Las Culturistas: “Which Eye?” (w/ Lisa Rinna) – Episode Summary

Podcast: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Episode Title: “Which Eye?” (w/ Lisa Rinna)
Date: December 17, 2025
Guest: Lisa Rinna
Description: Matt and Bowen welcome icon and multi-hyphenate Lisa Rinna for a deep dive into her journey through soaps, reality TV, internet meme status, fashion, family, “The Traitors,” and her formative culture—Dynasty.

Episode Overview

This episode of Las Culturistas features a joyous, wide-ranging interview with the ever-iconic Lisa Rinna. The hosts, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, celebrate Rinna’s status as a pop culture mainstay—actor, soap legend, reality star, fashion icon, podcaster, and cultural meme. They explore Lisa’s roots, her transformative impact on TV, her reflections on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, her playful embrace of internet fame, her family dynamics, and her recent ventures, including “The Traitors” and podcasting with her husband, Harry Hamlin. Rinna also shares the original moment of “culture” that shaped her: Dynasty. The conversation is lively, loving, and full of insight and memorable moments.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lisa’s Introduction: Many Faces of an Icon ([03:23]–[08:48])

• Matt and Bowen share their personal “entry points” to Lisa Rinna: Matt first saw her as a red carpet host, Bowen as Harry Hamlin’s partner on Veronica Mars.
• Lisa reflects on being a “Rorschach test” in pop culture: “You think of Lisa Rinna, and probably everyone... may think of a different thing.” ([08:35])
• Rinna shares that, lately, her internet meme as “Lisa Rinna Eminem” has been the dominant association, hilariously noting the campaign was “15 years ago” but TikTok revived it with a vengeance. ([09:05])
  • Quote: “The fact that it came back 15 years later on TikTok is what I can’t figure out.” – Lisa Rinna [09:49]
• Discussion touches on Rinna’s sustained relevance: both her intentional fashion choices and the unpredictable life cycle of memes.

2. Family, Fame, and Full-Circle Moments ([11:22]–[13:39])

• Lisa discusses what her daughters think of her enduring fame, including seeing her old soap scenes resurface and the surreal experience of her children now being the same age as her when she started on Days of Our Lives.
• She laughs at her legacy: “Can you imagine having me as your mom?” ([11:28])
• Reflections on the full-circle moment of returning to Bravo for the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, culminating in Law Roach awarding her “Outfit of the Year for Lisa Rinna in Whenever the Fuck She Wants.” ([13:25])
  • Quote: “That, to me, was the highlight of the show.” – Matt Rogers [13:26]

3. Housewives, Reality TV, and Wrestling with Booing ([14:45]–[18:51])

• Lisa admits misgivings about her final chapter on Bravo—“My last moment on Bravo was not my finest hour” ([14:48])—and how the fan response (including public booing) made her feel.
• She compares the experience to pro wrestling: “The good ones got booed.” ([17:28])
  • Quote: “Even though I’m Lisa Rinna on Beverly Hills Housewives, I’m a character... you’re not really getting to see the full me.” – Lisa Rinna [16:27]
• Discussion on how reality TV blurs reality and performance, and how entering as an actor shaped her approach.
• Lisa shares early advice from producers: “Think out loud.” ([18:51])

4. Conflict, Growth & The Art of Saying How You Feel ([19:14]–[21:09])

• Lisa reflects on how Housewives made her more expressive and confrontational, despite not liking conflict.
  • Quote: “I am somebody who does not like conflict, if you can believe it.” – Lisa Rinna [20:47]
• Breaking the fourth wall and “making good TV” was part of Rinna’s self-understanding as an entertainer: “I was there to make good TV. I wasn’t there to make best friends…”

5. Navigating Real and Performed Relationships ([22:10]–[24:01])

• Lisa maintains bonds with select Housewives—she attended Kyle Richards’s daughter's wedding but refused to be filmed, insisting: “I felt good about that, saying, no, I’d love to come, but no, you can’t shoot me.” ([23:58])
• She discusses separating “real” relationships from show alliances: trauma bonding, genuine affection for some castmates, and drawing boundaries around on-camera life.

6. Soap Work Ethic, “Which Eye,” and Meme-lore ([24:30]–[27:04])

• Lisa recalls her soap days, memorizing 20–40 pages of lines per day; soap actors’ legendary skill of crying on cue—“Which eye? They do!” ([25:39])
  • Quote: “Which eye? Do you want left or right?” – Lisa Rinna, channeling Deidre Hall [25:45]
• The infamous “bunny” moment on Housewives: “Did you which eye here?” “No... I could never make that happen, but I was so proud because I did it. But I didn’t really do it, but I did it.” ([25:58])

7. The Traitors: Deciding to Join, Gaming, and Alan Cumming ([32:21]–[36:39])

• Lisa was at first reluctant to do The Traitors: “First I said, I do not want to do it.” ([32:21])
• She was convinced by friends and her team, plus the show’s prestige: “If you can get a good piece of real estate on TV, take it.” ([35:41])
• Lisa gushes over Alan Cumming as host—his professionalism, how he sets the tone, and her admiration for him: “He stands in the back the entire time, just standing there... I was so impressed with him.” ([36:39])
  • Quote: “He deserves those Emmys.” [37:42]

8. Fashion Risk-taking & Early Inspirations ([39:08]–[42:14])

• Lisa discusses her love for fashion, the freedom it brings, and planning her looks for The Traitors (without spoilers): “I could have brought Fashion Rinna in... didn’t bring any of that in... It’s nothing you’ve ever seen.” ([39:50])
• She recounts being bullied for a Vogue-inspired look as a teenager and how her risk-taking was stifled until later in life. ([41:15])
  • Quote: “I want to just blow it out of the water. I want to do everything, and I’ve had the time of my life.” ([40:54])

