Glaring Red Flags In Lisa Rinna's Marriage That Everyone Ignores

In the world of celebrity marriages and reality TV relationships, Lisa Rinna's marriage to Harry Hamlin almost seems like a fairytale romance. The pair have been married since March 1997, and have gone on to welcome two children together — models Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray. Although looking back at Rinna and Hamlin's romance, things immediately get a bit more murky.

Their love story began when they first saw each other in passing in 1992 — at a time when Hamlin was still married to his ex-wife Nicollette Sheridan. However, it appeared to be love at first sight between the "L.A. Law" actor and Rinna. They ran into each other once again when Hamlin came in to buy some glasses at an eyeglass store in Los Angeles that Rinna worked at. "And long story short, my boss at the eyeglass store was good friends with Harry. So one night I was bringing back my boss the key ... and he was having dinner with Harry Hamlin. And he said, 'Sit down with us,'" Rinna recalled to People in July 2021 while describing their first real conversation. Rinna ended up dining and talking, and left quite an impression on Hamlin. 

As it turned out, Hamlin had reportedly quietly separated from Sheridan days before that fateful dinner, and he turned his attention toward wooing Rinna. Since exchanging vows at their lavish wedding, the pair's lives have changed dramatically. Rinna has cultivated a truly stunning net worth, and the pair have been publicly loving and supportive for decades. Although if you read between the lines, some serious red flags start to emerge.

When Harry Hamlin first laid eyes on Lisa Rinna in 1992, he was still, technically, a married man. Hamlin told People in March 2022 while celebrating his 25th anniversary with Rinna, "I was married, so I wasn't thinking beyond that, but I do recall being stricken by her beauty." He had tied the knot with Nicollette Sheridan in 1991, but their relationship imploded after only a year. Hamlin claims it was because Sheridan had cheated on him with musician Michael Bolton — a claim Sheridan has repeatedly denied, although she and Bolton did begin dating that same year.

After his marriage ended, Hamlin began to court Rinna, and rather aggressively. He kept calling her at her family's home to invite her out on a date. "I was in Medford, Oregon, for Christmas and he was calling," Rinna said at a 2026 appearance at 92NY (per Parade). "[My mom, Lois] would answer the phone and she would be like, 'Harry Hamlin is on the phone.' ... I was kind of freaked out, to be honest, because he was such a big star at the time. ... I didn't see myself in that league."

Rinna shot Hamlin down, but that didn't stop him from pursuing her. "Then he called me for two weeks straight in Medford," Rinna said. "He had invited me to go to Aspen for Christmas. I was like, 'That's creepy.'" While Rinna admitted she wasn't exactly clamoring to date Hamlin at first, his persistence won her over and made her feel comfortable letting him into her life — despite finding his tenacity somewhat unsettling at first.

It is said that opposites attract, but it would seem like you'd want to share some interests to maintain a happy marriage. That doesn't seem to be the case for Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, who proudly boast that they couldn't be more different when it comes to their hobbies and passions. In fact, Hamlin even told People in 2022 that he and Rinna are "diametrically opposite" when it comes to their personal interests, explaining, "I like going up to the mountains, and her idea of camping is anything below the 10th floor of the Four Seasons." Rinna emphatically agreed, telling the publication, "We have nothing in common. We're both kind people, but we have nothing in common. Zero, zip, zilch."

That's not the only time they've talked about how they share almost no common ground. Rinna appeared on "Live With Kelly and Ryan" in 2018 and said, "He's into rockets and astrophysics. I'm into shopping" (via E!). However, Hamlin told the New York Post in May 2024 that not sharing any hobbies hasn't hurt their romance at all. "Our relationship does not depend on our liking the same stuff. What it depends on is that we respect each other, we love each other, we listen to each other," Hamlin said. "I think that's the secret." That being said, Hamlin has also admitted that they've had to undergo couple's therapy to find a common ground on which to build their family — so perhaps being complete opposites has been more of a challenge or burden than they've been willing to admit.

When Lisa Rinna decided to join "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," it was a move Harry Hamlin was far from excited about. As Rinna explained on an episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" in 2015, Hamlin threatened to leave Rinna if she signed on to star in Season 5 of "RHOBH" and wanted nothing to do with the show at all. "[He said,] 'Nope. I'll divorce you. If you do it, I'll divorce you,'" Rinna said, adding that she decided to pass on the opportunity to spare herself the drama. However, Hamlin later walked back his comments and later encouraged her to be a part of the show.

This may have been a decision he came to regret, as Rinna's appearance on the show did lead to some embarrassing drama between the couple. Specifically, Rinna got into a screaming fight with co-star Kim Richards in which Richards reportedly alluded to some scandal involving Hamlin and possible infidelity. While the nature of whatever salacious rumor Richards was trying to evoke was never clarified, Hamlin reportedly asked his wife to exit "Real Housewives" to spare him and his reputation further embarrassment, according to Radar Online. 

She didn't quit, but they also didn't call it quits on their marriage over her choice to stay on. In 2019, while recalling the time Rinna floated the idea of the show to him initially, Hamlin told the Daily Beast that he said, "I have my divorce lawyer on speed dial, and I do." Despite him reportedly grinning while sharing that detail, it sounds like maybe that's not actually a joke.