Vanderpump Rules star Billie Lee is bringing the drama this season. The cast member has been the focus of several tense storylines over the course of several episodes, including a fit over not being invited to a recent Girls’ Night party. Read on to learn more about Lee and her role for the season.
According to her blog, It’s Me Billie Lee, Lee is a “transgender woman, activist, and blogger currently living in Los Angeles.” She was born a boy on February 23, 1984, and made her transition as a young adult Lee, now 34, was added to the cast of Vanderpump Rules last season, where she quickly became a fan favorite. She also valued the opportunity to promote transgender rights. “[Being on Vanderpump is] a proud moment for me to tell my truth, [but] also, at the same time, being trans is a small part of me, and not a golden standard or anything,” she told Bustle in 2018.
Lee’s Comments Have Caused Her to Be Ostracized from the Rest of the ‘Vanderpump’ Cast
Writing about the Girls’ Night incident on her blog, Lee claimed that the lack of an invitation was a slight against her being transgender. “The sadness started to pour out of my body as tears began spattering my phone. I was hysterical. I started texting and calling my coworkers, asking why SUR would have a night for girls and not include me,” she wrote. “This wasn’t someone’s birthday party. This was a work event at my place of work. On the nights I’m scheduled. AND it’s called “Girls’ Night”! No one got back to me, and pretty soon the sadness turned into rage.”
“I couldn’t hold it in any longer,” she added. “I went to Twitter to see if I was tagged there, and sure enough I wasn’t. With my feelings rushing from my fingertips, I tweeted, ‘When yo coworkers don’t include the only trans girl in GIRLS night at your own job! On the night you work! #rudeAF #TransIsBeautiful’.”
Lee Claims That She’s Left Out of Events With the Other Cast Members Because She Is Transgender
Lee also criticized her fellow cast members for not standing up her as LGBT suppporters. “What was shocking to me is how fast and furiously Katie, Kristen, and Sassi jumped in to defend their loyalty to the LGBTQ community but never once asked how I felt,” she remarked. “Never once reached out to me. Never once thought about how this will effect trans kids watching. Lisa my hero May be the fairy godmother to the gay community, but just because our boss is pro-equality does not mean everyone at SUR is. Trans women in America see and hear things that offend us every day. Not everyone at SUR walks around with rainbows and butterflies.”
Starting this season, however, Lee’s complaints have damaged some of her goodwill with the other cast members. “Billie’s ‘poor me’ act is getting old to everyone. She is constantly upset and pissed off and her cast mates think that if she isn’t happy then she should just quit instead of taking it out on her costars,” an insider told Radar Online. “She feels like she is never included on any of the girls’ getaways, which is kind of true. But it’s her own fault and it has nothing to do with her being transgender.”