Kyle Richards is shutting down rumors that she is fabricating issues with her estranged husband, Mauricio Umansky, in order to create drama for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
During a recent appearance on the podcast Bravo’s Hot Mic, Richards, 54, talked with host Alex Raskin and addressed hate from those who have speculated she is making up marital problems for “relevance.”
“What human being would create a story like this for?” the Real Housewife asked.
“No offense, Alex. I love you and everybody with the show. But who would do that for ratings? Put their family through this,” she continued.
Richards and Umansky, 53, announced their separation over the summer but the pair maintains that they are not getting divorced, which has led to some questioning the legitimacy of their status. In the face of those rumors, Richards is doubling down on her statement that their separation is real, calling the “fabrication” angle “the dumbest thing.”
“That is one of the dumbest things I’ve maybe ever heard in these 13 years,” she told Raskin. “I’m going to pretend that I’m separated and torture my children so that people tune in? I mean, it’s just the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
The mom of three — who has been on RHOBH for 13 seasons — went on to say that the insinuation she is trying to stay “relevant” makes no sense to her as a longtime cast member and someone who does not care about what certain people think.
“I care about being relevant to my friends and family. Yes, I’m on television but I’m good,” Richards said. “I’m not looking to be more relevant. I’m good. And I would never put my family through this, ever, for … I almost said it was a dumb TV show, sorry!”
Earlier in November, Richards had to backtrack after inadvertently saying she and Umansky were getting divorced while speaking to reporters on the carpet at BravoCon, which she stressed was not the case.
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“I misspoke on the carpet today. Two times I had to correct someone when they said ‘divorce.’ I said, ‘separated’ and then I went and said it, and then it went everywhere,” Richards told Andy Cohen during a special episode of Watch What Happens Live. “So that was my bad.”
Over that same weekend, Richards also spoke with ET and said that while they may not be together anymore, she considers their marriage a success and their relationship to be “amicable.”
“All I know is we love each other. We still live under the same roof and we both want the best for each other,” Richards said. “I am so happy that it is amicable right now and I hope it stays that way,” noting that she and Umansky are “just taking it a day at a time and putting our family first.”
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