A rough time. It’s comes as no surprise to viewers that Lisa Vanderpump struggled to film Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 9.
“I was tearful most days filming Housewives last season,” the former Housewife, 58, said in an interview with The Express on Saturday, June 15.
She continued: “The whole cast ganged up on me, and I was just weary.”
The SUR owner’s brother, Mark Vanderpump, died by suicide in May 2018, right before RHOBH started filming. “I was emotionally depleted. I started filming two days after my brother’s funeral, which was challenging at best,” the reality TV star said. “I wanted to take the year off, and didn’t want to be in the emotionally combative situation that Housewives often entails. But I owed them my loyalty and commitment.”
Vanderpump only filmed scenes with her costars — Dorit Kemsley, Erika Jayne, Lisa Rinna, Kyle Richards, Denise Richards and Teddi Mellencamp — for about half of the season due to the drama stemming from what was dubbed, “Puppygate.”
“I didn’t have time for the petty bull s–t, really,” she said, “People are screaming at you. They were arguing about who said what about a dog! I’ve had enough. It just became too much.”
Housewives executive producer and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen told the Express that “the door will always be open to Lisa,” to which the TV personality said, “No. Who knows?” about a potential return.
She said her brother’s suicide left her heartbroken with unanswered questions: “The devastation is hard to deal with. When your only sibling goes, they take every memory and shared experience with them. You think, ‘Could anything I have done made a difference?’ Shoulda, woulda, coulda.”
The restaurateur explained that the tragedy even affected her mental health. “That’s just part of the sadness. I have had depressing moments,” she said. “I started on antidepressants after my brother passed, and grief counseling. After such a depressing year, I worry about the toll it might take. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to step away from Housewives.”
The Vanderpump Rules star confirmed her exit from the series to Us Weekly earlier this month. “I made the decision to leave. It was a very difficult year for me, personally and professionally,” she said on June 6. “I had wonderful things happen this year, opening up TomTom and the cocktail garden in Vegas. The Housewives, it’s just, it’s emotionally too difficult to deal with.”
