Kyle Richards recently discussed the double-edged sword of fame on Bravo’s Hot Mic Podcast and revealed whether The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills affected her relationship with Mauricio Umansky.
In Season 3, Episode 8 of Hot Mic, hosted by Bravo producer Alex Baskin, the RHOBH cast member talked about life since she and Mau split after nearly three decades of marriage.
Of course, it’s not the first time those involved discussed the delicate balance of fame and marriage: In an earlier episode of the podcast, Mau joined Paul “PK” Kemsley — now separated from RHOBH’s Dorit Kemsley — and gave his own take.
Baskin asked Kyle if she agreed with Mauricio’s previous statements that they had “a great marriage” before “going in different directions.”
Did RHOBH play a role in Kyle and Mauricio’s breakup?
No, the show had no bearing on Kyle and Mauricio’s separation, according to the Housewife.
“I agree with Mau, for us,” Kyle said. “Every situation, every marriage is different. For us, it had nothing to do with the show. We did the show together for many years, and we were fine through it … I was very happily married. The show did not affect us in that way at all.”
Kyle maintained that the real estate broker and father of her children was always “very supportive” and someone she could lean on during the most difficult of times. However, she said that “the money and the attention that comes with fame,” secondary to the show, “absolutely” affected the marriage, something others have called “the reality show curse.”
“It definitely was not that,” Kyle said of the so-called curse.
Mauricio and Kyle talking during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 14, Episode 3. Photo: Bravo
Unlike others who’d come to the series with “cracks in their marriage,” Kyle maintained she always had Mauricio to help her through the pressure.
Kyle looked back at the early years of her marriage, before her Bravolebrity status and when Mauricio’s real estate business, The Agency, was still getting off the ground.
“Remember, we started out with nothing,” Kyle reminded Baskin. “I had three kids and a two-bedroom apartment.”
Still, they were “some of the best times” of Kyle’s days, and she was OK with moving to another state if the couple could not keep up their lifestyle in Los Angeles.
Then came The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, plus Mauricio’s real estate endeavors.
“It opens up a whole other world. You know, you’re traveling, you’re going places, he’s getting attention that he didn’t get before, there’s more people looking at him all of a sudden, he’s a rich man … it’s a very different situation,” she explained.
Kyle recognized material things weren’t the only thing to garner Mauricio attention, but also the fact that he was “a great husband” and “a great dad” also became appealing to others.
“Just having that thrown in your face all the time, and of course me being busy and traveling, I think all of that just did not help,” Kyle said.
Alexia Umansky, Kyle Richards, Mauricio Umansky and Dorit Kemsley attend the Agency’s “Buying Beverly Hills” premiere party at Wheelhouse on November 02, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
Years before Housewives and The Agency’s success, Kyle said she and Mauricio weren’t accustomed to girls’ nights out and guys’ nights out, “partially because [Kyle] was so scared of losing what [they] had,” she said.
“Honestly, it was just a fear of mine,” Kyle confessed. “Holding on too tight because I was so afraid something would ruin and take away what I love so much and [what] I’d built.”
But, as Kyle’s work-related commitments grew and Mauricio’s business trips increased, things changed.
“[The] next thing you know, you’re like, ‘Wait, what happened to the things that we used to live by before?’” Kyle asked. “It’s just everything’s different now.”
Pretty soon, the couple’s involvement in the Housewives series made them a prime target for fans, and it became challenging for the married couple to separate the two worlds. In one instance, Kyle explained, she sometimes wanted to join Mauricio for work events but could not because of the presence of RHOBH fans and photographers. Other times, it came down to Kyle being unable to come with Mauricio on work trips due to filming commitments or watching the kids.
“So, there was little things like that,” Kyle continued. “Just not making our marriage a priority because there were so many things going on.”
To find out what else Kyle had to say about her new normal more than a year after splitting from Mauricio, watch the video edition of Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast at BravoTV.com/podcast or listen for free wherever you get your podcasts.