After weeks of buildup and foreboding shots of hotel slippers exiting a van, Kathy Hilton finally arrived at the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion to shut down rumors spread by Lisa Rinna and Erika Jayne about her infamous Aspen breakdown during the season, including the allegation that she used a homophobic slur.
As to what really transpired that fateful night at the Caribou Club, the jury is still out. As to whether social media actually gives a damn after tonight, it doesn’t seem like it.
This third and final installment of the Season 12 reunion (thank God we were spared four hours of this mess!) was occasionally satisfying, but mostly underwhelming and annoying. For one thing, Hilton’s meltdown and things she supposedly said (aside from her alleged use of the slur, which was oddly swept to the side) is deeply unremarkable, given the insults that have been spewed amongst this group of catty women.
The fact that this episode begins with Andy Cohen discussing Jayne cursing at Garcelle Beauvais’s teenage son and the gross manner in which she talked about her ex-husband’s alleged victims throughout the season only highlighted how unimportant Hilton’s rant was in the grand scheme of things.
But let’s not brush over the accusation by Jayne, which was maybe the most notable part of this rehashing. Rumors about Hilton calling someone—at one point Sutton’s assistant—a gay slur have been swirling for months. But according to Jayne, Hilton was referring to the DJ who refused to play the song she requested. Hilton, of course, denied it at the reunion, saying, “I don’t use that word.” And her sister, Kyle Richards, took a break from her loud sniffling throughout the segment to add that she “didn’t hear her say that.”
Still, Jayne stood by her claim, like she did on Instagram earlier on Wednesday, and supposedly reported Hilton to Human Resources at Bravo, who found no evidence. Hilton then told Jayne that she had “more credibility” than her, leaving the XXPEN$IVE singer gobsmacked for a moment. (Given the entire Hiltons’ family history, I'm not sure she has more credibility in this scenario than someone with a music career supported entirely by gay men. But whatever you say, Kathy!)
Rinna also contributed to much of this segment being a flop. Despite her constant taunting of Hilton on social media, the soap opera star had very little to say in front of the hotel heiress when she joined the women on the couch. When Hilton called her the “biggest bully in Hollywood” and reminded her of all the Housewives she’s had issues with, her famous lips remained closed aside from making an astonished face.
The most Rinna could do was repeat what she said about Hilton during the season. It became immediately clear that should’ve done a bit more preparation when she started claiming that she was “traumatized” by Hilton’s actions (which Cohen scoffed at) and that she “abused” her that night, when she said mean things about someone who wasn’t her. Meanwhile, Rinna can’t wrap her head around the concept of microaggressions.
After being questioned by Beauvais about her role in Hilton and Richard’s beef, Rinna backed down rather promptly, promising to butt out of their relationship… for now.
Then there were Richards’ incessant (and confusing) tears while her older sister was being attacked. The Halloween Ends star’s position throughout this entire debacle has been fascinating to watch, considering that we haven’t seen her express much anger directly at Rinna and Jayne for exposing Hilton’s meltdown, but still seems more distraught by it than her sister. When Beauvais (the MVP of the night) questioned her about this, Richards implied that she’s mainly frustrated with Hilton for blaming her for the tequila incident at Kimo Sabe—which, to Hilton’s credit, she apologized for during the season and, again, at the reunion.
By the end of the segment, Richards was so distressed (and probably scared that the Hiltons won’t show up to her daughter Farrah’s wedding) that she had to ask to leave before the cast signed off with a signature toast. The reunion ends with Richards sobbing to Dorit Kemsely in her dressing room about how her and Hilton’s relationship is officially ruined. However, we do see a photo of the two sisters looking friendly at BravoCon a few weeks ago. So maybe all of this drama was for nothing!
