Stassi Schroeder Tells Us Why She Likes Being an A**hole

I've always had something inside me.

Okay, bear with, that sounds weird,

but just listen.

I've always had something inside me,

something like an alarm that goes off

when something isn't right

or when someone is trying to pull a fast one on me.

I've been like this my whole life.

To the point where people even called me

Bossy Stassi growing up.

It's been my experience that women who go after

and get what they want are often criticized.

And I would know.

After the first season of Vanderpump Rules aired in 2013,

I was called a villain.

I was called a bitch.

I was called an asshole.

Then, all of the sudden, in both our culture

and in fan reactions, there was a shift.

People went from hating me to loving me

for the very same reasons.

In season one, people hated the way I spoke.

Now, I'm praised for my conviction.

In season one, people said I was mean and entitled.

Now, I'm praised for being unapologetically honest.

In season one, I had a bad attitude.

Now, everyone relates to me

because we're all just moody all the time, right?

I mean, come on.

Looking back, there really aren't many times

when I wish I had been less of an asshole.

In fact, there are only times

I wish I would have spoken up more.

Especially with my ex-boyfriends.

I've reached a point in my life where,

for my own sanity, I gotta do me.

If I don't speak my mind, my personal life suffers,

I feel exhausted, walked all over, and annoyed all the time

and no one wants to be around me

when I'm annoyed, seriously.

It's my opinion that being an asshole

is basically listening to what your wants and needs are

to get what you want out of life,

whether it's stepping away from a business deal

that brings you no joy,

or skipping a friend's birthday party

because you really just can't that night.

This is what I expect out of people.

This is what I want my bosses, my family,

my friends, and my relationships,

I want to know what I can expect from people.

Does it backfire?

All the time.

I've had people hate me, or think I'm a terrible person.

My friendships and relationships have been rocky at times,

like when I literally left Vanderpump Rules.

I took a break from some of my closest relationships

and from the show,

but at the end of the day,

if I'm true to myself, I win.

But now, I don't want anyone to hear this and think

Oh, I'm gonna be a total bitch now.

That's not it.

That's not what I'm saying at all.

Girls come up to me all the time

trying to bond with me by talking shit,

and I hate when that happens,

because I don't feel like I'm that type of person.

I'm saying that the qualities some people might

characterize as bitchy are the same qualities

that you might need to forge your own path

I am who I am.

I know what bothers me.

I know what doesn't.

What I'll stand for and what I won't.

And if that makes me a freakin' asshole,

then I'm cool with that.

Thank you, guys.

[laughing] [applause]