On Halloween, Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin made the questionable choice to dress as the late rocker Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols and his girlfriend, Nancy, complete with Hamlin in a red swastika T-shirt similar to the one originally worn by Vicious. (The couple was immortalized in the 1986 movie Sid & Nancy, where they were played by Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb.)
We covered those photos in a post with other, better costumes from The Casamigos Halloween party. I mentioned that the swastika wasn’t oriented like the Nazi symbol and that it was closer to the peaceful Hindu and Buddhist symbol, which the Nazis appropriated. It was clearly meant to look like a Nazi swastika though, given the way the shirt was styled. Plus it wasn’t even a decent costume shirt. A “God Save The Queen” or Sex Pistols shirt would have been a clearer choice. In those outfits, people might guess that Rinna and Hamlin went as neo-Nazis.
The next day, Hamlin wore a red shirt with a peace shirt on a pap outing with Rinna. He also wore that shirt and basically the same costume out that night, drunkenly telling the paparazzi that he was Billy Idol. In a video posted on TMZ, Hamlin is asked by a photographer about the controversy over the swastika shirt and he slurs “I was Sid Vicious, that’s the way Sid Vicious was and that’s who he is.”
Apparently Hamlin’s wife has more sense than he does (despite not talking him out of wearing that shirt in the first place). Rinna posted an apology on her Instagram.
This is the photo of Sid & Nancy that Rinna is referring to. As TMZ points out, Sid’s character didn’t even wear that t-shirt in the movie, a hammer and sickle shirt was swapped out for it. The fact that these numbnuts thought this was a good enough idea to seek out a swastika shirt, order it over the Internet (presumably, I mean where else can you get something like that?) and then step out like that speaks volumes. You can tell Rinna is embarrassed about it because the only photo she posted to Instagram of Hamlin in costume is one where the shirt is covered up. At least she apologized, but this was such an asinine idea that I won’t think of these two the same.
photo credit: FameFlynet
2 things: why is she apologizing for him? And what is that white stuff all over her arms and chest? High def makeup?
Seems to me that’s what most wives do: go around apologizing for their husbands! Not sure why.
Yeah, my guess is high def powder.
I don’t think these two are very bright. I like that she is apologizing. I don’t like that he is not.
He did, but it was a pitiful apology: http://pagesix.com/2015/11/02/harry-hamlin-apologizes-for-wearing-nazi-t-shirt-on-halloween/
I just do not understand the flippant attitude for wearing a symbol that was destroyed by a political party that represented genocide, racism, hatred and pure evil.
Maybe it’s supposed to be a light dusting of coke or heroin to go with the Sid and Nanch theme 😆
She’s apologizing because she’s part of the Housewives franchise.
My father is a Holocaust survivor; I lost countless family to the ovens and camps. I, for one, don’t accept her lame attempt at an “apology”.
I am so sorry to hear that, I believe that I have lost distant relatives in the camps as well.
Not to mention what an utter insult and slap in the face this is to the vets who fought in that war and liberated those camps. Simply foolish and disgusting.
I apologize for my kids. I would probably also apologize for my husband if he did stupid stuff.
3. Why is Harry Hamlin drunk when he has substance abuse issues? Maybe that’s the root of the problem here.
Lisa’s middle name should be “Sorry.” She’s always apologizing for bad behavior but the bad behavior never stops. People seem to let her get away with breaking wine glasses, trying to strangle a co-star, sending vicious texts & now going out with husband wearing a swastika t-shirt. She seems to think saying sorry every time makes it okay. It doesn’t. This couple is wacked if they thought this would be funny. A 7 yr old knows better.
Yuck. I said it in the Halloween post, they are gross. And idiodic to think people wouldn’t be offended by the shirt.
IDIOTS!
No way they didn’t know this would be controversial. After all, it’s not like they were born yesterday.
Is that powder all over her?!
If you weren’t born yesterday, then you should already know that Sid Vicious indeed wore a swastika shirt. Google it.
