Stassi Schroeder: New Orleans' Next Level Basic

New Orleans' Next Level Basic

Stassi Schroeder was born in New Orleans in 1988, and if you know anything about her, you know she has never been shy about claiming that fact. The city shaped her personality — the directness, the love of food and cocktails, the unapologetic commitment to being exactly who she is — and she's built an entire career on it.

Schroeder became a household name on Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, the reality show set in the world of Los Angeles restaurant drama that somehow became one of the most-watched series on cable television. For eight seasons, from 2013 to 2020, Stassi was the show's gravitational center — equal parts witty, dramatic, and self-aware in a way that most reality TV personalities never manage.

But Schroeder wasn't content to be just a reality star. She wrote three books, all of which hit the New York Times bestseller list. Next Level Basic became a cultural touchstone for a generation of women who were tired of pretending they didn't like ranch dressing and true crime podcasts. Off with My Head followed, a more personal memoir that showed the depth behind the persona.

She's also a podcast host, fashion blogger, and the kind of multi-platform personality that the entertainment industry increasingly runs on. In 2024, she signed with Hulu for a docuseries called Stassi Says, proving that the post-Vanderpump career has legs.

Through it all, Schroeder has kept New Orleans close. She grew up here, and the city's influence — the appreciation for good food, good drinks, and not taking yourself too seriously — runs through everything she does. In an entertainment landscape full of people pretending to be something they're not, Stassi Schroeder has made a fortune being exactly who she is. New Orleans would expect nothing less.