faith of stealing, and ripped her on the show and off-air. He's the latest 'Rules' star to leave, following Stassi Schroeder, Max Boyens, Brett Caprioni and Kristen Doute out the door ... that foursome was 86'd after racist comments and behavior surfaced.

Faith tells us what Jax and Stassi did is not in line with what Bravo stands for ... and she thinks folks who watch the network are also glad they're gone.

There's some debate about whether Bravo fired Jax or they mutually decided to part ways ... a source close to him told us he wasn't fired ... but Faith thinks Jax was probably canned, and says he got what he deserved.

Lisa Vanderpump's Pomeranian dog, Giggy, has died ... leaving a big dent in both Lisa's heart, and the hearts of many others who've encountered the famous pooch over the years.

The Bravo reality star and restaurant owner broke the sad news Saturday ... "We are devastated to say that our beloved Giggy has passed away this morning. He was truly loved, and we know how many of you loved him too."

Lisa added, "Our sweet Gigolo was such an incredible, unique dog, but mainly, because of him, we started The Vanderpump Dog Foundation and embarked on our mission to save as many dogs as possible."

Finally, she writes, "He inspired us to start our work in rescue, and for that we will always be grateful. Giggy’s legacy will live on, through every dog @vanderpumpdogs saves. Thank you all for your support. Rest In Peace Giggy, we love you. - Ken & Lisa- Dolly"

Giggy was perhaps Lisa's most popular of her eight dogs -- often seen dressed up in little doggy outfits, including mini tuxes and bow ties, sweaters and even hats. The reason for that ... Lisa announced Giggy was actually afflicted with alopecia, which causes patches in a dog's fur and affects the growth of hair (same deal for humans too, BTW).

The disease is not deadly ... and it's unclear if it had any bearing on Giggy's passing. It's possible the pooch died of old age -- the little guy was pushing at least 10.

Giggy will be remembered for his extravagant outfits and his red carpet appearances too -- he would often accompany Lisa for premieres and other events, and would usually be getting carried instead of walked on a leash. Of course, he was also freakin' adorable.

The dog was also known for celeb cameos and photoshoots -- he met Ellen DeGeneres, Drake, 'Real Housewives' cast members ... and countless other stars over the years. Giggy also appeared several times on 'Vanderpump Rules' ... he for sure was a fan fave.

Oh, and BTW ... we got a kick out of him too, especially when we got him on video in 2014, as he posed for photogs with his mom. Yeah, Giggy was a natural, and loved by all.

Jax Taylor and his wife are out of a job ... the costars have been canned from "Vanderpump Rules."

Jax and Brittany Cartwright announced Friday they'd been given the ax ... and honchos at Bravo confirm the couple won't be returning to the show.

Jax was one of the reality show's OG cast members, carving out a bigger role over the past 8 seasons, and Brittany has been featured for the last 5 seasons.

While Jax and Brittany's fates are sealed, the future of 'Vanderpump Rules' as a whole is unclear, because restaurants in Los Angeles are still shuttered due to the worsening pandemic.

Sources close to production tell us execs haven't yet determined when the show will return.

Jax and Brittany are the latest 'VR' stars to be shown the door ... as we reported, back in June the show 86'd Stassi Schroeder, Max Boyens, Brett Caprioni and Kristen Doute ... due to racist behavior and comments that came to light.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Danica Dow's ex-BF -- the one she got a restraining order against -- is admitting he ransacked her wardrobe, but he's still avoiding criminal charges for the clothing attack.

So, here's the deal ... back in August, Danica got a temporary restraining order against Brett Willis claiming he broke into her home in the middle of the night, cut up a bunch of her clothes, and stole her iPhone.

Danica reported the incident to cops, but TMZ's learned the L.A. County D.A.'s Office will not file charges against Willis, and here's why.

