My fascination with Bravo runs deep. The formerly humble, semi-highbrow network was once known for re-runs of Twin Peaks and episodes of Inside the Actors’ Studio, but in the early 2000s a seed was planted. Bravo created a “reality” show that followed five gay men making over straight dudes around the country. The rest is pretty much pop culture history. From the Real Housewives franchise to Southern Charm, the network has spent the last decade or so making legitimate celebrities out of its reality talent, most of whom have millions upon millions of Instagram followers and fans who have opinions on their every move.

One such star: Stassi Schroeder, the queen bee of Vanderpump Rules, one of the crowned jewels in Bravo’s repertoire. The show—which kicks off its eighth season tonight— follows servers and bartenders at Sur, an LA restaurant owned by former Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Lisa Vanderpump. During her tenture, Stassi has been called a lot of things: a mean girl, entitled, annoying, a bitch. But she’s also been praised for being relatable, funny, honest, and undeniably herself.

When we met, Stassi had just finished speaking at Glamour’s annual Women of the Year summit where she gave a talk about how some people can be assholes, and that’s OK—certainly an on-brand topic for the 31-year-old. In person, I found her to be friendly, funny, and highly engaging—whether the result of media training or just being a grounded person, she made strong eye contact and was fully committed to our chat.

We talked about the show, yes, but also about her upcoming wedding to boyfriend Beau Clark, a new cast-memeber on Vanderpump (look out for her new bridal column on Glamour this week!) In typical Stassi fashion, though, she refused to tell me a single detail about her dress. She was forthcoming about her life in the public eye—she firmly said she’ll never wear a bikini on television again—and how it feels when people try to cancel her on social media. I asked her about the holiday she bought (just listen — it’ll make sense) and—something we both unapologetically agree on—how shopping can be one of the great stress relievers.

I wasn’t shocked when she asked me which VPR cast-member was the most annoying on social media, and not surprisingly, I had an answer for her.

Listen to the episode below!

Follow host Perrie Samotin on Instagram @perriesamotin, guest Stassi Schroder at @stassischroeder, and subscribe to What I Wore When on Apple Podcasts or where ever you listen to your favorite shows.

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