“Selling Sunset” star Chrishell Stause says she is leaving the Netflix real estate reality series after nine seasons.
Stause broke the news in an interview with Bustle published Friday. “I’ve vacillated back and forth with this decision in the past,” she told the outlet. “I have to be honest — having come from nothing, it’s really hard to turn something like this down.” Stause noted that “Selling Sunset” creator Adam DiVello had allegedly been calling and texting her “100 times a day” around the time of the interview trying to convince her to return for the show’s 10th season.
“I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t need the show financially,” she said. “I’m lucky to have other forms of employment, because it’s no longer good for my mental health.”
The “Traitors” alum told Bustle she came to her decision in response to escalating tensions between her fellow cast members and her growing frustration with the show’s producers and editors over what was purportedly cut out of episodes. “I get it, they want to make a light show,” Stause acknowledged. “If I was doing a show with less problematic people, I can totally see their point.”
Stause pointed to the tensions between her and some of her co-stars over their alleged homophobic and transphobic behavior and language, which her castmates have previously denied using. She pointed specifically to comments made by Emma Hernan’s boyfriend Blake Davis, alleging, “He compared being nonbinary to having a mental illness.” Stause’s partner, musician G-Flip, is nonbinary, but Davis has, for his part, denied using such language with Stause.
“With Emma, I just look like an overbearing friend,” Stause said, alluding to her issues with some of the editing decisions made by the “Selling Sunset” creative team. “There are so many things that would’ve completely vindicated me and my opinion, and they left all of it out.”
When contacted by TheWrap, Netflix had no comment. Stause is, along with Brett and Jason Oppenheim, one of only three “Selling Sunset” cast members who has appeared in a main capacity across all of its nine seasons to date.
“If they do continue, I wish them the best,” Stause added. “If they do do another one, by then, I may not watch it. I don’t know. But I have no ill will toward the show. The show has given me so many opportunities, and I don’t want to be bitter about it, even though I’m leaving not in the way that I would’ve loved.”
When discussing her own future, Stause expressed her desire to replace JoAnna Garcia Swisher as the host of “The Ultimatum: Queer Love,” which Netflix recently canceled. “I would love it if another streamer wanted to pick it up, and I would love to host it,” Stause said. She also teased a pitch for a more fluid competitive dating show, which she said would be a “dream job.”
The “Selling Sunset” star is also interested in acting more. The “Days of Our Lives” veteran told Bustle she wants the chance to play more queer roles onscreen. “Since I’ve come out, I think four or five things I’ve done have all been queer,” the Netflix star noted. “At first I was like, ‘Guys, I can still play straight!’ But to be honest, I want to lean in. Let’s do a holiday movie where I’m leading it and we’re doing queer stories.”
