It’s been almost a year since she last held a diamond, but fans are still left wondering: Why did Lisa Rinna leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and was she fired? Rinna, an actress best known for soap operas like Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place, joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in Season 5.
Before leaving the show after Season 12, she had been a star for seven seasons and eight years. Rinna disclosed that she was on the “short list” to join the Season 1 cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which also included Kyle Richards, Kim Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, Taylor Armstrong, Camille Grammer, and Adrienne Maloof, in the 2021 book Not all Diamonds and Rose: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It. “They came to the house and filmed a little sizzle reel, and I went in and made a tape,” Rinna remarked. “You’re usually on the short list by the time you reach that point.”
The book reported that producers wanted The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to showcase “rich people” whose lives would make viewers “envious of their lifestyle.” “We thought Rinna was an interesting choice because she was such a Hollywood type — sort of the actress/entertainer who was still hanging on and has a famous husband,” executive producer Alex Baskin said. Real Housewives host and executive producer Andy Cohen eventually explained why Rinna wasn’t cast for that first season. “Lisa Rinna had been on so many reality shows, it just seemed like a parody to me,” he said. “For me, it needed to be about real women. I didn’t think we should have an actress, and I didn’t think any of them should be famous.”
But Rinna was unfazed. After that, she starred on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for five seasons before making an abrupt departure after twelve. If Lisa Rinna was fired from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, then why did she leave? Continue reading to find out the true reason, right from her (iconic) lips, Lisa Rinna departed The true Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Why did Lisa Rinna leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?
Why did Lisa Rinna leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Rinna left The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after Season 12 following seven seasons on the series.
Rinna confirmed her departure from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills at the end of Season 12, saying in a statement to People in January 2023 that she considered her alternatives and her duties to her business before agreeing with Bravo not to return. Rinna remarked, “I am thankful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series. This is the longest job I have held in my 35-year career.” “I am eager for what lies ahead, and it has been a fun eight years!”
In the premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13, the series included a screenshot of Rinna’s resignation email from Bravo. “I will not be renewing my contract and I will not be coming back to RHOBH. Thank you so much for 8 years!!!! All the best. Lisa,” the email read.
In an interview with ES Magazine in May 2023, Rinna revealed that she left The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after her late mother, Lois Rinna, who died on November 15, 2021, came to her dream to advise her to quit the show. “Who wants to leave a job?” Rinna said. “But I think we all knew it was time. Eight years of that kind of show … What more could I have done, besides generate more memes?”
She continued of seeing he mothe in her dream, “She came to me. It’s so wild because half the world will believe this, half the world will say, ‘That’s so weird.’ I was sleeping, and I heard her say to me, ‘It’s time for you to go.’” “I told a psychic, and she said, ‘Oh yeah, she’s come to me and told me that. She wants you to be happy and follow your dream, but she says it’s time for you to go.’ I’m guided by my mom, for sure.”
She also alluded to the fact that death threats from fans played a role in her decision to leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during the interview. She remarked, “The fan base’s reaction to the show now is different from what it was when I first started.” We were receiving threats of death, really. There are some of the most appalling things I’ve ever read about in print, and it’s a reality show! What a dumb show! I decided it was time to leave. To be honest, I don’t know how much longer that can stay in the zeitgeist.
She continued, “I think the world itself has gotten so volatile that the response doesn’t match what we’re doing. I didn’t want to live like that. I don’t think that’s healthy.”
Is Lisa Rinna returning to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?
Will Lisa Rinna be making a comeback to Beverly Hills’ The Real Housewives? No, not yet, is the response. Real Housewives host and executive producer Andy Cohen stated in an interview on his SiriusXM show, Radio Andy, that he hoped Rinna’s departure from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was a “pause” rather than a formal departure, similar to Dorinda Medley from The Real Housewives of New York City, who appeared on two seasons of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip following her departure from RHONY. “Please, please, let this be a break. I sincerely hope she returns,” Andy added.
Andy also compared Lisa’s exit to Real Housewives of Orange County‘s Tamra Judge, who was fired after Season 14 and returned in Season 17. She said, ‘I think it was actually really positive to leave and get some air and step back,’” he said. “So, I just hope that Lisa will humor us and come back.”
He also reacted to Rinna saying The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was the longest TV show she’s ever had. “That is a testament to how compelling Lisa Rinna is. To watch on television that she went eight years. Think of all the memes that Lisa Rinna has generated. Think of all the gifs she’s generated.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo.