Lisa Rinna is unleashing a torrent of revelations in her explosive new tell-all book, You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It, naming multiple celebrities who she claims have made her life difficult throughout her career. The Bravo veteran and former soap opera star is pulling no punches as she details contentious encounters with some of Hollywood's biggest names.
Targeting Reality TV and Music Icons
Rinna has already publicly stated that Andy Cohen and Dionne Warwick treated her poorly, but she's now adding another prominent name to her list of grievances. The actress specifically calls out Star Jones, claiming the television personality "threw her under the f***ing bus" during their time working together.
In a particularly biting remark, Rinna actually thanks Jones for "being such a twat," explaining that this viciousness helped prepare her for her future role as a Beverly Hills Housewife. She expresses deep distrust of the women she worked with on reality television, stating she had never before experienced what she describes as "woman-on-woman hate crimes" until joining the show.
Soap Opera Set Drama Revealed
The 62-year-old actress reveals that her most difficult professional experience occurred in the early 1990s during her time on the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives. Rinna, who portrayed Billie Reed on the popular series, identifies her on-screen love interest Bo Brady, played by Robert Kelker-Kelly, as the source of her misery.
"Behind the scenes we hated each other," Rinna confesses in her book. She directly addresses Kathy Hilton's previous accusation that Rinna was Hollywood's biggest bully by countering: "Not true. Not even close! I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies."
Allegations of Verbal Abuse and Manipulation
Rinna provides detailed accounts of what she describes as Kelker-Kelly's abusive behavior on set. She alleges he made her life "a living hell" through passive-aggressive tactics, manipulation, and what she calls "weird mind games." The situation was particularly challenging because they had to film intimate love scenes together while maintaining this hostile dynamic.
"If I didn't do what he wanted, he'd give me the silent treatment," Rinna writes. "He was a ticking time bomb. I never knew when I arrived on set each morning if I'd get nice Robert Kelker-Kelly or dark Robert Kelker-Kelly. He was unpredictable and it was exhausting."
Security Measures and Aftermath
Rinna describes feeling relieved when Kelker-Kelly abruptly left the show and was replaced by Peter Reckell. Following his departure, she claims that both she and co-star Kristian Alfonso, who played Hope Brady, were provided with security teams from NBC for approximately three weeks.
"Suddenly, one day, he disappeared from the Days set," Rinna recalls. "Next thing I knew Kristian and I had our own full-time security detail. I wasn't worried about physical harm, but NBC had to cover their ass. We had rent-a-cops parked outside our houses and trailers for three weeks and were driven to and from work."
NBC has declined to comment on these allegations when contacted, and attempts to reach Kelker-Kelly for his response have been made.
Historical Context and Career Impact
This isn't the first time Rinna has spoken about her difficult experience with Kelker-Kelly. During a 2015 interview with Bravo, she stated plainly: "I hated Robert Kelker-Kelly; hated him with a passion! He hated me with a passion. We were a volatile combination, and it looked like love and sexual chemistry on camera, so that was some darn good acting right there."
Rinna played Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1995 before leaving the show and being replaced by Krista Allen. She would later return to the soap opera multiple times in 2002, 2012, and 2018, and also appeared in the spin-off series Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem in 2021.
After her soap opera tenure, Rinna transitioned to primetime television, starring in the final three seasons of Melrose Place. More recently, she appeared in the fourth season of The Traitors, continuing her reality television career while now exposing the behind-the-scenes conflicts that have marked her journey through Hollywood.
