Lisa Rinna Gets Candid About ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Departure: “Hated This Year”

Lisa Rinna is addressing her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills exit for the first time since announcing her departure from the Bravo franchise. 

Speaking to Interview magazine for a piece published online Friday, the Days of Our Lives alum got candid about her reason for leaving, saying, “I had a rough year.” 

“I never think, ‘Oh wow. It’s just such a rough year, and I’ll never be able to handle it again.’ I can always come back and handle something,” she said. “But something has gotten to the Housewife Universe because of what’s going on in the world, and it’s reflected in the way the fans react to the world of Housewives. And I just think it’s unhealthy. It wasn’t working for me. It wasn’t right for me.” 

In early January, a representative for Rinna told The Hollywood Reporter that since her contract was up at the end of season 12, she took “the time to weigh her current options and business obligations,” and mutually decided with Bravo that she would not be returning. 

In 2014, the actress joined the reality TV show during the fifth season. She quickly became known for her drama-filled moments. But as for the latest season, Rinna said she “fucking hated this year” for a number of reasons. “My mom died; we all know that,” she explained. “But that’s not the biggest reason. The story just didn’t get told as two-sidedly as I would’ve liked.”

During season 12, Rinna faced a lot of fan backlash and even got booed at BravoCon.  

The actress and TV personality told Interview that during her time on RHOBH, she enjoyed the filming process, but not so much the episodes being released. “Once you see it, once it goes out into the universe, that I don’t love, because it takes on a life of its own,” she said. “When filming, you have your drama, but it’s contained in a sense. And once it goes out, you get opinions and all the stuff that goes on, that’s the part I don’t like.” 

Rinna said it’s rare to work the same job for so many years and that after working eight years on the show, “it’s always a scary thing to decide to leave something. But I always know when I need to do something.” 

“I wouldn’t change any of it. I’m grateful for the experience,” the actress added. “I am who I am before it, during it, after it. I learned a lot, man. And I can go up against anybody in the fucking world right now. I mean, I never would’ve had that if I hadn’t had this experience. The tools that it gave me as a bad bitch, you can’t really cross me. I mean, you can, but….”