Lisa Rinna says 'Housewives' turned 'vanilla', talks 'Traitors' and aging in Hollywood

David Oliver, USA TODAYMon, February 23, 2026 at 12:33 PM UTC

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Lisa Rinna's lips were made for talking. But on a recent day in Los Angeles, her lips weren't her main focus.

She's on her way to the dentist – "It's very glamorous today," she jokes – to get a new mouth guard made after her dog chewed it up. Yes, "The Traitors" contestant and former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star grinds her teeth. Celebrities, they're just like us.

You learn plenty about the inner workings of all things Rinna (as her "Housewives" castmates fondly called her) in her new memoir "You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It" (Dey Street Books, out Feb. 24).

Lisa Rinna's lips were made for talking. But on a recent day in Los Angeles, her lips weren't her main focus.

For a book she didn't want to write in the first place – her team pushed for it, she says – she leaves nary a stone unturned. She writes about her childhood in Oregon; her parenting of daughters Amelia, 24, and Delilah, 27, with husband Harry Hamlin; her acting and modeling careers; and of course, reality TV.

"I don't think anyone owes anybody any explanation about anything unless they want to talk about it," she says. "So that's one reason why I wrote this book. I thought, it's really great to tell my side of the story. Say how I feel, how I felt, what my opinion is. You can feel and think however you want, but this is my book, and my opinion and my feelings."

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Porsha Williams visits the Empire State Building ahead of Season 16 of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" on March 4, 2025.

Lisa Rinna talks 'Real Housewives' today: 'It's really a shame'

Rinna shatters the reality TV illusion that cameras just happen to be there when crazy events go down. The iconic "Real Housewives" scene in Amsterdam where Rinna breaks a glass after fellow housewife Kim Richards insinuates Rinna's husband is hiding a secret? A producer engineered it. It's something reality TV fans could guess – though there's something harsh about reading it on the page. "It was real in the moment, certainly, you know. But like all those things, they're usually triggered by a producer whispering in someone's ear, unfortunately."

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Part of Rinna's shtick on reality TV has been all about "owning" it. Owning up to whatever you've done, for better or worse. Reality TV watchers are quick to point out when housewives are hypocrites about authenticity – something Rinna now brushes off.

"It takes such pressure off when you're just like, 'Yeah, you know what? I did do that, and I'm sorry'," she says. She's quick to call out the lack of reality on "Real Housewives" today: "They're so guarded. It's really a shame. I mean, I understand it, because, you know, the fan base has become very toxic and very vocal in ways that are really harmful. And so I think people are just really afraid to open up because they don't want to be bashed online, and they don't want to lose their brand deals, and so unfortunately, you get a really vanilla show because of it."

What's not vanilla? Her electric turn as (spoiler!) a titular Traitor on Peacock's "The Traitors" (streaming Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET). Though she's since been banished, "I surpassed my expectations for myself, and I really couldn't have done it any other way," she says. "You know, you kind of have to come in as who you are and use your tools that you have. I feel that I played an authentic game for me as a traitor, but I think that Rob (Rausch) is playing a brilliant game as a traitor."

Candiace Dillard Basset, Lisa Rinna and Rob Rausch in promotional photos for "The Traitors" Season 4.'You just have to keep being you and doing you'

Rinna, 62, is having a bit of a "Rinnaissance," as it were, along with several other women in their 60s in Hollywood like Sharon Stone and Demi Moore. But that doesn't mean the cloud of misogyny hovering over Hollywood evaporated.

You learn plenty about the inner workings of all things Lisa Rinna in her new memoir "You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It."

"There's a few of us popping through, and that's very hopeful, but I think still it's very much about ageism and sexism that we are just constantly battling, and you just can't give in to it," she says. "You just have to keep being you and doing you."

What does that look like for Rinna? She'd love to do Broadway again, or play a kooky character on "The White Lotus." She has another really great character in her, she says.

"Life is so short, you know?" she says. "You just follow every little passion that comes around. I really am very fortunate, and I'm able to do so many different things because I'm game to try things."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lisa Rinna says 'Real Housewives' turned 'vanilla' for this reason

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