Stassi Schroeder’s confidence was crushed after being called SpongeBob at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Show
Internet trolls compared Stassi Schroeder’s body to SpongeBob Squarepants after she modeled in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show.
The “House of Stassi” star, 38, spoke exclusively to Page Six Radio on Tuesday morning about her experience walking the runway.
“The first year was really amazing,” she told co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real. “The second year, the trolls got to me.”
According to Schroeder, online haters called out her “rectangle” body, likening her physique to that of SpongeBob Squarepants.
While Schroeder said her critics were “not wrong,” she questioned whether she wants to put herself through that again by modeling in the magazine’s annual fashion show for a third year in a row.
The “Vanderpump Rules” alum made her runway debut at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show in 2025. She strutted down the catwalk again in May, joining female powerhouses like Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish and Bethenny Frankel for Miami Swim Week.
Despite feeling “just a little insecure” in light of the negative feedback, Schroeder enjoyed participating in the event.
“I love doing it, I feel so fucking empowered, the girls are so nice,” she gushed. “The atmosphere, the energy, it’s such a girl power vibe and everyone’s there just lifting each other up. So, I really love doing it.”
Schroeder is no stranger to public scrutiny. In 2020, after eight seasons of starring on Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules,” she and longtime co-star Kristen Doute were fired from the show when their past racist actions against a former cast member resurfaced.
Schroeder has since focused on reinventing herself. She married Beau Clark, 46, and they had two children — Hartford, 5, and Messer, 2 — she became a New York Times bestselling author with the release of her books “Next Level Basic” and “Off with My Head,” and she recently made her triumphant return to reality television in Hulu’s “House of Stassi.”
As for the online hate, Schroeder said she has gotten “really good” at dealing with it now, noting that there are “few things” that bother her anymore.
“If you believe all of the positive stuff you read, that means you have to believe all the negative stuff you read,” she said. “So, I just don’t believe anything.”
As someone who has been in the spotlight for over a decade, Schroeder also knows how quickly the public perception can change.
“One minute people love you, the next they hate you,” she said. “It’s all so fluid and it really doesn’t f—ing matter because people’s opinions are gonna change next week.”
“House of Stassi” is currently streaming on Hulu.
