How RHOBH star Lisa Vanderpump makes and spends her millions: she produces Vanderpump Rules with her husband Ken Todd – they also have a restaurant empire and a US$12 million Beverly Hills mansion
Lisa Vanderpump is one of Bravo’s biggest stars, starring on Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules. But she and her husband, Ken Todd, already had a restaurant empire before appearing on reality TV. The British businesswoman and reality star has a net worth of US$90 million, per Celebrity Net Worth, and is accustomed to life in the spotlight.
But exactly how does she make – and spend – her millions? We took a closer look to find out ...
Lisa Vanderpump is a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star
Vanderpump appeared on nine seasons of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which made her a household name and netted her a significant sum. In Brian Moylan’s book The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives, he estimated that Vanderpump’s salary by the time of her departure was US$1 million per season.
She left the show after season nine because, in her own words, “I got to a point where it was too negative for me. At the time, my brother had just died, and I was looking for happiness in my life. It just wasn’t a good time for me at all,” she told Yahoo!
She’s also starred in and produced a spin-off reality show Vanderpump Rules
According to In Touch Weekly, Vanderpump reportedly makes US$50,000 per episode of the show, which began airing in 2013. While that’s not confirmed, with multiple 24-episode seasons, it would put her pay cheque at around US$1.2 million per season.
Vanderpump spoke to Forbes this year about the experience of producing the show, which focuses on a group of friends who worked at Sur, one of her restaurants.
“I knew that authenticity was key to reality television. There was nothing inauthentic about Vanderpump Rules at all. You could film this group when we’re shooting the show or could keep going all year. They hang out together, they go on holiday together, they fight together, they sleep together. So, I didn’t try and create something. This was organic,” she said.
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She and Todd also produced Vanderpump Rules: Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, two cast members of Vanderpump Rules who were then dating (they’re now married), travelled to Cartwright’s hometown in Kentucky to meet her family – and Bravo took their cameras and followed them there. The spin-off’s six episodes aired in 2017.
Vanderpump and Todd were both producers on the spin-off.
The couple already had an empire of restaurants before the TV shows
“They have been owning restaurants and bars for over 30 years,” Vanderpump’s rep told Refinery29. Most of the restaurants were in the UK before the couple’s move to the US in the 2000s. All of the restaurants have since closed, besides Bar Soho, which is still open in London.
Most famous are the establishments shown on Vanderpump Rules: Sur, Pump, TomTom and Villa Blanca, which has since closed. In one of the first episodes of Vanderpump Rules, Vanderpump explained that Villa Blanca was where you take your wife and Sur (which stands for Sexy Unique Restaurant) was where you take your mistress.
Villa Blanca closed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
New restaurants include Vanderpump co*cktail Garden and Vanderpump à Paris
The Vanderpump co*cktail Garden opened in Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace Hotel in 2019 and the opening was then shown a year later during season eight of Vanderpump Rules.
“We have created a unique, decadent space with a majestic feel where guests can relax in a sexy garden oasis, from the design and ambience (featuring the incredible Nick Alain lighting, fixtures and furniture) to the selection of light bites and co*cktails, I am proud of what we created and hope everyone will enjoy the experience as much as we do,” Vanderpump said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
co*cktails range from US$16.95 to US$24.95, with food ranging from US$9.95 to US$28.95.
Her second Vegas restaurant, Vanderpump à Paris, opened in 2022 in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The prices are similar to the co*cktail Garden. “Every restaurant has to have its own identity,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We needed to create something that felt like it was part of Paris.”
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She also founded the rescue-dog organisation Vanderpump Dogs
Vanderpump Dogs is a 501(c)(3) organisation. She told Forbes that, to date, the non-profit had saved 3,000 dogs from kill shelters. She also said that, during the pandemic, she turned to Cameo to help bring in money for her charity and the restaurants. Cameo is an app where people can pay to have their favourite celebrities record them a personalised message.
“I heard about Cameo and I heard that you could do Cameo and raise money for your charity. So then I got serious with Cameo and to this day with my Cameos, I have raised US$383,511.14 for my Foundation since Covid-19. So, that has kept my foundation going,” she said.
