Before becoming one of the 90210 Housewives, Lisa Rinna had a visible acting career and was known as Mrs. Harry Hamlin. She tried her hand at reality TV before joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but despite saving the series, it didn’t save her career. Joining the program did have long-term and damaging effects on her career. When the fans turn on you and get booed at BravoCon, your fate is sealed. Can Lisa Rinna rebound from her tenure on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? It’s too soon to tell.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is one of the fan-favorite franchises on Bravo. The series, which follows the lifestyles of the rich and famous in 90210 zip code, has had an immense turnover of full-time housewives, yet the drama has never been in short order. After making a cameo appearance during Season 4, Lisa Rinna, a previously decent household name in the entertainment industry, was promoted to a full-time role for Season 5. A role that remained until Season 12, making her one of the longer-tenured cast members. But Rinna, as she has been referred to as not to mix her up with the other Lisa, Lisa Vanderpump, was almost cast on the show in its first season. But Andy Cohen put the kibosh on that noting, “I don’t see it. It’s not what the show is.” He had a change of heart, and the rest is history.
Lisa Rinna Was the Villain of ‘RHOBH’
Before there were Housewives, there was a booming career for Lisa Rinna in Hollywood. After a debut on The Hogan Family, Lisa Rinna rose to stardom on Days of Our Lives as the character Billie Reed. After three years, she departed the daytime soap for a role in prime time on Melrose Place, a sister series of Aaron Spelling’s Beverly Hills, 90210. Her prominence in the world of daytime and nighttime soaps made Lisa Rinna give her great popularity. She took her hand at modeling, having appeared in Playboy a handful of times. She also happened to be the wife of the infamous Harry Hamlin. Her career as a high-profile soap star and the other half of Harry Hamlin led to hosting Soap Talk on the dearly departed Soapnet, a reality documentary series called Harry Loves Lisa on TV Land, and an abundance of cameos on television shows as well as competing on Dancing with the Stars and The Celebrity Apprentice. So why, after all the success, join the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Why not? It was just another career opportunity.
It’s often said that when Lisa Rinna entered the fray, she was credited with saving the franchise. And that may be thanks to her big mouth and not just her world-famous lips. From her debut on the show, Lisa Rinna took the title pot stirrer to heart. Dare I say, “Own it, baby!” The question remains, did Lisa Rinna need The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Would it help boost her career? Alongside Kandi Burruss on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Rinna is one of the more high-profile hires in the entirety of the franchise. But Rinna seemed to focus on making viral moments in her documented social life rather than salvaging her character. Her time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills seemed like a long-con improvisation exercise that altered lives. Lisa Rinna is the ultimate actress. It’s hard to know when she was performing for the camera and when she was truly authentic. Should we talk about the stuffed bunny? It’s that single tear that dropped Rinna’s cheek that was pure cinematic gold!
Lisa Rinna is Known for Bringing Drama to ‘RHOBH’
Rinna may serve entertainment value, but many of her moments have been considered by many to be messy, which propelled her into villain status. Despite only sharing a single season as a full-time cast member with Kim Richards, the duo have had a long-running history with one another. And it all came to it’s first peak in Amsterdam. After a war of discussion regarding Kim Richards’ battle with alcohol, insults began being flung, and the moment that Rinna’s husband, you know, Harry Hamlin, was mentioned, the fire filled Lisa Rinna’s soul. She lunged and tried to choke Kim and then supplied one of the most dramatic glass-shattering moments the entire Housewives franchise has ever seen.
Beyond the aforementioned bunny moment, Rinna was at the center of a gossip scandal where she spoke ill of Kim and her sister Kyle Richards, once again regarding Kim’s sobriety. This time, she dragged Kyle into the fold by calling her an enabler. Rinna is well known for putting her foot in her mouth, but when she was called out, she took the time to try to humiliate Kim by attempting to bring up her arrests. Even if Kim’s storyline ran its course, according to the fans, watching the tension between the two drained Lisa Rinna’s potential stock as a positive character on the show.
No matter who was present in the cast, Lisa Rinna found her life by bringing gossip to the forefront. When it came to Yolanda Hadid, nee Foster, the accusations that she might be suffering from Munchausen, a psychological disease where a party pretends to be sick and then proceeds to show similar symptoms of the sickness, was what crossed the line. Even when asked to stop, Rinna kept fueling the fire. Upon learning about Yolanda’s Lyme disease, something her two daughters also suffer from, Rinna had no remorse nor regret questioning it. She even lied about how the gossip came to her, throwing Erika Jayne, rightly, under the bus. Another rivalry that brewed came between her and Dorit Kemsley. Even after she childishly mocked her name after it was autocorrected to Doritos on her phone, Lisa Rinna hurled an accusation at Dorit at yet another international dinner. This time in Hong Kong. Rinna questioned why Dorit and her guests left the table during a dinner party. She then accused them of doing coke in the bathroom. To say it was rude and uncalled for is an understatement.
Both on and off the show, Rinna has found herself having to defend herself via receipts. Following the death of Lisa Vanderpump’s brother by suicide, Rinna had to defend her decision to Tweet out a birthday post to Vanderpump featuring cupcakes sprinkled with pills. While on Watch What Happens Live, she told host Andy Cohen it was a joke that she and Lisa Vanderpump shared and meant no harm. When it comes to Sutton Stracke and the charity seats at Elton John Foundation’s Oscar Party in 2019, once again Rinna was on the defensive, pulling out e-mails that threw Sutton under the bus. Rinna felt the need to save face by revealing that Sutton was no longer paying for the full table, only going as a party of three which did not include Rinna or Harry Hamlin, her husband. There is some hope when it comes to Lisa Rinna and her Housewives feuds. Despite being called the “biggest bully in Hollywood” by Kathy Hilton, an often guest on the program, the duo seems to be on the mend. With so much drama caused on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the woman who entered the series is not the woman who left it. Being unafraid to share your thoughts is one thing. Being labeled as a pot-stirring villain, that’s another.
What Is Lis Rinna’s Life Post-R’HOBH?’
While not all Housewives last forever, Lisa Rinna left the show following the 12th season. But her time on the show will forever be ingrained in Bravo history. Despite creating high-octane television moments, when the fans turn on a Bravolebrity at BravoCon, the curtain drops for good. So was Rinna’s time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills just a long-game audition for life after Housewives? Since departing the show, Rinna has appeared in a Season 3 episode of American Horror Stories. The Lisa Rinna Collection on QVC became a success for her, and she launched Rinna Wines and Rinna Beauty. In her 30-year career, she has had many iterations and told Extra in an exclusive interview that she is feeling blessed with the life she has. But never say never to return to reality television. Knowing Lisa Rinna, who says yes to almost everything, “never say never.”
The most famous lips in Hollywood have had a storied career in Tinsel Town, but the next era for Lisa Rinna is all about trying to navigate what life will be like after The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Reality television has produced legendary villains over the past few decades, and Lisa Rinna has been climbing to the top. She has shared she wants to focus on getting back into acting, E! has ordered a second season of House of Villains. Could that end Rinna’s short-lived break from reality television? Hogging time in the spotlight has been Lisa Rinna’s M.O. Reminding the world why she was prime television drama, and it’s certainly not out of the question for her to make a return.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo every Wednesday at 8:00 pm. The series can be streamed the next day on Peacock.