The Real Reason Kristina Kelly Left 'Vanderpump Rules,' Explained

From villain edits to allegations of blatant favoritism, reality TV producers have come under fire for various reasons over the years. Many former stars take things to the next level, even taking networks to court for alleged mistreatment. Some purport that producers put them into unsafe situations on purpose. There have also been accusations of racism on multiple occasions. All in all, reality TV producers have to tow a very fine line or face backlash from the stars who got fed up, like Kristina Kelly.

Kristina joined the Vanderpump Rules world in the second season of the show as a Friend of the cast. She was a Friend from Seasons 2–4 and appeared as a guest on Seasons 5 through 7. She left the series briefly and returned during the 10th season. As a SURvivor, Kristina was very close with the major cast, often finding herself involved in conflict. Since leaving the series, she has shared why she left VPR and why she has no intention to return to the series in the future.

While on Stassi Schroeder's podcast Straight up with Stassi Schroeder, Kristina said that the reason why she has no desire to return to the RHOBH spinoff. During the Vegas trip on Season 10, there was a pretty infamous fight between herself, Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, and Rachel Leviss. Rachel became the target of their ire after she hooked up with RHOBH star Garcelle Beauvais's son, Oliver Saunders. This hook-up became the center of the major fight between the group of women.

According to Kristina, production caused the fight that took place during the Vegas trip dinner. She alleges that a new producer filmed her, Lala, and Katie bad-mouthing Rachel's adulterous tryst with Oliver. She then said that a new producer on set took that footage and showed it to Rachel, ultimately leading to the dinner confrontation. In addition to that, she purports that the editing was done out of order to create a narrative in which Rachel was the victim, and she and the others were the villains.

Blaming the producers is a common tack, and many longtime Bravo fans believe that where there's smoke, there's fire. Phaedra Parks was fired for spreading a disgusting rumor about her fellow RHOA housewife, Kandi Burruss. Fans think she was fed the information from the producers. Alleged producer interference has been something Bethenny Frankel has called out Bravo during the SAG/AFTRA strikes in 2023, where she rallied for a reality TV union.