In 2021, she executive-produced and starred in the Peaco*ck reality show Vanderpump Dogs, which focused on the organisation’s employees. The show dropped all six episodes of its first (and to date only) season in June 2021 on Peaco*ck.
She hosted the E! series Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump
Overserved aired 12 episodes on E! from March to June 2021. Each episode followed Vanderpump as she planned a themed party catered to her guests. For example, she planned a weekend brunch for Lala Kent and Anna Camp, a Greek feast for Steve-O and Margaret Cho, and an English roast for Mario Lopez and Sheryl Underwood.
It’s unknown how much she was paid for the season.
She co-authored the book Simply Divine: A Guide to Easy, Elegant and Affordable Entertaining
“I wanted to do a book that was simple yet divine – that’s why it’s called Simply Divine. It’s a book that takes the pressure out of entertaining and teaches people they can cook and it can be beautiful,” Vanderpump told Huffington Post upon its publication in 2011.
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She lends her name to alcoholic beverages
She’s done so since 2013. Vanderpump Vodka is sold at all of Vanderpump’s establishments, as is the sangria. When the sangria first dropped, it was called LVP Sangria and two varieties were offered: red and pink.
In 2017, she launched Vanderpump Rosé, which has been so successful that she’s turned the brand into Vanderpump Wines, with more varieties like chardonnay and cabernet.
Any Vanderpump Rules fan knows that Vanderpump loves her rosé – she is frequently seen ordering a glass of her own wine brand whenever she stops in at Sur or TomTom. Reviewers at Total Wine gave the rosé, which retails for around US$19, four out of five stars.
She launched a home-goods line called Vanderpump Alain
In 2019, she teamed up with her frequent decorator Nick Alain. “I’ve got to a stage in my life where everything has to be a passion project,” Vanderpump told Forbes in 2023.
She’s worked with Alain at all of her US restaurants and now the two have created a home-goods line that can be seen in her Vegas bars. “I’ve just opened Paris Casino in Las Vegas, which we presented to them and they fell in love with our visuals. Everything is bespoke and couture and designed by Vanderpump Alain,” she said.
Vanderpump Alain offers furniture, lighting, outdoor furniture and accessories. The goods range from US$185 candlesticks to US$3,123 chairs.
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Her US$12 million Beverly Hills home, Villa Rosa
In terms of real estate, Vanderpump and Todd acquired their famous Beverly Hills home, Villa Rosa, in 2011 for around US$12 million. Zillow representatives said Vanderpump and Todd bought Villa Rose in 2011 for almost US$12 million. Before that, they owned another Beverly Hills mansion they sold for US$18 million. It’s since been demolished, according to Dirt.
But since then, their five-bedroom, eight-bathroom, 8,800 sq ft mansion has only gone up in price. Zillow now estimates the house, its 0.8-hectare lot, and its infinity pool, at US$12.8 million.
Any fan of Vanderpump knows she has a love of animals
Vanderpump famously loves animals. She has two swans that live at Villa Rosa, Hanky and Panky. Those can cost anywhere from US$3,000 to US$11,000 each.
She also had two miniature horses, Diamonds and Rosé, who unfortunately died in August 2022. Miniature horses can cost anywhere from US$800 to upwards of US$200,000, depending on their pedigree. And that’s just the upfront cost – feed, shelter, grooming and medical expenses can cost thousands of dollars over time.
Vanderpump also has multiple dogs, peaco*cks and fish in her pond.
She drives a black-and-pink custom Porsche 911 Carrera convertible
Vanderpump drives a black-and-pink custom Porsche 911 Carrera convertible, which can cost over US$100,000. According to Porsche’s website, the 911 Carrera starts at US$106,100. She’s also been spotted in other cars over the years, including a Rolls-Royce Ghost and a Bentley Continental.
A 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost starts at US$343,000, while a 2023 Bentley Continental starts at US$238,325.
This article originally appeared on Insider.
