Mauricio Umansky is shedding light on what led to the rift between his wife, Kyle Richards, and the Hilton family.
In a sneak peek of Buying Beverly Hills ‘ upcoming season 2 premiere, Umansky opened up about how his decision to leave luxury real estate brokerage Hilton & Hyland after not being made a partner affected his wife’s relationship with her family, including sister Kathy Hilton and brother-in-law Rick Hilton.
“So I think I got kind of f–-ed by Hilton & Hyland,” recalled Umanksky while sitting with friends. “And when I say f–ked, you know, like, today I’m happy. But there was a hundred agents at Hilton & Hyland. They did a billion dollars for the first time a year. I was 19.6% of their production.”
Umansky said he expressed his desire to advance in the company to his brother-in-law, Rick Hilton, who co-founded the real estate firm.
“I went to Rick and said, ‘I’d really like equity, right, and to be a partner.’ He went back, talked to Jeff [Hyland], got back to me, and basically, I was told no,” explained Umansky. “Then I went home, I talked to Kyle, I go, ‘This is really going to cause a lot of stress between you, your sister, and your family, and I don’t want to do this move of leaving and starting a company if you’re not comfortable.”
Umansky said Richards was “100% percent supportive” and recalled being asked by the company why he never gave any “warning” before leaving.
Although Umansky went on to found The Agency, his own real estate firm with Billy Rose and Blair Chang, in September 2011, he said he still considers Hilton & Hyland “an amazing company.”
“I’d never be caught speaking poorly about them because I don’t think poorly about them,” Umansky said. “I am Rick’s brother-in-law, but unfortunately, it got sour because it really affected the family, Kyle more than anybody.”
The entrepreneur said that Richards’ family “stopped speaking to her” but that “she understood that what was done to me was wrong.”
“She stood by me, and at the end of the day, I needed that,” said Umansky. The rift between Richards and the Hiltons was long alluded to on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, in which Richards – and eventually Kathy Hilton – starred in.
After the Buying Beverly Hills preview dropped, Kathy and Rick’s daughter Paris Hilton responded to the preview clip in the comment section of a fan account on Instagram.
“My father is a consummate gentleman and has always taken the higher road. He would never speak negatively about his family- especially in the press. Frankly we are all sick of him using the Hilton name every chance he gets to plug his lame show. It is enough already,” she wrote of Umansky.
PEOPLE confirmed that Umansky and Richards separated after 27 years of marriage in July 2023. Days later, Netflix confirmed to PEOPLE that “Kyle will indeed appear in Buying Beverly Hills season 2.”
Buying Beverly Hills season 2 premieres March 22 on Netflix.