Sid wore many other T-Shirts besides the Swastika shirt. Google it.
Sid wore other shirts as well that Hamlin could have easily worn to represent him, including a Sex Pistols shirt. They used to wear shirts of their own band all the time.
Also, just because Vicious wore it, does not make it right, He was wrong for wearing it as well, especially since I am sure his relatives were bombed by them.
I have an approbated Hindu “life” symbol postcard in my bathroom…I ended up covering it up because some people don’t understand the original history and how white supremacists stole it and reversed it blah blah…my point is that the more immediate relevance is horrifying, so I don’t put it in people’s faces out of respect. I’m not a celebrity either, just a normal aware human being. It’s not that hard to show respect!!
Sid wore many things. It was Hamlin’s choice of the swastika that’s an appalling choice. He could’ve chosen something less disgusting & politically abrasive. Lisa isn’t sorry. She’s thrilled with the attention. She probably suggested he wear it. Lisa needs to stay relevant, no matter how or who she insults.
Sid was a heroin addict who was pretty much in a drug haze, not that I’m making excuses for him. Harry on the other hand a shallow douch
He way old enough to know the atrocities that were committed in the past.
Hmmmm… Interesting that he had a shirt like that in his closet. Just ready to wear. I’ve never seen them in real stores.
Online has plenty of them, sadly.
But this is not the swastika but a Buddhist symbol? Maybe he has the Buddhist symbol in his closet? Not that I can tell the difference, but I’m sure a Buddhist shirt is Hollywood trendy.
I realize that the swastika is a very old symbol, but I’m comfortable with people not using it. Or the mirror image one, either.
Unless you’re Mel Brooks there will never be enough time passed to joke about the Nazis.
It just goes to show you how out of touch with reality these people are. So disappointed.
Especially in La-La land.
They are not sorry. They are thrilled to have gotten some media attention. That is why he did it. Lisa and Harry have been around far too long for it to have been anything else but a publicity stunt.
That was what I thought too, this is an attention grab. That must be HD powder all over her, not sure why you would wear something that does that with a flash. These two are idiots.
So here’s the thing – she posted it late Halloween night then deleted it. (I was home sick and reading another blog late night and saw it screencapped in a comment but went to look it had been deleted) She then reposted it again the next afternoon. And I’ve been wondering why that was because if it got vitriol then you wouldn’t delete then repost right? Now you’ve got me wondering if she deleted the first one because it was late and it didn’t get a lot of attention, and she didn’t want it to get buried in her IG when she posted the rest of her evening pics, so that’s why she reposted it during the day. She’s always super thirsty for attention so I wouldn’t put it past her.
Ditto to that. I remember back in the day Harry was the hottest of the hot. Whatever happened to him? The best part of this article for me was the mention of Gary Oldham as Sid, I loved that movie, and Gary always makes me smile, he is an unapologetic curmudgeon.
Agree totally. They knew what they were doing, and they did it on purpose. Famewhoring 101.
Exactly.
They accomplished what they set out to do. Which was to get their names back in the spotlight. Because seriously, who was checking for them? When was the last time anyone thought about either of them? Wouldn’t be shocked if they hired the pap to take those photos in the first place. Now they have been temporarily boosted out of the z-list to d-list because of this controversy. Watch one or both parlays this into a job ( book, talk show appearance, reality show, etc).
He played a large role in the last two or three seasons of Mad Men. He did a pretty good job.
Well that’s good, but Mad Men is over. I still wouldn’t put it past them to have done this to get their names out there and drum up interest.
He was very good, and probably could have turned that into a bit of a career resurgence. Instead of…whatever this nonsense is.
He was also on Shameless in a reoccurring role. I do think he is having a career resurgence, but it is based on his skill. Honestly, I didn’t know his work before Shameless and Mad Men and I was REALLY surprised with how great he was. He does “classy gentleman” very well…which is a big contrast to his seemingly trashy personal life.
She’s already on Real Housewives.
Last time I saw him it was on a Lifetime movie many years ago. I’ve never watched Madmen. Lisa is on Real Housewives of BH. Last season she hounded Kim Richards the whole time. Broke a wine glass & tried to strangle her. Then when the show ended, Lisa sent her horrible tweets. Kim never responded. Lisa said “Sorry” after each incident. Her sorrys don’t mean a thing. She seems to believe everyone loves her so she can do whatever. She’ll pop up again. Semi-talented aging actresses don’t always retire with dignity.
Ignoring it would have been better…but most Bravo show characters just have to have that second scoop of ice cream. Oh Harry was so cute in LA Law with Susan Dey. What happened to him..,oh yeah, Lisa did.
You would think that by now people would be wise to the fact that Hi-Def powder does not photograph well. and why do our upper arms need powdered, exactly?
I think its supposed to be coke,as Sid and Nancy were addicts. Classy.
Sorry is the white powder all over her suppose to mean something or is it one of those high definition make up?
Yes she’s sorry because they didn’t realize that shirt would offend anyone. Does anyone believe that?
Oh golly, people are offended by a Nazi emblem? Who would have imagined? It seemed like such a great idea at the time. So sorry to those who were offended! Please.
Um.. his hair is dark on Halloween, the next day his hair is all white?? What the what??
Hair color spray. It washes out.
How many times do these clueless celebrities/royals need to be told it’s NEVER OK TO DISPLAY/DRESS UP NAZI STYLE EVER! Millions of people died so just NO!
Too bad you couldn’t tell Sid that, but he’s been dead since 1979.
Sid was a heroin addicted anarchist. Do you think he would have listened?
He did that on purpose as punk rock anarchist shock. I guess these a**hats did on purpose too but not a good idea in Jewish heavy Hollywood.
Chelsea, are you dumb??? The holocaust happened in the forties. Sid and the whole rest of the world knew about it, and it didn’t just all of a sudden become an issue after his death. Get over your hero worship, dude was a useless fake asshole.
double post
Because they live in their own over privileged bubble. The only thing they care about is the rreflection in the mirror.
Didn’t she go visit her aging parents (who are being looked after by her sister a state or two away) just as a storyline a year or two ago? And she’s just too tied up in LA to help out, blah, blah.
Self absorbed, definitely.
And they wonder why their careers are stalled.
Of all the characters to dress up as, why Sid and Nancy? Why these two? I’d rather see them as Fred and Ethel, or Rocky and Bullwinkle even, rather than these two.
Poor, poor choices.
They didn’t have to dress up as when he wore a swastika. I’m sure there are plenty of other “famous” outfits those two wore.
Since the high def makeup has been covered, I now have only two comments-
1) These people are vapid imbeciles ( yes, I know, covered ad nauseum)
2) “Harry slurred, I was Sid Vicious…” Wait, slurred? I thought he was a recovering alcoholic? Livin’ with Lisa must have made him tumble ( or throw himself) off the wagon.
Seeing as how I just watched Diary of Anne Frank and video on the death camps, I find this reminder sickening. They had to know it would be questionable at best. She must be the controversial B on housewives of Beverly Hills this season since Brandi is gone. Oh yeah, she’s trying to sell a clothing line on QVC too, hence the need for attention.
I think they should get on a plane, fly to Amsterdam, and take a tour of Anne Frank’s house. That will humble them and make them understand what an insensitive and cruel thing he did by wearing that shirt. I toured it some years ago and at the end all I could do is sit in the cafe next door and sob uncontrollably for a half an hour.
And then they need to take a detour to Auschwitz.
They would probably take selfies in front of it doing a thumbs up.
This is my culture and my people’s symbol of sun, abundance, strength and everything live. It’s a *sacred* symbol for us! This is not a swastika. Why should we, my people, give up our beloved symbols only because some of you are not well educated on them? Why shouldn’t we wear those symbols on our clothes only because you don’t make a difference between them and what the nazis used (the reversed)? I disagree. I have it on shirts, dresses, headbands. It gives me strength and good luck. My nana used to embroider our clothes with it as babies. It’s on our temples! It’s our faith,our tradition!
Well stated. And the same argument can be made for the Confederate Battle Flag.
They wanted attention, and they got it. They aren’t sorry. They used something offensive and hurtful to some groups of people to garner a few more seconds of fame. Respect level for them: zero.
They may have tried the famewhore route, but karma will come back to bite them hard. The Hollywood industry is employed from the top down with a majority of Jewish people.
Hopefully, these two will be blackballed pronto.
I wonder how Andy Cohen, producer of Bev Hills HW, feels about this? Not too thrilled I would imagine!
Well, it’s factually accurate.
I googled it and Sid Vicious did in fact wear a red shirt with a swastika on it. There are plenty of images across the net.
http://www.i-am-bored.com/2015/11/was-actor-harry-hamlins-halloween-costume-racist-4-pics.html
Lack of sensitivity when it comes to these matters isn’t uncommon though – remember when Prince Harry went to a “colonials and natives” fancy dress party dressed as nazi? He’s now the most beloved royal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4170083.stm
nobody is disputing the accuracy of the costume. not the point.
It was deliberately provocative when Sid wore it and deliberately provocative when Harry wore it. I’m not really sure why we’re still talking about this.
I literally gasped a WTF? when I saw that shirt. I just don’t get how how how on earth they could think this is a funny or clever costume? That’s just nucking futs. I always liked Lisa. That lack of sensitivity is mind boggling. Utterly disappointing. Can’t stop shaking my head. Why not just dress up like Isis while you’re at it? I wonder what Andy Cohen thought of that shirt.
It got them exactly what they wanted. Attention. Pure & simple.
its not like that shirt had some hidden message only a few right wing extremists would know or that they took a picture with someone without looking at his shirt, like Taylor Swift did, she posed next to someone with something on the shirt that looked like a swastika but i give her the benefit of the doubt because you never know if someone does do this on purpose to troll the celeb and Taylor is way to image obsessed to pose with a swastika.
Because Sid Vicious only had ONE shirt?
Who was he, Jaden Smith?
Wearing that swastika shirt was BAD.
I don’t really accept romantically stylised apologies on instagram. They are a disgusting couple.
That’s some apology — weak, late, couched in the ever so unapologetic “if you were offended” or “if I hurt you” caveat, and only after such an uproar that she felt it was necessary to save her ass. Can these two please just retire permanently?
SHE let him leave the house like that
Every Halloween some celebrity makes an offensive faux pas, you’d think they’d all learn from the previous year. Wow!
Maybe he was taking a cue from Prince Harry? Another misguided fool.
How old was Prince Harry? How old is Hamlin? If you don’t get things by the time you’re 50…you never will. Not excusing Prince Harry but at least when young, you do a lot of stupid things you later regret. I’m sure the Royals read him the Riot Act.
Oh forgot to say …her mouth is ridiculous and he looks old as F$&K
Lisa used to swear her lips were real, “It runs in the family” lie, lie, lie. She’s beyond pathetic. Btw: does she ever eat? She must weigh 95 pounds. Her carcass is going fall apart from osteoporosis.
Screw this noise. Pathetic.
They did this for publicity.
Once again…the whole “sorry you were offended” crap. Are people incapable of saying something like “I am very sorry for our actions/words/costumes that night. We have learned a valuable lesson and won’t do it again”/
“I’m sorry if I hurt you” in this case is very different from recognizing that you made a bad, bad choice. “I’m sorry I hurt you” stands by the choice but regrets the result — a little like a thief who’s not sorry he stole but is very sorry he’s going to prison.
And why oh why would anyone apologize for their husband?
She’s apologizing because he’s too drunk/hungover & doesn’t care.