The Real Reason Lisa Rinna Left ‘RHOBH’ After Season 12 Reportedly Had Nothing to Do with Contract Negotiations

Lisa Rinna recently announced her exit from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons. Reports then emerged claiming that the former soap star had been in a contract war with Bravo, and both sides failed to reach an agreement. But a new tip suggests that the real reason Rinna left after RHOBH Season 12 had nothing to do with contract negotiations.

Did Lisa Rinna want to be the highest-paid Housewife?

On the same day that Rinna confirmed her exit from RHOBH via People magazine, a report from Radar Online claimed that she made the decision to leave after a “$2 million contract war” with Bravo. The outlet also claimed that Rinna gave them a quote that was actually an exclusive given to People.

“This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series. It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!” Rinna said in her statement.

Her team also confirmed Rinna’s exit from RHOBH, saying that she had taken time to “weigh her current options and business obligations” before mutually deciding with Bravo not to return.

Then, the outlet claimed that Rinna spent months demanding $2 million a season so she could be the highest-paid Housewife in the franchise ever.

The real reason she left ‘RHOBH’ had nothing to do with contract negotiations

An insider told Radar in September that Rinna knew her worth and how to negotiate, saying “At this point, Bravo needs Lisa more than Lisa needs Bravo. She was a star before Bravo and will be a star long after Bravo too.”

But, another insider recently submitted a tip to Bravo & Cocktails that claims Rinna’s exit from RHOBH had nothing to do with contract negotiations at all. Instead, Rinna walked away because of her season 12 edit and Kathy Hilton.

“Rinna was pissed with the editing and what she saw as favorable treatment of Kathy (even Kathy knowing her contract was due to expire was a surprise). She threatened to quit at the reunion. The negative feedback from fans was getting to her and her family and her reps were warning this is hurting endorsements,” the tipster shared. 

The latest tipster did note that when Rinna’s contract was up at the end of the season, her team did say she wouldn’t negotiate for anything less than $100k per episode with two option periods. However, those negotiations never started.

“Rinna wanted to announce her exit on October 25 to coincide with the end of the reunions, but NBCU asked her not to. UTA convinced her not to do so as it would impact future opportunities,” the tipster revealed.

Lisa Rinna admits she ‘hated’ season 12 of ‘RHOBH’

During a recent interview, per Deadline, Rinna has admitted that she “hated” season 12 for “a lot of reasons.”

“My mom died, we all know that. But that’s not the biggest reason. The story just didn’t get told as two-sidedly as I would’ve liked. How about that?” Rinna said, referring to the cast trip to Aspen where Hilton had an alleged meltdown.

“It was unfortunate that there weren’t cameras in Aspen. It was something that happened so spontaneously. In the moment, I didn’t think to turn on my voice memos,” she said. “When somebody’s having a nuclear breakdown, you don’t think, ‘Oh, I should be filming this.’ That doesn’t come across your mind.”

Rinna added that she felt there was a “smear campaign” against her online, while Hilton “showed her tail.” Still, she says “Kathy Hilton is great,” but believes she should take her sister Kim Richards’ advice and avoid losing her temper on the show.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 12 is now playing on Peacock.