We're told Brett copped to damaging Danica's clothes, but he offered to pay for damage and Danica accepted. He also returned her iPhone, which he said he grabbed by mistake because it looked like his. So, basically ... no blood, no foul so the D.A.'s Office decided not to charge him.

Brett tells TMZ ... he cooperated with law enforcement, and is relieved to close this chapter of his life. He wants to move forward with a positive attitude, but there's still the matter of a couple restraining orders.

Brett also filed for one against Danica, claiming she got violent with him in July over dirty dishes. He claimed she "grabbed my neck twice, each time digging her nails deep."

Stassi Schroeder is actually admitting she was a Karen years before it became a thing ... at least that's how she now views her infamous bitching about the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.

The ex-"Vanderpump Rules" star made the self-assessment while on the 'Tamron Hall Show' ... saying her 2017 comment on her "Straight Up with Stassi" podcast was insensitive.

A little back story ... long before she was fired over racist behavior, Stassi complained saying, “I’m like, really sick of everyone making everything about race. I’m kind of over it … everyone giving their impassioned speeches about race and all of that stuff, I’m like, ‘why is it always just about African Americans?’"

Check out the interview ... Stassi says the comment itself is something she's been wanting to talk about for some time. She says over the last few months she's learned so much about Black history and the obstacles they face as a community every day. Suffice to say ... Stassi is now embarrassed about having that mentality and putting it out there.

It was so bad, Stassi recognizes, that she labeled herself a 'Karen.'

Stassi also addressed her firing from the Bravo show. Stassi says she wonders if people think she's a racist when she goes out grocery shopping or running other errands. She told Tamron, "I've never felt like I was a racist. I don't have hate in my heart, but I recognize I wasn't anti-racist. That's something I've been learning throughout all of this."

Stassi Schroeder might be done at Bravo after her despicable behavior against a woman of color, but she's not done with Hollywood yet ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... the ex-'Vanderpump Rules' star has been in talks with producers from Evolution Media -- the production company that shoots and edits 'VR' for Bravo. We're told nothing concrete is in place yet, but there's interest on both sides to work on future projects.

The only problem for Stassi ... our sources say she's still on contract with Bravo for the next 6 months, which means she can't hop on another network or another show until then.

FWIW, Evolution produces a ton of shows for a bunch of different companies -- so if they do something with Stassi down the line, it wouldn't have to be tied to Bravo. Good thing, since Bravo wants nothing to do with Stassi after firing her and Kristen Doute for racist behavior toward Faith Stowers ... a former 'VR' cast member.

Stassi apologized for that, and we're told she's ready to move on to new opportunities ... if one presents itself.

Another thing we're also hearing about Stassi's business opportunities ... they're not confined to on-camera duty.

Danica Dow's days on "Vanderpump Rules" are numbered, IF her costars get a say -- they want her out due to allegations she got violent with an ex-BF ... TMZ has learned.

Sources on the show tell us a majority of the cast -- including longtime stars on the series -- think Danica's potentially dangerous and more trouble than she's worth after the court drama between her and Brett Willis, this past week.

We're told other members of the cast have seen volatile behavior from her that makes them think Brett's allegations could be true. Specifically, our sources say she was seen pushing Brett while they were working at SUR and shooting season 8 of 'VR.'

We're told cutting Danica out now wouldn't hurt any storylines -- she was a new character this year and wasn't playing into the bulk of drama.

It's unclear what producers are thinking about Danica or Brett's fate on the show. He's also been a very minor character who was only introduced through Danica.

As we reported ... Brett ran to court last week claiming multiple instances of Danica allegedly using violence upon him, including clawing up his neck, biting his arm and ripping his clothes. On the flip side, she alleged he broke into her house to damage her belongings.

Judges signed off on both of their requests to have the other stay away from each other -- but it sounds like the 'VR' cast is believing him more than her.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Danica Dow's ex-BF is responding to her restraining order against him by getting his own against her ... claiming she clawed his neck over a "90 Day Fiance" episode.

