The Bitter Fallout Between Denise Richards And Lisa Rinna Explained

It's no secret that Denise Richards and Lisa Rinna fell out while filming Season 10 of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." However, what made the feud so heartbreaking for Richards in particular is the fact that she believes Rinna prioritized creating drama for the show over their decades-long friendship. 

Longtime lovers of "RHOBH" may remember that it was Rinna who brought Richards into the castback in 2019. Interestingly, speaking to Bethenny Frankel for her "Just B with Bethenny" podcast, the actor shared that Rinna had been vying to get her on the show for years at that point. As for what ultimately convinced her to join the cast, Richards told Frankel that she figured she and Rinna would enjoy sharing the experience. And, for that first season, they did. However, the following season, she wasn't as lucky. Season 10 saw Brandi Glanville claim she had an affair with Richards – and on top of believing Glanville, Rinna ended up being one of the loudest voices on the matter. Things between Rinna and Richards were tense throughout the season, with Rinna even yelling at Richards in Italy, demanding she 'fess up if she wanted to be on a reality show, and Richards claiming that she was. They made up briefly, but things went from bad to worse. Who can forget Rinna taunting Richards about being upset enough to start thinking about cease-and-desists? 

Even so, Richards has since said that the final straw was Rinna's behavior when the cameras weren't rolling. 

Lisa Rinna's constant probing into the Brandi Glanville affair completely changed her friendship with Denise Richards in itself. That said, in the time since she left "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Richards has said that what upset her the most was Rinna's online behavior. 

Rinna took a number of jabs at Richards via social media as the affair storyline played out. One of those, as seen in screenshots published by Reality Blurb, was an Instagram Story where she joked, "I guess that means Brandi and Denise will get a spin off called scissor sisters." Per The U.S. Sun, a few months later, she took aim at Richards once again. This time, an Instagram user had mused that Richards was unhappy with the affair being brought to light. Rinna's response? "She's a p***y." Then, came the follow up comment: "No, she eats p***y." Rinna was called out swiftly and accused of repeatedly using homophobic undertones to poke fun at the situation, and the comments were ultimately deleted. 

Even with the comments taken down, it's understandable that Richards was left reeling by the digs, which on top of being offensive, could have impacted her marriage — especially given their years-long friendship. As she said in an interview for "Divorced not Dead with Caroline Stanbury," "All the stuff that Lisa Rinna did to me in the press and on her socials ... it crushed me."

It's worth noting that in the time since Lisa Rinna and Denise Richards' fallout, the former has said on more than one occasion that she feels bad about her behavior. During a 2021 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," she admitted, "I don't like my behavior and how I treated her ... I was too cruel, I absolutely was, and I would like to atone for that." And, that sense of regret wasn't just limited to public appearances. In Richards' interview on "Divorced Not Dead with Caroline Stanbury," the podcast host and "Real Housewives of Dubai" star revealed that she'd had a one-on-one conversation with Rinna, where she had confided that she was genuinely remorseful.

Richards told Stanbury she appreciated hearing about the apology, but added that the possibility of an actual friendship was out of the question for her. It was a similar sentiment to the one she'd shared in the "Just B with Bethenny" podcast. During that conversation, Bethenny Frankel explained that Rinna had likely got swept away with trying to create drama, as was her job requirement, which Richards understood — but that didn't mean she planned on a reconciliation with Rinna, ever. 

Heartbreakingly, Richards also pointed out to Frankel that Rinna had sacrificed their friendship for a show she herself would leave after just two more seasons. And even if Rinna feels bad about it in retrospect, by now, any apology is too little, too late.