Lisa Rinna believes she was drugged at The Abbey on January 8 during the Season 4 premiere party for the Peacock reality competition series “The Traitors,” and it was her on-screen rival who noticed something was wrong first.
TMZ broke the story Monday, citing sources close to the situation who said Rinna appeared completely out if it at the party despite having consumed very little alcohol throughout the night. The report put The Abbey at the center of the national celebrity story, but for West Hollywood residents and patrons of The Abbey who’ve been following the venue’s history, the allegations didn’t come out of nowhere.
According to those sources, “The Traitors” cast member Colton Underwood had been with Rinna for most of the night and said he grew concerned when her condition deteriorated in a way that didn’t match what she’d been drinking. He brought it to the attention of Rinna’s team, who escorted her out of the venue after the group got together for a cast photo. It’s unclear whether police were called or whether Rinna sought medical attention that night.
An unlikely rescuer
The dynamic between Underwood and Rinna made the whole thing a bit more interesting. The two had clashed throughout Season 4 of “The Traitors,” with Underwood eventually engineering Rinna’s banishment from the game. Off camera, she’d called him a “stalker” on social media, a pointed reference to the 2020 restraining order his ex-girlfriend Cassie Randolph sought against him, accusing him of stalking and placing a tracking device on her car. Underwood denied the allegations and the matter was later settled.
Whatever the truth of their relationship, Underwood didn’t hesitate when he noticed Rinna wasn’t right. She seemed to acknowledge the situation without spelling it out when she shared a TikTok on her Instagram Stories Monday that described The Abbey as “one of the most dangerous bars in America.” The video documented what she described as a years-long pattern of women being drugged or robbed at the venue.
A history that goes back years
The drugging allegations against The Abbey aren’t new, and they aren’t fringe. They’ve generated criminal charges, a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, and repeated responses from city officials and the venue’s own ownership going back nearly a decade.
The most serious documented case came in February 2023, when a man named Kent Okukporo, 42, was arrested and charged with sexual battery, drugging someone with intent to commit sexual assault, and attempted kidnapping after an incident at The Abbey. The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station held a press conference on the arrest. The Abbey credited its own security team with identifying and detaining Okukporo when he returned to the venue the following night.
Before that, in August 2021, a woman publicly alleged on social media that a bartender had spiked her drink, causing her to collapse at the bar and suffer facial injuries. The Abbey denied the allegation, reviewed surveillance footage, and said it found no evidence of tampering. The bar eventually filed a lawsuit seeking more than $5 million, arguing the posts had caused $1 million in lost business. The case was settled in 2024 under the venue’s new ownership.
In May 2023, a YouTube video by a former radio personality documenting multiple drugging allegations at The Abbey went viral, drawing renewed attention to what critics described as a pattern of incidents going back to at least 2016. The City of West Hollywood responded by distributing free drink-spiking test strips to nightlife establishments in partnership with the LA LGBT Center’s WeHo Life program.
When new owner Tristan Schukraft purchased The Abbey last year for a reported $27 million, he addressed the issue directly in a public post, saying the venue gives away drink testing strips for free, will remake any drink on request, and has more security on the floor than any other venue in the area. “If you believe you’ve consumed a spiked drink, please go to the hospital, get checked,” Schukraft said. “We’ll be there to support you every step of the way.”
A troubled stretch
The alleged drugging of Rinna arrives during what’s been a particularly rough stretch for the queer landmark. WEHOonline covered the October 17 LASD undercover operation that resulted in 13 arrests at The Abbey and the surrounding Rainbow District, targeting narcotic sales and pickpocketing that had generated community complaints. A bathroom attendant, a busboy and a waiter were among those taken into custody. The Abbey’s general manager, Todd Barnes, appeared before the West Hollywood Public Safety Commission afterward and called for better coordination between law enforcement and local businesses during future operations.
What comes next
Rinna, 62, didn’t make any explicit public statement Monday beyond the Instagram share. Her representatives hadn’t responded to requests for comment from TMZ, and Underwood’s team hadn’t commented either. She’s been promoting her new memoir, “You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It,” in recent weeks and told a crowd at a book signing that she’d said something at the reunion that prompted Underwood to unfollow her on social media. Their friendship, which was never fully stable, appears to be over.
The Traitors Season 4 finale and reunion special air Thursday, Feb. 26 on Peacock. Neither the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station nor The Abbey had issued any statement about the alleged January 8 incident as of Monday afternoon.
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This lady doesn’t even look human these days.
Is there nothing this woman won’t say or do for attention? She was at a private event WITH HER HUSBAND, publicist, assistant and “team”, seated in a private area, with other cast members from the show, and somehow, someone managed to put something in her drink, but the police were not involved and she didn’t go to hospital. But yet managed to pull her signature duck face poses for pictures.
She’s a disgrace.
Anything for attention
Honestly, who gives a rats @$$