Is This What Really Happened With Lisa Vanderpump On RHOBH?
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
It's been a minute since the Puppygate saga consumed much of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Season 9, but the drama that ensued amongst the cast has resurfaced.
For those who have moved on from the scandal of that season — which starred Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, Erika Jayne, Lisa Rinna, Teddi Mellencamp, Dorit Kemsley, Camille Grammer, and Denise Richards — Puppygate started when Dorit adopted a dog from the Vanderpump Dogs rescue center. Dorit tried to re-home the now infamous dog, named Lucy Lucy Apple Juice, per People. That's because she reportedly "bit husband Paul [Kemsley] and their two kids," per People, with Paul then alerting Lisa's rescue center. They then gave the dog "away to another family" who put the pup in a shelter, per Page Six. Which is unfortunate.
When Lisa confronted the Beverly Beach founder about what happened, she explained herself and the issue seemed to be put to bed, until the incident ended up in the press. Lisa's fellow co-stars believed she was the one who leaked the story as a way to "punish" Dorit, per People, for what she inadvertently did to the dog. When Kyle told Lisa the women suspected that she leaked the story, the restaurateur and her husband Ken got into a screaming match with Kyle, kicking her out of her house. The longtime friends haven't spoken since then. The animal rights activist stopped filming with the other women and did not attend the reunion taping.
RHOBH executive producer says Lisa Vanderpump 'lost the narrative in the show'
The "RHOBH" women continued to double down on their belief that Lisa Vanderpump had leaked the story of Dorit Kemsley's dog ending up in a shelter, and Lisa continued to try and prove her innocence, even taking a lie detector test on camera. Season 9 came to a close and Lisa did not return for Season 10 of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," making Kyle Richards the only remaining OG cast member.
On October 19, author Dave Quinn released his book, "Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It." In the book, Chris Cullen, an executive producer on "RHOBH," revealed new details about this puppy-related scandal that consumed so much of "RHOBH" Season 9.
"When Lisa lost the narrative in the show, and she realized that it wasn't going the way she wanted, that's when she leaked the story to the press," Cullen divulged (via E! Online). Executive producer and Evolution Media president Alex Baskin also revealed that Lisa asked another producer to "sit the cast down and tell them they needed to believe her" to which Baskin said he couldn't do.
Lisa Vanderpump's fans rush to her defense and Lisa also spoke out on Twitter
With the accusation that Lisa Vanderpump leaked the Puppygate story to Radar Online, the issue was re-ignited. In a recent Instagram Stories post, Lisa Rinna reposted a slide about the TomTom co-owner leaking the Puppygate story and wrote, "Oh and speaking of dogs, Finally caught red handed took 12 years but who's counting" (via Us Weekly). She added in another story, "Liar liar, pants on fire." And what did Lisa have to say? The day after the bombshell book was released, the Pump owner tweeted "The lion doesn't care what the sheep are doing."
Lisa also retweeted a fan's comment coming to her defense that read, "Look at the source: Chris Cullen. The same Chris Cullen who is BFF's with Rinna & Kyle. The same producer that encouraged Rinna to go after Denise & whom Denise was talking to during the infamous scene. Denise was set up, so perhaps Lisa was, too?"
She also shared another tweet from a fan defending her, "If the former editor of Radar Online at the time ... confirmed LVP didn't leak the story, what more proof do people want? She didn't have to deny or confirm. She didn't have to say anything at all. The fact she tweeted speaks volumes. #RHOBH". Despite these allegations from Cullen, it's clear Lisa has an army of fans ready to jump to her defense.