Andy Cohen Says No One Can Ever Replace ‘Iconic’ Lisa Vanderpump on ‘The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills’

Andy Cohen is sorry to see Lisa Vanderpump leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The Bravo host told Us Weekly that he wishes Vanderpump would have shown up at the RHOBH Season 9 reunion so she could at least get “some resolution” with her estranged co-stars.

Cohen thinks Vanderpump would have done “great” had she showed up to the reunion, which was taped last week. Instead, the RHOBH veteran announced she would be leaving the show that she starred in since 2010.

Amid rumors that Bravo execs are already scurrying to find a replacement for Vanderpump, Cohen said it would be impossible because the SUR owner is irreplaceable.

“No one will ever replace her. And no one can replace her.”

Cohen went on to explain that, a decade ago, he was not completely sold on doing a reality show with the Beverly Hills housewives, but he changed his tune when he saw Vanderpump’s casting tape.

“She is iconic. And I am so glad that we will continue to see more of Lisa — in all of her glory — on Vanderpump Rules … she will always be the queen of diamonds in the Bravo universe.”

Cohen noted that “people come and go but the show remains”– indeed, multiple stars, including Adrienne Maloof, Yolanda Hadid, Kathryn Edwards, and Joyce Giraud have come and gone from the show — but he made it clear that he will always hold a special place for Vanderpump should she ever want to return to RHOBH.

“The door will always be open to Lisa,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s new comments come amid buzz that Kathy Hilton, the wealthy sister of Vanderpump’s former friend and co-star Kyle Richards, will be replacing her for the upcoming 10th season of RHOBH.

Over the weekend, restaurateur Bruce Bozzi posted an Instagram photo of Hilton dining with Cohen at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills. Bozzi’s caption teased that Hilton has “signed on the dotted line” to be an incoming cast member on RHOBH.

Hilton has since shot down rumors of the reality TV deal, and Cohen told Us that while he is “amazed at how overwhelmingly positive people’s reaction[s]” have been to the idea of adding Hilton to the cast, “there have been absolutely no conversations” about it.

Vanderpump quit RHOBH after a bad year that included the sudden death of her only sibling and a dog rescue scandal that dominated the season. The Bravo star has hinted that her scenes were cut from the final episodes of the ninth RHOBH season because they focused on her philanthropic work and didn’t contain enough drama.

Fans can continue to watch Vanderpump on her SUR-based Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules.