Lisa Vanderpump's Feud With Dorit Kemsley Is the Reason She's Not Returning to 'RHOBH'

When Lisa Vanderpump joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast in Season 1, the restauranteur stood out for her high-class lifestyle and witty comments about her co-stars. For nine seasons, fans tuned in to see Lisa expand her multiple businesses while juggling her family life. During her Housewives fame, Lisa also developed a Bravo spinoff, Vanderpump Rules, focusing on SUR and its employees.

After nine years on RHOBH, LVP shocked her fans by stating she wouldn’t be returning to the reality show. Before her exit, she had a ​​tumultuous season that pushed her to the edge of the friend group.

But why did Lisa decide to leave RHOBH?

During Season 9 of RHOBH, Lisa had a tough year. In April 2018, her brother, Mark, died of a drug overdose. Shortly after her brother’s funeral, Lisa had to resume filming the show and faced numerous fallouts with her castmates, namely Dorit Kemsley.

If you don't remember what all went down in Season 9, one of the most significant controversies of the season, “puppy gate,” involved Lisa and Dorit. Dorit decided to adopt a puppy from Lisa's shelter, but when the dog nipped one of Dorit's children, Dorit had to rehouse the pup.

A report was published in Radar Online that claimed Lisa was furious with Dorit, as the dog she had adopted ended up in a shelter — but that wasn't what happened. Dorit had rehoused the pup with a new family, and they were the ones to put the dog in a shelter.

Of course, Lisa had confronted Dorit about the dog ending up in a shelter, which is where the real drama begins. Dorit was upset that Lisa had jumped to conclusions instead of giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Even though Lisa later told TMZ that Dorit's account was correct, others on the cast accused Lisa of selling the original story to Radar Online.

"You think I’m going to give a story to Radar Online, and then I’m going to go to TMZ and refute a story I’ve given to Radar Online?" Lisa asked Kyle during their blowout fight.

“That’s what everybody thinks, yes," Kyle responded.

Ultimately, the controversy and the stress of filming were too much for Lisa, which prompted her departure.

“I made the decision to leave. It was a very difficult year for me, personally and professionally," she told Us Magazine. "I had wonderful things happen this year, opening up and TomTom and the cocktail garden in Vegas. The Housewives, it’s just, it’s emotionally too difficult to deal with.”

In addition to abruptly leaving RHOBH, Lisa opted not to attend the Season 9 reunion. The businesswoman stated in an interview with DailyMailTV that her castmates “made it impossible” for her to return, and she didn’t want to confront them months after the show aired.

“The objective of the reunion is to reunite, right?" she explained. "And I have no inclination to reunite with the women who've been harassing me for 10 months now."

Lisa kept her promise and hasn’t appeared on RHOBH since leaving the show. However, Lisa is still hard at work on her businesses and was able to keep them afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Best of all, she’s still a part of Bravo, as Vanderpump Rules is still on the network.

Although LVP remains in the spotlight, she’s still committed to her growing family. In November 2021, her daughter, Pandora, gave birth to Lisa’s first grandchild, Theodore “Teddy” Todd. Since Teddy’s birth, Lisa has shared many of his milestones on Instagram. In July 2022, the proud “Nanny Pinky” posted several photos of her grandson’s christening.

Watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo.