Several dicey feuds were made manifest by the Real Housewives franchise over the years, which is probably an understatement. Out of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alone came the Brandi Glanville and Lisa Vanderpump mess with Scheana Shay, the Lisa Rinna and Lisa Vanderpump row over Munchausen’s, and here lately, the "Everyone vs. Lisa Vanderpump" turmoil over a leaked adopted-dog story. Vanderpump may have exited the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2019, but it seems the reality star still found time recently to stoke her feud with former longtime friend Kyle Richards, only this time it was not for the cameras.
According to TMZ, the feud between Lisa Vanderpump and Kyle Richards was given new life this past week when both were having dinner at the Shu Restaurant in Los Angeles. Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd were a few tables away from Richards and a Real Housewives executive producer who also reportedly works on Vanderpump Rules and Overserved. The producer apparently went over to Vanderpump for a quick hello, which later prompted the reality star to jokingly send over her $132 dinner bill for the producer and Richards to pick up. They didn’t take it as a mere joke, however, and pointedly refused to pay Vanderpump’s bill.
The snub isn’t too unreasonable, given what played out in Lisa Vanderpump and Kyle Richards’ friendship on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and the audacity of such a move in the first place. The two were insanely close for nearly a decade, as depicted by the show, but it all took a turn for the worse in Vanderpump’s last season, when other cast members accused her of leaking to the press that Dorit Kemsley allegedly abandoned her adopted dog from Vanderpump Dogs. Richards flat-out accused Vanderpump of lying, going to the press, and even setting up former co-star Teddi Mellencamp for the fallout.
Suffice to say, Lisa Vanderpump didn’t take well to being called a liar by her one true ally within the group. Having that experience coupled with the grief of losing a loved one in that span of time, Vanderpump left Real Housewives of Beverly Hills permanently at the end of Season 9.
Their feud didn't exactly end there, though, as seen by this recent restaurant tab dispute. If it was really an innocent joke, it could have been a means to open the door of friendship once more. However, that very likely wasn’t Lisa Vanderpump’s intention. When asked only a few weeks ago if she would ever speak to Kyle Richards again, the restauranteur had this to say:
I think the only thing that can be said has got to start with an apology. If someone calls you a liar, it’s... No. It’s not okay with me.
This doesn't even mark the first time that Lisa Vanderpump attempted to throw shade or joke around where restaurant tabs are concerned. She got into a heated Twitter feud with Real Housewives of Orange County star Kelly Dodd (now Leventhal), whom she accused of dining and dashing at her restaurant. Dodd vehemently denied those claims, and Vanderpump later apologized, with Dodd thanking her for clearing up the drama.
Kyle Richards probably won’t be getting the same treatment as Kelly Dodd did from Lisa Vanderpump. The initial issue might have appeared to be just another petty Housewives squabble on the face of things, but it seems to clearly indicate something much more problematic under the surface. Still, it looks like the joke, at least this time, is on Vanderpump.
