Lisa Rinna Brands Co-Star Robert Kelker-Kelly as Hollywood's Biggest Bully in New Book
In her newly released memoir, You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It, Lisa Rinna has made startling accusations against one of her former co-stars, labelling him Hollywood's biggest bully. While many might have anticipated the 62-year-old reality star to target a fellow Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member, Rinna instead points to her early 1990s experience on the iconic soap opera Days of Our Lives.
On-Screen Romance Turned Real-Life Nightmare
Rinna, who portrayed Billie Reed on the long-running series, claims that her on-screen love interest, Bo Brady, played by actor Robert Kelker-Kelly, subjected her to relentless torment behind the scenes. Behind-the-scenes we hated each other, she writes candidly in the book. Addressing previous comments by Kathy Hilton that labelled Rinna as Hollywood's biggest bully, she retorts, Not true. Not even close! I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies.
She elaborates on the distressing dynamic, alleging that Kelker-Kelly made her life a living hell on the set. Rinna describes his behaviour as verbally abusive, passive-aggressive, manipulative, and involving weird mind games. The situation was exacerbated by their frequent intimate scenes, with Rinna noting, I had to work with him every day, often half naked to do love scenes. If I didn’t do what he wanted, he’d give me the silent treatment.
Unpredictable Atmosphere and Security Measures
The actress recalls the exhausting unpredictability of Kelker-Kelly's demeanour, stating he was a ticking time bomb. She never knew whether she would encounter nice Robert Kelker-Kelly or dark Robert Kelker-Kelly each morning on set. Rinna expresses relief when he abruptly departed the show in 1995, replaced by Peter Reckell, who had originally played Bo Brady from 1983 to 1992.
Following his exit, Rinna alleges that both she and co-star Kristian Alfonso, who played Hope Brady, were provided with a full-time security detail by NBC. Suddenly, one day, he disappeared from the Days set. Next thing I knew Kristian and I had our own full-time security detail, she writes. While Rinna did not believe Kelker-Kelly posed a physical threat, she implies NBC implemented these measures to cover their ass, with rent-a-cops stationed outside their homes and trailers for three weeks.
Historical Context and Career Paths
Rinna played Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1995 before leaving the show and being succeeded by Krista Allen. She subsequently joined the cast of Melrose Place for its final three seasons. Over the years, Rinna has made multiple returns to Days of Our Lives, including appearances in 2002, 2012, 2018, and the 2021 spin-off Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. Most recently, she featured in season four of The Traitors.
This is not the first instance Rinna has spoken out about her fraught relationship with Kelker-Kelly. In a 2015 interview with Bravo, she declared, I hated Robert Kelker-Kelly; hated him with a passion! She added that their volatile off-screen chemistry translated into convincing on-screen romance, remarking, We were a volatile combination, and it looked like love and sexual chemistry on camera, so that was some darn good acting right there.
As for Robert Kelker-Kelly, after exiting Days of Our Lives in 1995, he continued his acting career with roles in Another World and General Hospital. He later transitioned out of Hollywood, becoming a professional pilot and flight instructor. NBC has declined to comment on Rinna's allegations, and Kelker-Kelly has been contacted for a response but has not yet issued a statement.