Brett Willis beelined it to court in L.A. seeking a temporary restraining order against Danica, and claims she most recently got violent with him in July when an argument erupted between them.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he says Danica was pissed he wouldn't clean his dish until after a "90 Day Fiance" episode ended. He says he went outside to let her cool off, but claims when he came back the argument continued ... “until Danica grabbed my neck twice, each time digging her nails deep and pulling hard enough to scratch off some skin from my neck.”

Willis claims she drew blood, just like she allegedly did in a February fight about a woman he'd hooked up with before they were together. According to the docs, Danica was so pissed she "ran across her bed to claw my neck and rip my shirt apart." He also alleges she bit his arm when he tried to get away.

He also claims she went off on him at a "Vanderpump Rules" premiere party. All that was enough for the judge, who granted his restraining order for Danica to stay at least 10 feet away when they're both working at Pump ... and 100 yards away outside the bar.

For her part, Danica claimed earlier this week that Brett broke into her home and cut up her clothes -- and she too was granted a restraining order.

Stassi Schroeder is feeling the fallout after losing her ''Vanderpump Rules'' gig due to alleged racist behavior -- 'cause now her revived speaking tour's hit a speed bump.

The reality TV star's "Straight Up with Stassi LIVE" roadshow -- which is based on her podcast and began in late 2019 -- was set to return at New Jersey's Basie Center in January ... but the venue just announced its cancellation.

Stassi's tour was already on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on the heels of getting fired by Bravo, losing sponsors and streaming platforms dropping her podcast -- it's starting to look like the whole tour could be done ... according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

So far, though ... only the NJ stop's gotten the official ax.

As we reported ... Bravo fired the 'Vanderpump' OG, along with her fellow costar, Kristen Doute, over claims they were racist "Mean Girls," basically, toward former cast member Faith Stowers.

Faith, who's Black, says Stassi and Kristen lied to police, saying Faith fit the description of a woman who was drugging and robbing L.A. men in 2018. They both fessed up, and went on an apology tour.

Too little, too late ... they've lost their spots on 'VR,' and Stassi's on the verge of losing even more.

"Vanderpump Rules" producers saw the writing on the wall for Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni when their racist tweets first resurfaced, and immediately started phasing them out ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to 'VP' production tell us ... season 8 was already shot, in the can and about to premiere in January when rookie cast members Max and Brett's old tweets were exposed. So, behind the scenes, producers started re-editing episodes in order to reduce their precious airtime.

We're told portions of their footage were switched up or even left on the cutting room floor. Ditto for their confessional interviews.

Our sources say because of the 2011 and 2012 tweets -- in which Brett and Max both used the n-word -- 'VP' producers knew they wouldn't be back for a second season. We're told production found the tweets "inexcusable."

As we reported ... Bravo recently fired the guys, along with 'Pump' OGs Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, for their past racist behavior.

Lisa Vanderpump took some heat for allowing Max and Brett to continue on her staff long after learning of their tweets, but said she forgave them for their actions years ago. Plus, she had to wait for Bravo to make the final call.

The "Vanderpump Rules" cast just got leaner ... Bravo is booting 4 of its leads over past racism that recently resurfaced, and 2 of the fired stars were there from the very beginning.

The network that airs 'VR' dropped the hammer Tuesday -- announcing Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni would not be returning for any future seasons, citing inexcusable racist comments and behavior that have come to light.

Stay with us, this is a doozy. Long story short, a former costar of theirs named Faith Stowers -- one of the only black women to ever appear on 'VR' -- recently recounted her time on the series, bringing up a story about how Stassi and Kristen once called the cops on her.

She says they lied to police, saying Faith fit the description of another woman who was robbing men in L.A. in 2018 -- and the 2 of 'em even copped to doing it. Luckily, nothing ever came of it for Faith, but no one really knew about this until last week ... when she spilled the tea.

