The 'Wild Things' actress opens up about her 'RHOBH' experience and the fallout of her friendship with Lisa Rinna.
Denise Richards is keeping the door open for a potential return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, although she admits it's a challenge given her strained relationships with some current cast members.
The Wild Things actress, who was a mainstay for two seasons of RHOBH, left the show amid ongoing conflicts with Lisa Rinna and Brandi Glanville, particularly regarding Glanville's allegations of a romantic encounter between the two.
During her two-part interview on the Just B With Bethenny Frankel podcast, Richards shed light on her unexpected cameos in the current season. She explained that attending a screening of Garcelle Beauvais' film led to her return. Richards emphasized her genuine support for Beauvais and revealed that the invitation to rejoin the show came from her.
"I didn't ask to be paid to go to her screening, I didn't expect it, I was truly going to support her and they were filming it," she shared. "After I went to the screening, she called me the next day and asked me if I would ever do anything. I said, 'If it's with you, I would do it.' I did a couple lunches and a dinner, it's not a big deal."
Added Richards, "Garcelle, I was friends with her before the show. I will continue to be friends with her. I love her."
Expressing her friendship with Beauvais and newfound camaraderie with Sutton Stracke through the show, Richards touched on the tumultuous fallout with Rinna.
"My experience with Lisa Rinna was so bad that I thought, 'OK, what would happen next season?'" she told host Bethenny Frankel on her pondering whether to return.
"I did have a sh**ty experience. ...It wasn't good with Lisa Rinna and it was sad to me. I had a 20-year friendship with her," she continued. "And to see how she could sacrifice a friendship of 20 years for a show that isn't gonna last forever -- obviously, she isn't on it anymore -- like, at what cost?"
Richards also said she believes she and Rinna would still be friends "if we weren't on the show" together. "I think that you learn a lot about people when you live with them, travel or work with them. I had never worked with Rinna before," she said.
Richards, who left the show wondering about her future interactions with Rinna, didn't rule out a full-time return, especially now that Rinna has left RHOBH.
"We'll see whatever happens. I don't know if they'll ask me back, I just did a few episodes. I didn't call to say, 'Hey, can I come back?'" Denise responded. "After my second season, I also -- because I wanted it to be real -- thought, 'How would this make sense, if all the women f**king hate me?'"
"Almost everyone did, except for Garcelle and Sutton, but everyone else was such an a**hole to me," she continued, asking herself, "How would it make sense" for them to all film together without a "genuine" connection?
Reflecting on her initial decision to join RHOBH, Richards emphasized that it wasn't motivated by financial concerns but rather a desire for a fun and different experience.
Last weekend, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne addressed her recent feud with Richards after the actress called her "one evil woman" during the season 13 trailer.
In an exclusive interview with ET's Brice Sander at BravoCon in Las Vegas, the 52-year-old performer revealed that she believes she was merely finishing a dispute that Richards had instigated.
"I want you to remember that she picked a fight. Denise Richards picked the fight, and I ended the fight. So, she can call me evil. I've been called worse by better people," Jayne said.
Last month, ET had the exclusive first look at Bravo's return to Beverly Hills. In the season 13 trailer, Richards makes an appearance and she and Jayne get into it.
"Did you know that it's seven dollars for a naked bundle of Denise Richards on OnlyFans?" Erika brings up at one dinner, sparking a new feud with the actress.
"You think I'm not going to go as low as I f**king can?!" Jayne later hisses at her former castmate.
"You're one evil woman," Richards tells her.
"I am," Jayne replies.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays on Bravo.
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