Lisa Rinna is known for being outspoken on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. But her comments during the show’s season finale have received a lot of backlashes, including from the American Lung Association.
After learning that fellow cast member Kyle Richards’ husband Mauricio Umansky had lost his mother, Lisa Rinna asked if she died from lung cancer. “It doesn’t really matter if it was smoking-related,” a spokesperson for the organization told the media in an exclusive statement on Tuesday night. “She could have gotten cancer from smoking, or smoking could have caused her cancer to progress quicker.”
“I’m not making this up,” Rinna said during the RHOBH finale.
The context of that conversation was Lisa Rinna and Erika Jayne fighting about Yolanda Foster’s cancer diagnosis, which Erika had brought up as part of her defense for not calling her on her behavior. In fact, when Erika accused Lisa of fabricating the claim about Yolanda’s diagnosis, she responded by saying “I’m not making it up.”
Lisa Rinna In Trouble For Her Remarks
At the time, many viewers assumed that Lisa was joking. However, in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight published on Monday evening (October 15), the reality star clarified: “What I meant was that this woman doesn’t have cancer.” The way she explained it seemed to indicate that she didn’t think anyone would believe her if they heard what she had to say about this topic again — so she decided to stick with a simple catchphrase rather than explain herself further.
But her comments were not well-received by the American Lung Association.
The organization is a nonprofit that works to prevent lung disease, provide information about lung health and treatment options, and advocate for public policies that protect the air we breathe. They have a number of programs to help people with lung disease as well as those who live with someone who has asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
They tweeted shortly after Rinna’s comment: “We wish it weren’t true—but it is.” The tweet linked to their website where you can find information on lung cancer prevention and treatment options.
