Lisa Rinna Opens Up About What Led Her To Leave ‘RHOBH’

Lisa Rinna announced that she would not be returning to “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” in January 2023. She joined the long-running Bravo series in 2014. Now, while promoting her upcoming memoir, “You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It,” “The Traitors” star is opening up about her departure and when she knew that it was time to move on from the show.

Rinna appeared as a guest on the February 12 episode of “The Julia Cunningham Show.” During the show, the host asked the former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star about the circumstances surrounding her exit from the show. She started in the clip, “I mean, I knew, I knew at BravoCon. I was like, ‘Oh, I think this ride’s over.'”

For context, she attended BravoCon in October 2022 in New York City. Sadly for her, while going on stage for the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” panel, she was booed by the audience.

Rinna continued, “I… the wheels on the bus just flew off. I couldn’t contain myself. I couldn’t control myself. I was acting out in so many ways. Everyone saw it. Everyone heard it. Everyone felt it, and you know, it’s the only thing I could do at that point, and I knew it was time to be done.”

The former “Days of Our Lives” star continued, revealing that she almost quit the series before her official announcement. She said on the radio show, “I almost quit at the reunion. I was right there gonna do it. Woulda shoulda coulda, but I was ready to say it, and then of course, I go home, and I write an email that night, and I text everyone, and I say, ‘I’m done.'”

After that, the host brought up the moment from the reunion where Rinna knew it was time to leave “RHOBH.” Notably, the incident involved a disagreement with Kathy Hilton after Rinna accused her of having a meltdown on a cast trip. At the reunion, Hilton was allowed to bring her publicist on stage when they discussed the accusation.

According to Rinna, “That’s when I knew curtains were for me. I knew it. I saw her publicist, who I’ve known for years, and I know that that’s something they never allow, and I was like, here they come, they’re gonna f-ing kill me.”

“RHOBH” fans are reacting to the clip of Rinna’s interview on “The Julia Cunningham Show.” Many were on her side, while others had differing opinions. One person said on TikTok, “Team Rinna. And she was 100% right about Kathy.” Someone else wrote, “Why does Kathy have a publicist? What does Kyle do for a job? Does Dorit work?”

A different “RHOBH” fan said, ” I think we all believe Kathy def had a meltdown and said things lol, but Lisa went about it wrong. She overplayed her cards. I do miss her on RHOBH tho.” Another person wrote, “She played the villain for her entire time on the show – let’s be real.”

Finally, someone else stated that Rinna regretted quitting and then tried to retract after her initial email. Notably, Andy Cohen confirmed that she changed her mind about a week after deciding to quit. The fan said, “She neglected to leave out that five minutes after she sent that email. She sent another email to Bravo, saying wait. I don’t wanna quit. I wanna come back, and they didn’t bring her back.”

“RHOBH” is currently in its 15th season, and it’s been roughly three years since Rinna left. Many fans feel the series needs a cast shakeup, and some argue that the actress’ presence has been missing for quite some time now. However, she has stated recently that she has no interest in returning.

She appeared on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” in 2024, speaking in-depth about why she wouldn’t consider returning to the show. When asked, she responded, “No, never. No, I wouldn’t.”

Rinna continued, “I’m grateful for that show. I’m the person I am today because of it, but I’ll never go back. Nope, I did it. Did it, done it, saw the movie. I’m acting again [and] I’m not kidding — you laugh, but it’s true. I think it made me a better actor.”