Kyle Richards is not apologizing for the way she made her separation from Mauricio Umansky public news.
During part two of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13 reunion on Wednesday, Dorit Kemsley confessed that Kyle’s secrecy about her relationship had “really hurt me” while opening up about her own marital issues with her husband Paul “PK” Kemsley.
“After [last year’s] reunion, Kyle and I hadn’t spoken in a good couple of months,” she recalled to host Andy Cohen. “I was going through my own things. But when I see her Instagram and there’s no pictures of Mo, I knew something was going on. But being her friend and not knowing it felt a bit strange.”
Kyle, 55, responded to her claims and explained that she thought Dorit, 47, would have called and asked if she had suspected there were problems between her and Mauricio. When Dorit accused Kyle of avoiding her, Kyle shared that she had a tendency to pull away from others during tough trials in her life.
“My entire adult life, I have been married,” the Halloween actress continued. “And it’s really, really difficult and it’s really painful and, you know, we were trying to keep a brave face still for our kids at home. I wasn’t ready and I don’t want to feel like I should be in trouble for that.”
“I’m figuring it out every day,” she added.
In July 2023, a source close to Kyle and Mauricio told PEOPLE that the couple had chosen to separate after 27 years of marriage.
“Kyle and Mauricio have been separated for a while now but are still living under the same roof,” the insider said at the time. “They remain amicable as they figure out what’s next for them and their family.”
The duo met at a nightclub in 1994. At the time, Kyle was divorced from her first husband Guraish Aldjufrie, with whom she had daughter Farrah Brittany (née Aldjufrie). After getting engaged later that year, the couple tied the knot in January 1996 and went on to welcome three daughters: Alexia, Sophia, and Portia.
When season 13 of RHOBH premiered in October, Kyle acknowledged that this latest round of filming was “challenging to say the least” in a candid post shared to Instagram.
“Tonight! Season 13 begins. 13 years… Here we go again. Each season always brings surprise twists and turns. This season more than ever,” she wrote at the time.
“I am normally one to isolate when I am struggling,” she admitted, “so navigating through this time in my life while cameras were rolling was challenging to say the least.”
“Ultimately, that has been what has kept me coming back year after year. That and my relationships with the people that make RHOBH. Cast and crew,” she added. “So, now it’s time to sit back and watch (and for me to relive these moments — good and bad).”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.