Lisa Rinna is saying goodbye to ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ after eight seasons.
via People:
“This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,” Rinna, 59, says in a statement. “It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!”
The decision was made as Rinna’s contract expired at the end of last season. After weighing her options and business obligations, she and Bravo mutually decided that she would not return to RHOBH.
Rinna joined the franchise in its fifth season, which premiered in 2014. In her debut season, the actress was involved in one of the show’s most memorable fights when she hurled a wine glass at then-costar Kim Richards, who’d alluded Rinna didn’t want something to get out about her husband Harry Hamlin.
The Days of Our Lives alum has also become known for her “Own it, baby” catchphrase, which is a mentality to which she subscribed throughout her run.
But Rinna’s exit likely doesn’t come as a surprise to RHOBH fans. Even though she’s compared herself to a “cockroach” you “can’t get rid of,” she dropped major hints about the possibility throughout season 8.
Posting a pre-Housewives throwback photo on her Instagram Story, Rinna wrote: “I was Lisa F—ing Rinna before HW and I’ll be Lisa F—ing Rinna After.” She then followed this with lyrics from “Roxie” beside an image of Renée Zellweger in 2002’s Chicago, which is a role Rinna also portrayed on Broadway in 2007.
“I’m a star! And the audience loves me! And I love them. And they love me for loving them. And I love them for loving me. And we love each other. And that’s because none of us got enough love in our childhoods. And that’s showbiz, kid,” the image read.
Following the November 2021 death of her mother Lois, Rinna said her “grief” was the cause of her many online rants, including against some Real Housewives of Dubai cast members.
“I have had a really rough time of it I think you’ve seen how hard this has hit me,” she wrote in July in a since-deleted Instagram post. I’m sorry if I’ve raged on you, about you — it really has nothing to do with any of you.”
She then criticized RHOBH for failing to properly memorialize Lois, instead focusing on trivial drama from the previous season that resurfaced. “I got one episode of grace. That’s it,” Rinna wrote. “Lois deserved and deserves much more. Shame on everyone.”
On the latest season of RHOBH, the Rinna Beauty founder raised her voice repeatedly at Sutton Stracke after her costar claimed to have never received a thank you for purchasing Rinna and husband Harry Hamlin’s tickets for Elton John‘s annual charity benefit.
Later, fans — and current RHOBH stars — took issue with how Rinna continued to leverage over Kathy Hilton’s alleged meltdown during the cast’s Aspen trip.
For her part, Rinna appeared to be unbothered by the fan backlash — even when she received loud boos from the crowd at BravoCon 2022.
“I got booed! It was fabulous,” Rinna told PEOPLE exclusively. “I’m like a wrestler. The wrestlers get booed. The most famous wrestlers in the world get booed. The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] got booed for God’s sake. I loved it. I’ve been in this business for 32 years.”
Rinna also said at the time she was happy to “have the number one show on cable on Bravo of the Housewives,” and noted that she was not fazed by RHOBH fans who called her hypocritical for her onscreen behavior.
“It’s a TV show, for God’s sake,” she shared. “Call me whatever you want, believe whatever you want, I tell the truth. I always have. Go back to that.”
Lisa had a great — albeit it problematic — run.
