What actually happened in Aspen as Lisa Rinna makes more bombshell claims about Kathy Hilton?
A lot of allegations have been thrown around
RHOBH’s Aspen vacation will forever be that trip… designer snow looks, tequila tension, and one night that allegedly spiralled so hard it fractured a sister relationship and basically powered an entire reunion.
Now Lisa Rinna is back stirring the pot, this time with her memoir You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, and she’s insisting what we saw was only the “PG edit.”
So… what’s fact, what’s Housewives folklore? Let’s rewind, re-place the timeline, and unpack her newest claims.
What went down in Aspen?
The Aspen drama happened during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 cast trip, which aired in September 2022.
The whole blow-up went down during the group’s final night out. On-camera, the vibes turned when Kathy Hilton wanted to leave the club, and Kyle Richards didn’t immediately jump, which Kyle later described as confusing and tense.
From there, the “real” meltdown, according to Lisa Rinna, allegedly took place mostly off-camera back at the house. Rinna claimed Kathy returned from the club furious, went on a loud rant, and said shocking things about Kyle and other castmates, with Rinna describing it as scary and intense.
A big reason the night got so messy? Even the trigger is debated in Housewives history.
One version was “Conga Line-gate,” but former RHOBH star Teddi Mellencamp offered an alternate explanation… Kathy reportedly asked the DJ to play Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” was refused, and things snowballed from there.
By the time the reunion rolled around, the accusations had expanded beyond “tantrum” into serious territory.
Kathy publicly denied using a homophobic slur that was alleged by Erika Jayne, and PEOPLE noted that none of the other women said they personally heard it.
After the whole saga, Lisa called Kathy “the devil” when explaining to Crystal Kung Minkoff why she wanted to leave a party, and she also alleged that Kathy is “really jealous of the Kardashians.”
Attempting to trace back the events leading up to Kathy’s alleged “meltdown,” Lisa said perhaps her ordering of Kendall Jenner‘s 818 tequila brand might’ve kicked things off.
What Lisa is saying now
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Fast-forward to February 2026, and Rinna is re-litigating Aspen with fresh fuel… her memoir.
In excerpts highlighted by Taste of Reality, she doubles down that she “witnessed” long-running “bad behavior,” says Kathy had an “absolute meltdown,” and claims the Hilton-Richards “machine” worked to keep it hidden, with Bravo and Andy Cohen allegedly going along with it.
Rinna also claims Kathy had high-powered PR support at the RHOBH season 12 reunion, specifically publicist Andy Gelb, implying that Kathy arrived protected while Rinna felt outnumbered.
And if you’re thinking, “Wait, didn’t Rinna swear she had receipts?” that’s another thread she’s tugging again and again.
Back in 2022, Andy Cohen publicly pushed back on the idea that Bravo “cut” evidence, saying he never saw the supposed Aspen receipts and that they weren’t handed over in a way that made it into the show.
Kathy, for her part, has previously disputed Rinna’s version, acknowledging she was upset but denying the more extreme claims in a 2022 interview with Variety.
All in all, it was an on-camera argument at the club, followed by an off-camera rant that only a few people claim to have witnessed firsthand and years of conflicting retellings that depend on who you trust.
Reality Shrine reached out to Andy Gelb for comment. For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates – like Reality Shrine on Facebook.