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Lisa Rinna didn’t drink during her first five years on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Three years after announcing she was leaving the Bravo show after eight seasons, the 62-year-old reflected on her time on the show, explaining why she opted to be alcohol-free, admitting that she wasn’t on board with Teddi Mellencamp, 44, joining the cast, and shading the network for creating a toxic workplace while also addressing her time on The Traitors and revealing why she wasn’t worried about her daughters working in the entertainment industry.
During a January 20 interview with InStyle, Lisa shared how RHOBH allowed “the real Rinna to emerge.”
“It was my producer saying to me ‘you need to think out loud, and you need to say how you feel,’” she stated. “Growing up, we were not of the age of anybody talking about their feelings. I finally started to say how I feel about other people, and I started to think out loud, and that was very life-changing for me.”
After noting that watching the show back felt surreal, as if she was “watching an actor playing [herself],” Lisa revealed that it was Harry Hamlin, 74, who advised her against drinking on the show.
“My husband said you cannot drink on that show, or you’re not going to do it. I took his advice there, and it was very good advice to take, because on a show like that, you need to stay clear[-headed] and you need to keep your wits about you,” she mentioned. “After five years, I was swayed to have a little bit more fun. But I’m really grateful that I did not drink for the first five years.”
During her time on the show, Teddi was brought in as a full-time cast member, which Lisa felt was a bad idea for the series.
“When Teddi Mellencamp came on—both [Erika Jayne] and myself were like, she’s just too young. She just hasn’t lived enough life. I think there is some value in being in your 40s, 50s, and 60s doing those shows,” she explained.
Also speaking of Erika, Lisa said that after watching her go through what she went through with Thomas Girardi, she knew she had to speak up and advocate for women being involved in their finances.
“That’s a screaming message to make sure you know what the f*ck is going on in your finances, even if you’re not the one working,” she declared.
Following her departure from Bravo, Lisa joined the cast of The Traitors and admitted that “nothing,” including RHOBH, “prepared [her] for it.”
“I think gamers are prepared for it. I don’t think Housewives or actors or someone like myself are prepped for it. I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into,” she revealed.
That said, Lisa was proud of herself for being able to participate in the isolating game show.
“That was interesting and a bit of a trip, because you are completely isolated from your life. But it’s also very freeing, because you have to put your life on the back burner, and go in and fully give yourself to this game,” she reasoned.
As her daughters, Delilah Hamlin, 27, and Amelia Hamlin, 24, thrive in their own careers, Lisa hopes to have set a good example of resilience.
“I hope that translates to them saying, ‘Wow, my mom continues to work on herself, no matter if things are going great, or they’re not great. She’s constantly evolving and working and going to therapy and wanting to make her life better,’” she said.
Lisa also noted that she had no hesitations about Delilah and Amelia working in Hollywood.
“Harry and I know what it’s like, and we can support them. To me it’s almost like a family business,” she noted.
She then clapped back at those who’ve told her to step aside and let them shine.
“Those girls have grown up with the people saying the most awful things about their mother. They know who I am. They know that I’m not trying to take anything from them. They know Harry and I are both their biggest cheerleaders,” she confirmed. “What’s wonderful about our family is there’s no competition anywhere, because everybody has their own lane and their own thing that they do. The girls are not threatened by me.”
Also included in the interview was an excerpt of Lisa’s fourth book, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, which hits stores and online retailers on February 24, in which she targeted Bravo as she spoke of reality shows creating a toxic environment for their talent.
“Toxic workplaces are not exclusive to Bravolebrities. The show is a microcosm of real life. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to have anything to do with your catty coworkers. If you take the paycheck, you have to work together. I think that’s why our show resonates with so many people. We’re all forced to be around and deal with people we normally wouldn’t every day,” she explained.
“A lot of people are more comfortable in conflict because it’s the only thing they know,” Lisa continued, sharing that women have a tendency to create drama, even if they do so subconsciously, when it feels normal.
“From a young age girls are taught to be in competition with one another. And, I admit, we fed into it, because it gives us adrenaline and something to gossip about. That’s the whole basis of this show. I still think it’s super f*cked up, even if I played a part in it,” she confessed.
Of the timing of her book release, Lisa told InStyle, “I’ve got a point of view that I’d like to share, that maybe I wasn’t able to share on Housewives and in other parts of my life.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 15 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
