Lisa Rinna isn’t here for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans comparing how she treated Denise Richards on season 10 of the Bravo series to how she’s standing by Erika Jayne amid Tom Girardi‘s legal woes.
“I am somebody who does take a look at my behavior, and what I’ve done and I have grown since last year,” the 58-year-old actress said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Wednesday, August 11. “And I’m not going to behave the same way that I did last year with Denise, with Erika. It’s different, it’s like apples and oranges. We’re dealing with a totally different set of circumstances.”
While Lisa added that the audience needs to “just wait,” the former Melrose Place star got fired up when another viewer asked why she wasn’t pressing Erika harder after she made a “career” on Housewives questioning her costars.
“Here’s the thing, do I have to f—king do everything?” Lisa said. “Do I have to carry the show on my back? No. … Seriously though, there are other people here, there are eight of us.”
When asked by Andy Cohen “how much Erika knew” about Tom’s alleged illegal actions, Lisa stood by her costar again.
“I’ve known Erika a long time, I don’t think she knew anything. … Why would Tom Girardi tell Erika anything?” she responded. “The lawyers didn’t even know. That is how I feel, I’m going to stand by it. If I’m wrong, I’ll f—king deal with it.”
During the aftershow, Lisa made a point to say that she is much closer to Erika than Denise, 50. (The two actresses had a falling out after Lisa didn’t believe Denise when she denied Brandi Glanville’s allegations that they had an affair.)
“I’m way closer to Erika than I ever was to Denise Richards. That’s the truth,” the Veronica Mars alum said. “I know everyone thinks that Denise and I were close. We were acquaintances much like I am with Garcelle [Beauvais]. I’ve known them for 20 years, but they’re like party friends.”
Lisa also shut down claims that she’s loyal to Erika because she “invested” in Rinna Beauty.
“That was a very terrible rumor. I would never borrow money from anybody,” she said. “Erika did not give me a dime.”
After supporting Erika amid her divorce from Tom, 82, on season 11 of RHOBH, the cast (with the exception of Lisa) began to question her role during Wednesday’s episode after reading the Los Angeles Times exposé “The legal titan and the ‘Real Housewife’: The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne,” which was published in December 2020.
“I wouldn’t think Erika knows anything that goes on and Tom would just say, ‘Sweetie, I’m in charge,’” Lisa told the Bravo cameras. “Do you know how many times Harry [Hamlin] has put a contract on the kitchen table and said, ‘Sign this.’ I sign everything he asks me to sign. Listen, if you’ve been married for a while, you’re fine with it.”
After the former couple was accused of embezzling settlement funds intended for the families of plane crash victims, Tom’s firm has been accused of giving Erika’s companies $20 million over the years. The Pretty Mess author, who hasn’t been charged with any crimes, has maintained that she didn’t know about her now-estranged husband’s actions.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