9. The Culture That Made Lisa Say “Culture” – Dynasty ([44:45]–[47:32])

• Lisa’s formative pop culture experience was Dynasty.
  • Quote: “Dynasty. Dynasty.” – Lisa Rinna [44:45]
• The operatic drama, the fashion, the catfights—all essentially foreshadowing her later career.
• Matt and Bowen connect Lisa's love of Dynasty to her passion for entertainment, performance, and glam.
• Lisa wishes Housewives could return to a more escapist, Dynasty-like tone: “If Housewives can get back to that... it’s become a little bit mean.” ([47:34])

10. Navigating On-Camera Friendships and Fallout ([47:47]–[50:13])

• Matt and Lisa dissect her infamous on-camera confrontation with Denise Richards, how working with friends on Housewives became fraught: “You can go home, I was home, so I couldn’t go home.” ([48:51])
  • Lisa concludes: “It didn’t serve any of us right. I don’t think... Ultimately, no. It’s better if you don’t know people.” ([49:23])

11. Lisa & Harry Hamlin: Real-Life Partnership ([51:08]–[63:00])

• Lisa credits therapy (“both as upkeep and as needed”) and communication for 33+ years of happy marriage, marveling at Harry’s persistence and their slow-burn courtship: “He called me every day for two weeks while he was in Aspen.” ([59:05])
• Parenting reflections: raising two daughters in Hollywood, pride in their character and success, and accepting the imperfections of parenthood.
• Quote: “Good humans. Kind, compassionate, good girls. And I’m very proud of that.” – Lisa Rinna [61:35]
• Lisa discusses the competitive, sometimes “vicious” nature of the modeling/fashion world her daughters are navigating and the importance of being “cool and kind” over being a “cunt.” ([63:19])

12. Fashion & Character: Housewife Looks, Wigs, and Awards ([63:42]–[67:22])

• Lisa and the hosts reminisce over looks from the Culture Awards, the fun and artistry of embodying fashion icons like Pedro Pascal and Demi Moore.
• Lisa delights in Demi Moore and Pedro Pascal acknowledging her tributes on social media ([68:33]), and shares behind-the-scenes stories of the meticulous preparation for each outfit.

13. Life After Housewives: Agency and Legacy ([71:00]–[73:07])

• Lisa reflects on fans’ assumptions that Housewives always want to return and challenges that notion: “...it feels like something that’s, like, in your past is a completed thing, at least. Being a housewife.” ([71:01])
• She credits her Housewives era for creating career opportunities and extending her personal brand.

14. Theater, Broadway, and Brighter Futures ([74:41]–[76:10])

• Surprising theatrical dreams: Lisa muses about playing the Emcee in Cabaret (“usually played by a man”) and Mary Todd Lincoln, highlighting her enduring love for theater.

15. Rapid-Fire “I Don’t Think So, Honey” Segment ([82:55]–[92:39])

• Matt’s rant: Escaping near-death on an LA celebrity tour hunting for Adrian Grenier—“I can’t die trying to track down Adrian Grenier from Entourage. Not with my one precious life...” ([84:01])
• Bowen’s rant: Lamenting the closure of the now-historic Amsterdam restaurant where Rinna’s iconic glass-smash moment occurred—“We need to commemorate and landmark these places or else we will lose history.” ([86:23])
• Lisa’s rant: Traumatized by being dragged to an Amsterdam sex show where a woman “shot a banana out of her vagina”:
  • Quote: “I never, honey, needed to see that ever in my life. I can't get it out of my mind.” – Lisa Rinna [91:27]
  • She (almost) blames producers, not Erika Jayne!

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Which eye? Do you want left or right?” – [25:45] Lisa on soap actors’ legendary ability to cry on cue.
• “I was there to make good TV. I wasn’t there to make best friends.” – [21:31] Lisa on her Housewives philosophy.
• “I want to just blow it out of the water. I want to do everything, and I’ve had the time of my life.” – [40:54] Lisa on fashion risk-taking.
• “Dynasty. Dynasty.” – [44:45] Lisa on her formative culture.
• “If you touch her, you’re going to jail in Amsterdam.” – [89:14] Lisa reflecting on restraining herself during the infamous glass-smash moment.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:23] Where the “real” interview begins; Lisa’s intro
• [09:49] Lisa Rinna Eminem meme retrospective
• [13:25] Law Roach, Outfit of the Year, Culture Awards
• [16:27] Booing at BravoCon and reality TV as “character” performance
• [25:39] “Which eye?”/soap acting insight
• [32:21] Saying yes to “The Traitors”
• [39:50] On fashion choices and risk-taking
• [44:45] “The culture that made you say culture” question
• [59:05] The Harry Hamlin love story: calling every day from Aspen
• [84:07] Matt’s “I Don’t Think So, Honey”
• [86:23] Bowen’s “I Don’t Think So, Honey” (Amsterdam restaurant lament)
• [91:27] Lisa’s “I Don’t Think So, Honey” (banana sex show story)

Tone and Style

The episode is warm, irreverent, self-aware, and affectionate—equal parts campy celebration and real cultural reflection. Lisa and the hosts approach fame, meme-ification, and reality TV with humor and honesty, never shying away from both the absurd and the real consequences of life in the spotlight.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a rich, funny, and heartfelt journey through Lisa Rinna’s layered legacy—one that moves far beyond Housewives drama to explore why and how she’s become such a lasting cultural force. From Dynasty dreams and iconic memes to tough family moments and banana-related traumas, few episodes better embody the spirit of “Culturistas calling.”