Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna stepped out at the Television Academy's Televerse Festival in Los Angeles last week, ruling out a return to the reality series while announcing plans to return to Broadway.
The 63-year-old actress, who was joined on the red carpet by her castmates from The Traitors, spoke to the Daily Mail about her future career ambitions after shutting down ongoing speculation about her television comeback.
Rinna showcased her signature plump pout and styled her short hair in a voluminous quiff for the event. She posed up a storm for cameras on the red carpet wearing a Gothic-inspired outfit that featured a black puffball skirt, a sheer mesh top, and a puffy black leather jacket. At one point during the appearance, the former soap opera star slipped on a pair of oversized sunglasses.
Speaking about her upcoming projects, Rinna revealed that she is actively aiming to perform on the stage in New York City. "I want to play Oh, Mary! I want to be Oh, Mary! on Broadway. That's what I want to do," Rinna told the Daily Mail. "I did Chicago 20 years ago, so I love the idea of going back to Broadway."
Rinna previously performed on Broadway in 2007 when she played Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. In addition to stage roles, the actress expressed interest in starring in prestige scripted television series. "I love the idea of doing a limited series, you know like a Severance or White Lotus or Widow's Bay. There are so many, so I just can't wait to see what the universe presents," she said.
Future Career and RHOBH Stance
When pressed on whether she would ever rejoin The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Rinna was adamant that she will not be returning to the show anytime soon. "We don't need that, no. I think some things in life, there is always a time to move on and I did that, so I move on and that has been the beauty of my career," she explained. "I have been able to move on and do so many different things, so I will keep saying yes to the good stuff."
Rinna left the hit Bravo reality franchise in 2022 after eight consecutive seasons. Her decision to move forward aligns with reporting from March, when the Daily Mail revealed that producers on the series have no interest in bringing her back. "RHOBH is doing great and the viewers absolutely love Rachel Zoe," a network insider stated at the time. "And Rinna's career has never been hotter, so why would either side want to rehash the past? Everybody involved has moved on."
Although Rinna will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the door remains open at network parent company Bravo and streaming service Peacock for future collaborative projects. Rinna recently made amends with Bravo executive Andy Cohen following previous blips in their relationship.
Reality Success and Acting Credits
Rinna attended the Televerse Festival alongside her Traitors co-star Maura Higgins and a handful of other castmates from the competitive reality series. Rinna proved to be a breakout star on the most recent season of The Traitors, which has earned critical acclaim and multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations for next year's ceremony. The series is nominated for Outstanding Reality Competition, Outstanding Cinematography, and Outstanding Production Design For A Variety Or Reality Series.
Since departing her reality television role in 2022, Rinna has built a steady roster of acting work across major television networks and streaming platforms. She has appeared in guest and recurring roles on American Horror Stories, So Help Me Todd, Lopez vs Lopez, and Running Point. On the big screen, she recently starred in RuPaul's comedy disaster feature film Stop. That. Train., which was released in theaters in June.
Long before her tenure on reality television, Rinna built her career as a television actress in daytime soap operas. She achieved widespread recognition playing Billie Reed on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives beginning in 1992, where she was pictured alongside her late co-star Patrick Muldoon in 2023.
Memoir and Cosmetic Procedure Debacle
Beyond her work on screen and stage, Rinna recently published her personal memoir, You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It, which quickly became a New York Times bestseller. The book details her life and Hollywood career, offering several candid revelations about her personal experiences in the entertainment industry.
One of the most notable passages in the book describes a cosmetic treatment ordeal that left her face severely swollen shortly before she was scheduled to walk the red carpet at the 2024 Fashion Trust Awards in Beverly Hills. Rinna recounted visiting a provider for a routine cosmetic procedure when an esthetician recommended a new injectable treatment.
"I went to somebody to get some Botox and the esthetician said to me, 'I have this SKINVIVE, it's brand new, you're gonna love it! You put it on your face and it will act like it doesn't add any volume, it just gives you a glow,'" Rinna wrote in her memoir. "And of course I was like, 'Do it!' So she does it right around my cheeks, not my whole face. And whether I was allergic or what, all of a sudden my cheeks were like a squirrel gathering nuts."
The reaction was compounded by another procedure Rinna had recently undergone to treat temporomandibular joint disorder, a painful jaw condition known as TMJ. She had received Botox injections in her jawline to alleviate the condition, but the combination of treatments produced unexpected side effects. "Well, the combination of the Botox making my jawline atrophy, and SKINVIVE giving me volume, made me look freakish," she confessed.
When Rinna walked the red carpet at the Fashion Trust Awards, photographers captured images of her swollen cheeks, and the pictures rapidly went viral across the internet. "Everybody put my picture up because my face did look different," Rinna recalled in her book. "Beauty influencers put up my before and after pictures and tore me apart."
Realizing the severity of the reaction, Rinna sought immediate treatment from her dermatologist. "I went to my dermatologist immediately and had the SKINVIVE reversed," she wrote, adding that her face returned to its normal appearance within days. However, she admitted that the widespread online mockery was distressing. "Everyone was so mean about it. I was all over TikTok and all over every f***ing doctor's site," she said. "Oh my god. It was really humiliating because I knew that it looked terrible. Fortunately, I'm an old battle axe at this point and I can take it."
