Lisa Rinna Says LVP’s “Puppygate” Was a Ploy to Drive Her Spinoff

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Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency, MediaPunch/INSTARimages

Lisa Rinna declared that Lisa Vanderpump’s “Puppygate” drama was a ploy to drive her now-defunct spinoff, Vanderpump Dogs – as Teddi Mellencamp revealed her involvement. Rinna then shared her own regret on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

In season 9, the cast accused Vanderpump of leaking a negative story about Dorit Kemsley – her then-good friend – after she ‘re-homed’ a dog that she adopted at Lisa’s rescue center, Vanderpump Dogs (the title of her next spinoff). The cast suggested that Vanderpump manipulated the drama to make it seem like her hands were clean.

On Two Ts in a Pod, Lisa revealed more details behind the Puppygate storyline.

“We went to the hotel with all the producers to figure out what’s going on, because we’re all mad that we’re basically driving a story for a pilot for her dog show,” said Lisa, via @just_bookin_around on TikTok. “It’s a failure anyway, the show. You know, it was on for two seconds. But I’ll never forget, we’re sitting at that table and I look the producers right in the eye and I say, you are making a pilot. We’re driving a pilot for her.”

“And they were like, absolutely not,” she continued. “They lied right in my eyes.”

Teddi then shared her own side.

“I got myself into Puppygate. Once I realized I got myself too deep, I went to Rinna, and I was like, what do I do?” she said. “LVP and her people called and told me the story about Dorit and the dog, so I would bring it up [on camera]. But they wanted me to bring it up at the dog place, so the dog place would be shown. And I did.”

“And then this is when I knew I had been had: [Vanderpump] looked at me [on camera] and said, ‘Teddy, please don’t talk about this!’”

@just_bookin_around

The puppy scandal that never ends. 📸: Reality Tea & Romper 🎧: Two Ts in a Pod, 2/23/2026 #fyp #bravotv #bravo #peacock #rhobh

♬ original sound – Just Bookin’ Around

At one point on the podcast, Rinna expressed her own regret.

“My worst year was my last year [on RHOBH],” she said, via @byewighellodrama on Instagram. “I should not have done that year. I should have taken a break, come back the next year. [But] I was fully in contract, and the Mexico trip happened three days after my mom died.”

“That was insane. Somebody should have said, ‘You know what? Take a week. Take two weeks,’” said Lisa. “Of course [I felt obligated to go]. I’m a worker bee. I was like, I have a contract. … But in hindsight … I was in shock. I was so f**ked up.”

Lisa said she also got a bad edit.

“I became the villain,” she explained. “And when you’re in grief, you are angry. That’s the first emotion that comes out. … When you’re at your lowest, that is when they come — the sharks. … The minute I went down and I was vulnerable, they hit. And there was blood in the water, and they f**king devoured me. … And [I] go, ‘Life’s too short. I’m out.’”

According to Lisa, she hasn’t missed the show since.