Andy Cohen Hopes Lisa Rinna Will Return to ‘The Real Housewives’

In a heartfelt segment on Andy Cohen Live, Andy Cohen remarked on the news that Lisa Rinna is leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons on the show. Lisa, now 59, originally joined the cast during Season 5 in 2014.

In a statement, Lisa said: “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!”

“This is a testament to how compelling Lisa Rinna is to watch on television, that she went eight years,” Andy pointed out. “Think of all the memes that Lisa Rinna has generated, right? Think of all the GIFs she’s generated.”

On the smaller screen, Lisa had cemented herself as a piece of meme culture history by frequently going viral — from “Own it, baby!” to “I’m like a cockroach; you can’t get rid of me” quotes and the Lisa Rinna M&M, as well as countless screenshots from the show.

“She has been really, really a huge part of Beverly Hills, and I really do hope she will come back. I really do,” Andy added.

Andy also mentioned that he spoke with Orange County housewife Tamra Judge, who was fired from the show in Season 14 but is supposed to be rejoining the cast when the show returns for Season 17. “Ultimately, Tamra said to me before she came back to this — she said, ‘You know what? My time away from the show kind of helped me as a person,’ and she said, ‘I think it was actually really positive to leave and get some air and step back.’ So I just hope that Lisa will humor us and come back.”

An accomplished actress outside of the reality TV space, Lisa played Billie Reed on the soap Days of Our Lives and Taylor McBride on Melrose Place. She’s made appearances on The Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars, Entourage, The Middle, Veronica Mars, Community, and 8 Simple Rules. In 2007, she made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago.