I’ve been behind the camera since 2001 and shot more than 2,000 scenes, and here’s what nobody tells you about a great costume: the clothes are the easy part. The face, the pout, the way you stand, that’s the work. Lisa Rinna did the work so well that Kylie Jenner thought she was looking at herself.
Kylie Jenner says she has retired her big Halloween photo shoots. So Lisa Rinna did one for her. The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 63, showed up to the Halloween episode of “Live with Kelly and Mark” on Friday, Oct. 30, dressed as Kylie Jenner, in a copy of the orange custom Chrome Hearts gown Kylie wore to the “Marty Supreme” premiere in December, E! News reports. Lisa posted the photos on Instagram with the caption “King Lisa,” and Kylie herself answered in the comments: “Thought this was me,” TODAY reports.
Below: exactly what Lisa copied and what she changed, piece by piece against Kylie’s original, who else fell for it, and why the best Kylie Jenner Halloween look of 2026 might not be Kylie’s.
What happened: one costume, one comment
Lisa Rinna was on “Live with Kelly and Mark” as a celebrity judge for the show’s costume contest, walking in with executive producer Michael Gelman, who came as Kylie’s boyfriend Timothée Chalamet in a matching orange suit, per E! and The Cut. The Cut called Gelman’s version “slightly less convincing.” Nobody said that about hers.
“You know, I love to dress up,” Lisa said on the episode, per E!. “This is not typical. You know, I aged way down for this.” In a clip on the show’s Instagram she credited her glam team: “I have very good people. I have the best.”
Then came the Instagram carousel. TODAY says the “King Lisa” caption, with a kiss and a crown emoji, is a throwback to Kylie’s “King Kylie” era. Kylie’s reply, “Thought this was me,” is the line everyone is now quoting. The Daily Mail’s first story, published at 1:59 p.m. ET, said Kylie had not yet reacted. By TODAY’s 5:28 p.m. ET story, she had.
She wasn’t the only famous name in the comments. Heidi Klum, the woman whose own Halloween party is tonight in New York, wrote “Wow” with an astonished-face emoji, TODAY reports. Dorinda Medley wrote “Thought it was her for a second” and Busy Philipps wrote “This is so so good,” per E!.
See it: the posts that fooled the internet
Pop Crave’s side-by-side passed 2.6 million views on X within hours. E! News, People and the Daily Mail all posted it on Friday, and Complex Style’s post from December shows the original pair on the Marty Supreme carpet. Embedded from the accounts that published them.
Lisa, at 63 you just out-Kylied Kylie on a morning talk show. Before 9 a.m. That’s not a costume, that’s a hostile takeover.
And Kylie, you told Kid Cudi you retired your Halloween shoots because they cost too much. Lisa heard that and said, fine, I’ll do it for you. With a better caption.
Michael Gelman as Timothée? Respect the effort. But Timothée had a ping-pong paddle bag, and the only thing Gelman brought was courage.
Lisa’s been doing this since her “Melrose Place” lingerie days, and her hub has every scene. Watch them here →
— Nico
Kylie’s hub has her photo sets and campaigns. Lisa’s hub has her on-screen scenes, from “Melrose Place” and “Veronica Mars” to “Entourage.”
The original vs. the copy, piece by piece
Kylie’s look is from the Los Angeles premiere of Timothée’s film “Marty Supreme” on Dec. 8, 2025, where the couple wore matching custom Chrome Hearts. The orange was a nod to the film’s table tennis balls, WWD reported at the time. Here’s how Lisa’s version lines up, based on what the outlets describe:
- The dress. Kylie: a formfitting orange leather gown with cutouts at the waist under the bust, a plunging neckline and thin straps meeting at a nearly bare back (WWD). Lisa: a skin-tight orange dress with cutouts in the torso (TODAY), backless, with a cross-shaped jewel on the front (E!).
- The jewelry. Kylie: cross-motif jewelry, including a statement necklace and a pendant at the base of the neckline, plus rings and a bracelet (WWD). Lisa: a chunky silver cross necklace (TODAY) that The Cut described as “dripping in crosses.”
- Hair and face. Kylie wore her long dark hair down. Lisa used a long, straight brunette wig (E!), a smoky eye (TODAY) and what The Cut calls Kylie’s “singular nude-lipped pout.”
- The man. Timothée wore an orange leathery suit with baggy trousers, matching laced combat boots and a crossbody table tennis paddle bag with cross-shaped hardware (WWD). Gelman wore a matching orange suit (E!). No paddle bag has been reported.
What we don’t know: no outlet has said who made Lisa’s dress, or whether Chrome Hearts was involved. So treat it as a recreation, not the real gown.
How we got here
- May 2025: Kylie and Timothée make their red carpet debut as a couple at the David di Donatello awards in Rome, both in black, per WWD.
- Dec. 8, 2025: the matching orange Chrome Hearts looks at the “Marty Supreme” premiere in Los Angeles. People called it twinning in “bright orange.”
- April 1, 2026: on Kid Cudi’s “Big Bro” podcast, Kylie says her all-out Halloween costumes are over: “The amount of money I spend on not only the costumes but the photo shoots, I’ve retired it,” per People.
- Spring 2026: Lisa and her husband Harry Hamlin spoof Kylie and Timothée’s viral beach-vacation photos, which is why the Daily Mail says she transformed into Kylie “again.”
- Oct. 30, 2026: the “Live” episode, the “King Lisa” post and Kylie’s reply.
- Oct. 31, 2026: Halloween, and Heidi Klum’s annual party in New York.
Lisa Rinna has a Halloween habit
This isn’t her first celebrity double. In 2019 Lisa dressed as Jennifer Lopez in a replica of J.Lo’s famous green Versace dress from the 2000 Grammys, TODAY recalls. Lopez told Access Hollywood back then: “It was really, really cute. She looked awesome.” Two famous women, two thumbs up. That’s a better approval rate than most red carpets.
It also fits the Kylie story we’ve been following all month. She walked the Victoria’s Secret runway in a $50 million Fantasy Bra on Oct. 18, sold coats in a cropped faux-fur jacket and heels on Oct. 27, and posed in lingerie for Kim’s Skims holiday shoot. The one thing she skipped is the Halloween shoot. Lisa filled the gap.
Confirmed vs. what we don’t know
Confirmed: Lisa’s costume on “Live with Kelly and Mark” on Oct. 30, her “King Lisa” post, Kylie’s “Thought this was me” comment, and Heidi Klum’s “Wow,” all reported by TODAY and E!. Kylie’s April quote about retiring her shoots is on tape, per People.
Not known: who made Lisa’s dress, whether Kylie and Timothée will wear their own costumes in public this weekend, and whether Kylie posts anything beyond her comment.
Photos: the cast of this story
What to watch next
Tonight is the real test. Kylie said her big shoots are retired, so watch for a casual costume post instead, or a Halloween-weekend outing with Timothée (we’re tracking the ring talk too). Heidi Klum’s reveal lands tonight in New York, and she has already seen Lisa’s bar. If Kylie answers with her own costume, or reposts Lisa’s, we’ll update this page.
FAQ
What was Lisa Rinna’s Halloween costume?
Kylie Jenner in the orange cutout gown Kylie wore to the “Marty Supreme” premiere in December 2025, with a long brunette wig and a silver cross necklace. She wore it on “Live with Kelly and Mark” on Oct. 30, 2026, per E! News.
What did Kylie Jenner say about Lisa Rinna’s costume?
She commented “Thought this was me” on Lisa’s Instagram post, TODAY reports. Heidi Klum also commented “Wow.”
Who dressed as Timothée Chalamet with Lisa Rinna?
“Live” executive producer Michael Gelman, in a matching orange suit, per E! News and The Cut. Not her husband Harry Hamlin, as some posts claimed.
Is Kylie Jenner doing a Halloween costume in 2026?
She said in April on Kid Cudi’s podcast that she has “retired” her expensive Halloween costumes and photo shoots, per People. As of Oct. 31 morning Bangkok time, she hadn’t posted a 2026 costume.
— Nico. Kylie retired the Halloween shoot. Lisa came out of retirement for it. If Kylie answers tonight, you’ll read it here first. Until then, Lisa’s hub has the scenes that started all this.
Fact-check: Scandal Planet Desk
Follow Nico on X @NicoGrey_XO for my takes before they hit the site.
What do you think? Lisa or the real Kylie: who wore the orange gown better? Tell us on X @celeb124.
Photos: card and cover use Kylie Jenner for Complex by Josh Park, CC BY-SA 3.0 (2017), and Lisa Rinna at the WWD Style Awards 2026 by Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Gallery: Rosiestep, CC BY-SA 4.0; SWinxy, CC BY 4.0; ManoSolo13241324, CC0. Archive photos, not the costume or the Oct. 30 episode. Scene stills are frames from the clips on Lisa Rinna’s Scandal Planet hub.
