Kristina Kelly has moved from a sporadic supporting presence on Bravo's Vanderpump Rules to a main cast member on the newly launched Hulu reality series House of Stassi, led by Stassi Schroeder. During her time on Vanderpump Rules, Kelly appeared intermittently across multiple seasons, including during its tenth season when she supported fellow cast member Katie Maloney. The shift to House of Stassi marked a significant upgrade in her on-screen prominence and creative involvement, with Kelly describing Schroeder's evident passion for the project as the factor that drove her to step up and contribute more substantially to the ensemble's dynamics.

Conflict emerged when Maloney, also joining House of Stassi, made a comment categorising individuals outside Schroeder's immediate sphere—those neither employed by her nor married to her—as lacking rightful place in her circle. The remark, particularly the term "payroll," initially wounded Kelly, who viewed it as a suggestion she was merely a compensated associate rather than a genuine companion of over a decade. In hindsight, Kelly has reassessed her reaction to Maloney's comment, developing a more charitable interpretation of its meaning. Both continue collaborating on House of Stassi despite this earlier friction.