Lisa Rinna brought her signature boldness and flair to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when she joined the cast in 2014. Best known for her roles on daytime soaps like Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place, Rinna quickly became a polarizing, yet iconic, figure in the reality TV world. Her unfiltered honesty, sharp one-liners, and dramatic confrontations made her a standout presence, earning both praise and criticism from fans. While Rinna left the show in 2023, she recently revealed that she paid for her hair, makeup, and wardrobe while on Real Housewives. Hereâs what she said.
âReal Housewivesâ star Lisa Rinna revealed how she paid for her own hair, makeup, and wardrobe on the show
Lisa Rinna became one of the franchiseâs most talked-about figures during her eight-season run on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Joining the show in season 5, she brought a mix of Hollywood polish, soap opera intensity, and unapologetic candor that quickly set her apart. Whether stirring the pot with infamous confrontations â like her explosive feuds with Kim Richards and Denise Richards â Rinna consistently kept viewers on their toes.
In 2025, Rinna spoke candidly about footing the bill for many of her lifestyle expenses while on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She revealed the truth to Melrose Place co-stars Daphne Zuniga, Laura Leighton, and Courtney Thorne-Smith on their Still the Place podcast.
âYou said that each cast member has to pay for her own parties?â Thorn-Smith verified.
âAnd your own hair and makeup and wardrobe!â Rinna answered. âImagine that. Thatâs the part thatâs the hardest, because weâre used to being dressed.â
According to Rinna, the Real Housewives producers wanted the castâs âreal lifeâ on display. âTheir take on it is, you should look how you look, because this is your life,â she continued. âSo, they want that. But I didnât love that part of it, because I spent all my money on hair and makeup and wardrobe. You know what I mean? You just spend it all.â
Rinna noted she found the network âcheapâ for not paying, as she wouldnât typically do her hair and makeup every day if not for the show. âI think that wardrobe â theyâre just cheap, and hair and makeup should be covered. I really do,â she continued. âThat was the hardest thing for me.â
Bethenny Frankel said many of the reality showâs stars âcanât affordâ their lives
Bethenny Frankelâs time on The Real Housewives of New York City was nothing short of transformative for both the franchise and her career. As an original cast member, she entered the series in 2008 as a sharp-tongued underdog hustling to build her brand and quickly became a fan favorite for her unfiltered wit. In 2018, she opened up about how many of the showâs stars arenât nearly as rich as they appear on screen.
âThey canât afford the lives theyâre living,â Frankel, 47, said in 2018, according to People. âAnd if the music stops, theyâre going to get in some trouble.â
Bravo only paid Frankel $7,250 for the first season of RHONY. However, she would not agree to give Bravo profits from the products that she used the reality series to market. Ultimately, she made $100 million after selling Skinnygirl in 2011 while still retaining the rights to the brand name.
âEverybody else just had to try to play catch-up after they saw what I did,â she added.
âReal Housewivesâ star Kyle Richards can corroborate Lisa Rinnaâs claims
Kyle Richards joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2010 and, as of 2025, remains the last original full-time cast member on the show. In 2022, she opened up about how she and the other cast members pay for many aspects of filming, including the planes and parties.
âPeople always do ask about the planes and the parties and stuff, and they do think everything is paid by production â even other cast members from other shows ask about that,â Richards shared during the BravoCon âIconic Vacationsâ panel, according to Bravo. âWe are actually paying for those things ourselves.â
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