A Real Housewife moves on after 8 years
“Real Housewives LOS ANGELES — of Beverly Hills” will be one housewife short when the reality show returns to Bravo.
Last Thursday, Jan. 5, Lisa Rinna announced she would no longer be appearing in the long-running series after joining the cast eight years ago, in Season 5.
A representative for Rinna said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that the “Days of Our Lives” actress’ “contract was up at the end of last season.”
“After taking the time to weigh her current options and business obligations, Lisa and Bravo have discussed and mutually decided that she will not be returning to RHOBH,” the statement said.
In a separate statement shared with the L.A. Times, Rinna celebrated “Real Housewives” as “the longest job I have held in my 35-year career.”
“I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,” she said. “It has been a fun 8-year run and I am excited for what is to come!”
After appearing as a “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” guest in Season 4, Rinna joined the cast in the series’ fifth season, which ran from November 2014 to April 2015. Since then, the “Melrose Place” actor has graced Bravo airwaves with her signature shag hairdo and self-deprecating attitude.
Rinna’s time on the messy reality show, obviously, wasn’t without its share of drama. Among her notable moments are her fiery, glass-shattering dispute with Kim Richards in Amsterdam and her Munchausen’s comments to Yolanda Hadid.
Even in her final months as part of the “Real Housewives” cast, Rinna was embroiled in the drama of Season 12’s contentious Aspen trip — the setting of Kathy Hilton’s alleged meltdown.
Rinna, a fan favorite who was nevertheless recently booed at BravoCon, said at the fan event in October that she once believed “being on a soap opera was more difficult than being a Housewife.
“But it’s more difficult to be a Housewife,” she said. “It’s a lot harder because it’s real . ... This is real, and these are people that I do care about.”