Lisa Vanderpump had an opportunity to step back into the Housewives world, but she decided to sit this one out.
Andy Cohen revealed that Vanderpump was invited to make an appearance on “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th,” Bravo’s 20th-anniversary celebration featuring Housewives from across the franchise.
Vanderpump ultimately turned down the invitation. And while Cohen made it clear he doesn’t know her exact reasoning, he has a theory involving two women with whom the former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star has plenty of history: Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley.
Andy Cohen Says Lisa Vanderpump Was Asked to Return
During a September 5 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cohen confirmed that there was an effort to get Vanderpump involved in RHUGT, even if only briefly.
“We wanted [Lisa Vanderpump] to come back for [RHUGT] just to make an appearance, and she said, ‘No.’ I think cuz she can’t stand [Kyle Richards] and [Dorit Kemsley], but that’s just me guessing,” Cohen said.
That final caveat is important. Cohen wasn’t claiming Vanderpump told him that Richards or Kemsley influenced her decision. Instead, he was offering his own guess about why she may not have been interested in participating.
Still, it’s an intriguing theory considering just how much history Vanderpump shares with both women.
Vanderpump was an original RHOBH cast member when the series premiered in 2010. She remained on the show through Season 9, with her final season documenting the collapse of some of her closest relationships within the cast.
Lisa Vanderpump Has Years of History With Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley
Vanderpump and Richards were once one of RHOBH’s most recognizable friendships, but their relationship fell apart during Vanderpump’s final season.
The two famously clashed amid the “Puppygate” storyline after Richards questioned whether Vanderpump had played a role in leaking a story involving Kemsley to the press. Their confrontation at Vanderpump’s home became one of the defining moments of Season 9, and their friendship never recovered.
Vanderpump’s relationship with Kemsley also unraveled during the same period. The two women had previously been close, but the controversy surrounding a dog Kemsley adopted from Vanderpump Dogs put significant strain on their friendship.
Vanderpump ultimately left RHOBH after Season 9 and did not attend that season’s reunion.
That history makes Cohen’s revelation particularly notable. Richards was a main cast member for “Roaring 20th,” so an LVP appearance would have potentially put the former friends with a complicated past back in the same Bravo orbit.
Whether that actually factored into Vanderpump’s decision remains unknown. Vanderpump has not said that she rejected the invitation because of Richards or Kemsley, and Cohen explicitly described that part of his explanation as a guess.
What is now confirmed, however, is that Bravo tried to get Vanderpump involved.
Nearly seven years after she walked away from RHOBH, the door was apparently open for Vanderpump to take part in the franchise’s 20th-anniversary celebration. This time, at least, she chose not to walk through it.
