Add Chest this is in response to the “ding dong” tweet. Lisa Vanderpump together when he left The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Days after Vanderpump suggested “the witch is dead,” Rinna opened up about her decision to leave the series, responding. Andy CohenAdvising him to “take a break,” and sharing details about an alleged behind-the-scenes “smear campaign” aimed at protecting his season 12 nemesis, Kathy Hilton.
“That’s what everyone said when they left the show,” Rinna said of Vanderpump’s post during a Jan. 13 interview with Interview magazine.
When he moved from RHOBA after eight seasons, Rinna feels “a lot of things.”
“I had a tough year … I can always come back and handle anything. But something happens in the Housewives Universe because it happens in the world, and it’s reflected in the way the fans react to the Housewives universe,” she said in the season 12. “And I just think it’s not healthy. It doesn’t work for me. It’s not right for me.
In fact, while Rinna waited until earlier this month to announce her exit, she actually called it quits after filming the season reunion last September 12.
“I left, really, right after the reunion. People didn’t know. But I told everyone after the reunion that I was going to continue, of course,” he shared, continuing to shut down rumors about a possible return.
“It’s time to rest. I don’t rest, I don’t keep resting. You don’t make me rest. I’m going bye-bye,” she said.
According to Rinna, she “absolutely hated” season 12 “for so many reasons.”
“My mother died, we all know. But this is not the biggest reason. The story is just not told both sides as I would like,” he explained. “We all know that he has power in the edit. You have no power in any edits … If I can tell my story the way it actually happened, that’s awesome, right?”
During the season, Rinna came forward with a statement that shocked Kathy to her sister Kyle Richards in the midst of them being in Aspen. And while he insisted that he was being honest about what he said on camera, many called him a bad person for coming between brothers.
“It’s unfortunate that there are no cameras in Aspen,” he said. “Now, I don’t think to turn on voice memos. When someone has nuclear damage, you don’t think, ‘Oh, I have to film this.’ When you’re actually trying to save someone and get someone out of the club because they hurt themselves, you think, ‘What do I do? Do I call the police? I don’t know what to do.'”
Although Rinna felt that Kathy was the true villain of the season, it was her Erika Jayne who took the brunt of the backlash for his account of the outburst. And as Rinna explained, it was because of the behavior of the Bravo employees.
“I will tread lightly. But I think certain people are involved who can keep the story quiet, can make some things disappear. The level of other things goes down to make sure that the person is protected,” he said. “There’s a smear campaign going online against me. It’s all very calculated. And there are people who are paying me to do it.
Rinna then said that there are many “good things” about Kathy, she is known to be emotional.
“As a sister [Kim Richards] said to him, ‘Don’t lose your temper in the event.’ We all want to be liked. But when you’re a fan favorite and all of a sudden people really love you, it’s hard to put it down,” she said.
Looking ahead to season 12, Rinna says she doesn’t feel like she owes anyone anything — and explains that she’s not done yet. Sutton Strake‘s claims to have paid for her tickets to the Elton John Gala.
“I’ve thought about it a lot. I apologized to Sutton at the reunion… But I didn’t do anything but tell the truth. And when I screamed at Sutton, I apologized at that moment at dinner. And at my house , I got drunk after tasting the wine. It’s not an excuse, it’s just there. I still wonder what he did, trying to give this ticket to himself,” said Rinna.
Rinna also said that during season 12, she was “no more horrible than” before.
“I raised my voice to Sutton Strarke twice. A great deal … To define my behavior this year as appalling … I mean, did you see me in Amsterdam?” he wondered.
Also during the interview, Rinna said that after meeting Kathy at the People’s Choice Awards in December, she decided to play nice.
“I said, ‘Hi Kathy, how are you? You look great.’ And break the ice,” she said.
“I give her a lot of credit for showing up at the reunion, because she can walk like Lisa Vanderpump. I appreciate her standing up for what people want to believe in,” Rinna added.