Stassi Schroeder Confirms She's "Taking a Break" from Kristen Doute Because of Her "Emotional Health"

Vanderpump Rules fans may have noticed something was amiss with the Witches of WeHo when Kristen Doute was not present for Stassi Schroeder and Beau Clark's engagement festivities. Then, Stassi and Katie Maloney-Schwartz were conspicuously absent from Kristen's James Mae T-shirt pop-up store. In fact, Kristen, Stassi, and Katie have barely appeared in any photos all summer, save for Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's wedding, of course. So, what exactly is going on here?

Stassi answered that question on her podcast, Straight up with Stassi. “If taking a break from someone is a bitch move and makes me nasty, then I don’t give a f–k,” Stassi said on the October 11 episode of her podcast.

And she doesn't care about how she looks to the outside world: “I’m like, ‘Am I gonna look like the a–hole in this situation or is she?’ I have no idea,” she said. “I’m prepared to look like the a–hole, but whatever it is, I’m like, ‘Listen, I have to take care of my own mental and emotional health first.’”

But don't think this means that Stassi doesn't still care about her longtime friend. In fact, this statement gave us hope: “It doesn’t mean I don’t care about her. I absolutely do," she said, while adding, "Sometimes you just can’t be in the same room with someone without wanting to kill them.”

Sounds about right for a season that Lala Kent recently described as "mother effing epic!"