The Cheating Rumors That Won't Stop Haunting Lisa Rinna
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna and actor Harry Hamlin have been married since 1997. In terms of Hollywood couplings, this makes them marriage veterans compared their famous pals. Given the impressive length of their union, it's not surprising that they've faced some hiccups throughout the years, including an unsavory rumor about Hamlin's alleged infidelity. Yikes.
Unfortunately for Rinna, whispers about Hamlin's supposed cheating ways have dogged her since March 2015, when an ill-fated RHOBH trip to Amsterdam resulted in a classic Bravo fight, complete with unfounded accusations of cheating spouses. In this case, it was cast mate Kim Richards pointing the finger, however, as of this writing, fans still don't know exactly what she claimed to know. Intrigued? Well, it only gets worse from there.
It's important to note that Hamlin has always denied any wrongdoing, and that there's no proof to back up Richards' supposed insinuation (which we'll get to shortly). Still, the allegations have yet to die down.
Ready to take a roll around in the mud? Prepare to get dirty as we explore the cheating rumors that won't stop haunting Lisa Rinna.
The accusation that started it all
Arguably one of the most explosive moments in Real Housewives history occurred in Season 5 of RHOBH, when Kim Richards and Lisa Rinna got into an epic fight during a dinner in Amsterdam. Although the evening started out fine, it quickly deteriorated once Kim came after Lisa for supposedly getting too nosy about her sobriety issues. "You have gone around to everybody and talked about it ... asking where I've gone to treatment, do I have a sponsor," an exasperated Kim shouted, to which Lisa replied, "Kim, we care about you."
Kim maintained that she was "fine" and told Lisa that she was "concerned" about her "situation at home." The other cast members then jumped in to defend Lisa, which caused a mass shouting between the women. But things reached a fever pitch when Lisa called out Kim for attacking her sister, Kyle Richards, an intervention that set her off on a tirade about Harry Hamlin.
"Let's talk about the husband," Kim said after cast mate Yolanda Hadid failed to intervene. "Let's not talk about what you don't want out." Lisa, enraged by Kim's remarks, screamed, "Don't you ever go after my f***ing husband," while smashing a wine glass in Kim's direction.
We don't know why Kim went after Harry, but we do know that this moment is when the rumor became public.
The real reason Rinna went ballistic
It goes without saying that it can be difficult to deal with a rumor about your spouse's supposed infidelity, a sentiment Lisa Rinna probably knows all too well. That being said, we were a little taken aback when Rinna threw a wine glass in Kim Richards' direction during that nasty Amsterdam fight. She seemed a little too angry, you know? Rinna addressed her intense reaction at the Season 5 reunion, revealing the truth behind what really set her off about Kim's accusation. "She violated [Harry Hamlin's] character," Rinna said. "It was a total injustice and I blew my f—king lid."
Hey, we get it. Rinna is a protective wife and she didn't appreciate the supposed defamation of Harry Hamlin's character.
As for Hamlin's reaction to Rinna's explosive moment? "I was actually proud of her," he told Us Weekly. "I mean, look — you are getting your back up against a wall with something like that. What do you expect you know in the long run? But every time I see it, I go, 'You go girl!'" It's nice to see these two have each other's backs through thick and thin.
#WhatDidHarryDo
After former RHOBH star Kim Richards seemingly hinted that Harry Hamlin had cheated on Lisa Rinna, some fans began circulating the #WhatDidHarryDo hashtag. The phrase, to sum it all up, was to find out more about what Richards meant when she shouted at Rinna during a cast trip to Amsterdam, "Let's not talk about what you don't want out." Trés mysterious, no?
So, #WhatDidHarryDo? The actor answered this intriguing question in March 2015, joking to Us Weekly: "There is a hashtag #WhatDidHarryDo? out there so maybe someone will tell me at some point, and I hope it was good."
Three years after Hamlin's quip, he admitted to having no memory of Richards' salacious monologue. "I forgot what Kim said," he told LaPalme magazine in December 2018 (via Us Weekly). We can't blame Hamlin for putting this one out of his memory — it's never fun to be accused of something hurtful.