Fast-forward to now ... and Stassi and Kristen have been on an apology tour that's proving to be too little, too late. Not only were they fired, but they lost a lot of outside business deals and endorsements as well ... and their publicists quit too.

Stassi and Kristen were series regulars since the launch of 'VR' in 2013.

As for the guys ... people online dug up a bunch of old racially insensitive tweets between them. They were rookies this past season, and were supposedly hated among the fan base. So, no love lost there!

Now, if you're wondering what Lisa Vanderpump had to say about this ... she half addressed the scandal, as it relates to the fellas, on the reunion episode last week, saying she kept them on her restaurant staff -- after knowing about their tweets -- because, well, we've all made mistakes.

Lisa Vanderpump's famous restaurant was the scene of an alleged intruder up to no good ... but some quick-thinking eyewitnesses called cops who foiled the would-be burglar's act.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the L.A. County Sheriff's West Hollywood station got a call Sunday night around 7 PM for a possible burglary in progress. Our sources say deputies arrived within minutes and detained the suspect.

Our sources tell us cops spoke to reps for the WeHo joint and they decided NOT to press charges on the suspect. We're told the joint's GM decided against pressing charges because no real damage was done.

Lisa's husband, Ken, tells TMZ ... "He was desperate for a Pump-tini. We can’t blame him."

Sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... a man wearing a blue face mask and a backpack parked himself in front of the main gate and pulled out shears to try and cut open the heavy-duty blue chain lock.

We're told when he was spotted, the alleged suspect put the shears back in his backpack and stood there as if nothing was amiss. The witnesses snapped a pic of the man.

Our sources say the 3 people who witnessed this called police, who descended onto the scene in 7 police units and a helicopter. We're told the man had been seen in the area before, and it's probably what triggered such a large response.

Lisa and her husband, Ken, were NOT at the restaurant at the time of the incident. As you're well aware by now, the restaurant's been closed since California's shelter-at-home orders were implemented.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Jax Taylor knows full well what he's saying about the new cast isn't nice, but he's saying it anyway ... on the heels of attacking a fellow veteran on the show too.

Jax and his wife, costar Brittany Cartwright, were out Tuesday night in NYC and said except for 2 newbies -- Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni -- the rest of 'em aren't his cup of tea. That's putting it lightly. You gotta see his choice words.

Then there's this ... while on 'Watch What Happens Live' after the season 8 premiere Tuesday night, Jax also went after Ariana Madix in a vile way, appearing to out her as a lesbian.

Ariana was watching, apparently, and fired back on social media, saying ... "I DO like women AND men. It's called being bisexual. Ever heard of it?"

So, why does Jax have his undies in a bunch over all his costars? Hard to say what his beef is with Ariana, but as for the new blood around Lisa Vanderpump -- Jax admits he just doesn't know 'em ... and he doesn't like new people.

Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant got greeted with a sports car that came smashing through the front doors ... which left shattered glass and a chaotic scene behind.

The accident went down Sunday at the reality star's place of business in West Hollywood -- it's called Pump, and it's a restaurant, garden and a lounge. Somehow, a silver Ferrari jumped the curb and smashed through the patio seating area into the building itself.

Reality (TV) doesn't get much better than this -- Scheana Shay and DeMario Jackson bringing their two franchises together with some lovin' at the Mouse House.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star and the former 'Bachelorette'/'BiP' contestant were spotted canoodling Tuesday at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, where they were showing off some pretty significant PDA as they went ride-hopping with a few 'VPR' pals.

DeMario ('memba him?!) had his arms wrapped around Scheana a few different times throughout the day, and she seemed pretty down. Of course, it could all be for show.

Remember, DeMario was spotted with Corinne Olympios at Disnyeland a couple years ago after their 'BiP' scandal ... when she all but insinuated he'd violated her. It looked like they were romantically linked, but we were told otherwise ... just friends, apparently.

That whole thing is well behind us at this point, and DeMario and Corinne remained cool since then. Now, it looks like he's found a good match from across channels.