Rinna & Hamlin's alleged mistress cleared the air
One of the burning questions you might have about Harry Hamlin's alleged affair concerns the identity of his supposed mistress. The rumored paramour is none other than Julianne Phillips, the ex-wife of music icon Bruce Springsteen, who worked alongside Hamlin in the 1997 movie, Allie & Me. Bravo diehards and various blogs have floated around the claim for years, an allegation that eventually made its way to Rinna and Phillips. The drama reached a fever pitch in March 2019, when a commenter on Instagram brought up the cheating rumor between Hamlin and Phillips. Rinna responded to the salacious allegation by asking Phillips directly if she'd like to "weigh in," according to a screenshot obtained by Twitter account BRAVOpinions. Phillips then replied to the fan, "Mary," writing: "Mary, sweet girl.. you obviously are a very angry, sad person, and that makes me sad FOR you. Does it bring you joy to perpetuate a 1000% untruth?!"
She continued: "I know I'm going down the Rabbit Hole by even RESPONDING to this, but it truly blows my mind and leaves me mystified, because I just don't work that way, that there are folks out there, you, who get their roofs off by TRYING to hurt people that have done nothing to you, except live a full and happy life. I truly wish you peace Mary, you obviously need some." You go, girl.
Rinna later defended Phillips, tweeting: "Julianne Phillips did nothing leave her alone."
Did Hamlin pressure Rinna to quit RHOBH?
If you're a fan of Harry Hamlin and his career (L.A. Law, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.), then there's a good chance you wouldn't necessarily associate him with reality TV. Hamlin's world flipped upside down, however, when wife Lisa Rinna joined RHOBH in July 2014, casting a spotlight on their personal lives and marriage.
Understandably, Hamlin supposedly wasn't thrilled to find himself on the negative side of this world after just one year of Lisa's participation, and in the aftermath of the now infamous Amsterdam debacle. According to Radar Online, he reportedly "begged" Rinna to leave the show for the sake of his reputation. In a separate report, the same outlet reported that a source said that Rinna's participation in the show and the public cheating rumors "definitely impacted their relationship." Despite Hamlin's supposed reservations, Rinna continued her reign on the show while reportedly promising her hubby that his name wouldn't "be brought up by any of the women at all" in future seasons. Sounds like a fair deal to us.
As for why Rinna was eager to stay on the show, money was reportedly a big factor. "Lisa has a lucrative clothing line on QVC and will be filmed selling it on RHOBH," an insider said. "Lisa wants to expand her brand and sees RHOBH as the best way to do that." Money talks, as the old saying goes.
Maybe Hamlin isn't that truthful...
In case you don't have the 411 on Harry Hamlin already, let us remind you that he was once married to Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan from 1991 to 1992. The marriage was stuck in Hamlin's rearview mirror up until February 2019, when he and Lisa Rinna got into a bizarre Twitter fight with Sheridan. It all started after Sheridan reacted to Rinna's on-camera claim that the actress left Hamlin for then pop star Michael Bolton. Seemingly frustrated with Rinna's take, Sheridan tweeted the show clip with the caption: "FAKE NEWS! Harry and I ended our marriage nose to nose in Canada...Michael was a long time friend that was invited to our wedding...Happy Harry found happiness with housewife @lisarinna."
Hamlin immediately fired back, denying his ex-wife's claims. "Re Fake News!" he penned. "What's it called when your wife of one year suddenly goes to bed with a pop singer? ... two weeks after your mother dies?? I did a lotta stuff with my wife 'nose to nose' but ending our marriage was not one of them!" Rinna chimed in with a shady dig towards Sheridan, calling her "sweetie" to boot.
"Do you really want the truth shared?' Sheridan shot back. "I appreciate that you want to support your housewife's FAKE NEWS narrative, but the end of our marriage had nothing to do with anyone other than us. Sad you still can't own your part."
Hmm...maybe Hamlin hasn't always been so truthful in the past.
It doesn't seem like rumors will ever tear these two apart
Despite all of the drama Harry Hamlin and Lina Rinna's marriage has suffered throughout the years, their union has remained intact. So, what's the secret to their long-lasting romance. Per Mr. Hamlin himself, it has a little something to do with the old adage, "opposites attract." The actor opened up about this phenomenon in a December 2018 interview with LaPalme magazine, revealing he and Rinna never get tired of one another. "We're still firing on all cylinders after 26 or 27 years," Hamlin said when asked about his marriage (via Us Weekly). "We never get tired of each other's stories. Lisa is a master of social media and pop culture. My real interests are the political and scientific." See? Something about these two just works.
As for Rinna, she has credited her success in love to taking it seriously. "I think marriage isn't taken as seriously any more, and that is so strange to me," Rinna told Star magazine. "It's something that I know Harry and I both take very seriously and cherish it ... You need to be fully committed and ready to give that person your everything, or else it's just not going to work. Harry and I feel very blessed to have met each other and be so attracted to one another. That's important!" Well said, girl.