Kyle Richards Talks Almost Quitting RHOBH, Sister Relationship (Excl)

Kyle Richards is showing off her 10 tattoos. It’s the first day of October, and she’s just sat down in the spacious living room of her 10,000 square-foot Colonial-style Los Angeles home — which is decked out for Halloween with pumpkins and autumnal decor — to talk to Us Weekly about being crowned Reality Star of the Year when she offers a look at her latest ink, two delicate butterflies on her chest.

“After I got it, I said to the tattoo artist, ‘I can’t believe I did that. That was really brave of me,’” Richards, 55, recalls, adding that she’s already planning what she’ll get next. The star — who split from her husband of 27 years, Mauricio Umansky, in 2023 — has clearly entered her unbothered era. “I don’t care what anybody thinks anymore. I’m going to do what I want. It feels really good!”

During her 14 years on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (she’s the last woman standing from the original cast and one of the longest-running Housewives on Bravo!), Richards has shared her life with viewers. That includes the good (she’s a doting mom to daughters Farrah, 35, Alexia, 28, Sophia, 24, and Portia, 16), the bad (battles with costars and her separation from Umansky) and the ugly as she and her sisters, Kim Richards and Kathy Hilton, feuded on and off the show. (Kim, who left RHOBH after five seasons in 2015 and has talked publicly about her struggles with alcohol, was said to have relapsed in late September. She and Richards are reportedly not currently on speaking terms.)

Somehow, the fun and candid star still manages to surprise us. In the wake of her split from Umanksy, fans began speculating about her sexuality because of her friendship with country singer Morgan Wade. She’s made an art form of stirring the pot and acting completely shocked when all hell breaks loose, and she always keeps us wanting more. The upcoming 14th season of RHOBH — set to air later this year — promises just that as Richards navigates her separation from Umansky and has an epic onscreen meltdown in which she threatens to quit the show.

Here, the busy star — she’s currently starring in the LGBTQ+ Christmas movie The Holiday Exchange (available on Prime Video) and the rom-com Beautiful Wedding (available on Hulu) and is producing two new one-hour TV dramas and a docuseries with Reese Witherspoon — talks about her enduring appeal, her most iconic Housewives moments and her newfound sense of liberation. “As time has gone on, I’m more comfortable exposing the parts of me that people maybe didn’t know about,” she says. “It’s freeing.”

Congrats on being named Reality Star of the Year! How does it feel?

You sort of have mixed feelings because, obviously, I appreciate it, and on the other, it’s like, “Things must be really wild and crazy for me to be on the cover.” I don’t think you get named Reality Star of the Year without going through a lot of S—.

Why do you think you resonate with fans so much?

I think people appreciate that I’m my authentic self, even if I upset [them] with my opinions or actions. At the end of the day, I know I’m being myself.

How have you evolved since season 1?

I’m a very different person than I was 14 years ago. I was raised not to talk about or share certain things, so I came into the show with that mentality. It took me a long time to get to this place, but it’s been therapeutic. I’m sharing more than I would’ve felt comfortable [with] a year or two years ago.

What sparked that?

When I lost my best friend Lorene to suicide [in 2022], I was also going through a hard time with my husband, and my sister Kathy and I weren’t speaking. I had to let go of so many things and just rip the Band-Aid off. I felt very exposed and raw, but then I thought, “Well, this isn’t so bad. Talking about these things is actually making me feel better.” RHOBH premiered in 2010.

How has the show changed?

It was such a different time. I had a Blackberry back then — that’s how you know the show is old! We’d be doing an interview, and they’d say, “How much did this cost?” and “How much did you spend on this party?” [That] was so weird for me.

Did you have any trepidation about signing on?

I didn’t want to do it because I’m an actress. But it kept coming up, and Portia was little, so I was like, “I can just hang out with my kids, and they can follow me around.” I was very naive.

Did you have any idea it would become this iconic series?

[While filming] I kept going up to our showrunner and saying, “Is this a good show? Do people want to watch this?” And he said, “Oh yeah.” I didn’t get it. And now here we are.

Why do you think fans love it so much?

People thought Beverly Hills was going to be the most phony franchise, but we were dealing with the suicide of Taylor Armstrong’s husband, my sister Kim’s issues and Camille Grammar and her divorce. We were so real. Then Beverly Hills is a brand in itself. People hadn’t seen homes like that. I remember Bethenny Frankel calling me, saying, “Oh, my God, these homes.”

Do you have any boundaries regarding what they can’t film?

There are a few things I don’t allow, believe it or not! Showering, sitting on the toilet and sex [Laughs] … these are things I’d like to keep off camera.

When you look back, do you regret showing anything?

I may have had some drunk moments, but I feel like we probably won’t be seeing those again for a while. I haven’t been drinking for two years and three months now. You’ll see a split here and there — without the margarita!

You weren’t sure you were going to return for season 14. How come?

These last two years have been the most difficult of my life and I didn’t want to put myself through the scrutiny. I didn’t feel supported by a lot of the cast, so I felt like I wanted to disappear for a while.

Why the change of heart?

We have a lot of fun times, too, and the producers are family to me at this point, so I knew that would be another loss for me. My husband was just about to move out.

What’s it been like since Mauricio left?

I knew the day was coming, but when it happens, it’s like, “Oh, my God, this is real.” I was so emotional after he and Alexia both moved out. When you’re a married mom of four, the house is chaotic. So it felt so different. Thank God I still have two daughters at home.

Are you lonely?

Portia [and] Sophia are out a lot. Sometimes I’m like, “Wow, I didn’t expect this day to come so soon.” It is sad for me. I’m here alone with six dogs. Am I a crazy dog lady? Maybe!

At least you have the dogs!

It’s like having six husbands. It’s a lot of work! But they make me laugh and make me feel safe. They sleep in my room. One sprawls across [me], and I end up sleeping in a split because I want to accommodate her.

You and Mauricio appear to be on good terms.

I don’t know what the future holds right now with Mauricio and me. We love each other. So that part is easy. What’s not easy is figuring out what’s next. We’re not divorced; he doesn’t live here, but we’re still figuring things out. On the show, people felt they were owed answers and thought I was withholding stuff — but I’m figuring it out myself.

Will we get more insight next season?

Mau shot with me quite a bit. He’ll come over for dinner and it’s like nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. The best way I can put it is that we’re family. It’s easy for us to get along because we never fought. That was not an issue in our marriage; there’s so much love there.

What’s it like filming with him?

Shooting scenes after he moved out was very difficult. We were catching up in front of the cameras, so emotions were raw. He would check on me, and I was just a mess sometimes.

Do you consider yourself single?

No, I don’t think of myself like that.

There’s been continued speculation about a secret relationship between you and Morgan. What’s that been like?

She was not used to being in the public eye, so I felt bad she was going through that. It’s quieted down for sure, but I was at a music festival where she was playing, and it was like, “Oh, my God, Kyle’s backstage!” They get excited. I tune it out.

How do you handle public scrutiny?

I’ve been called so many names. People weigh in on arguments on the show even though they don’t know the backstory. People have speculated about my marriage and my sexuality. I let most of it go, but sometimes you’re like, “Come on. Give me a break.”

Are there any misconceptions you want to clear up?

I don’t care to anymore. That also went out the window. You’re free to think what you want about me.

In the teaser for season 14, you threaten to quit the show. What happened?

I had a meltdown. My first in 14 years. I was like, I don’t think I can physically do this anymore. I walked off the set and didn’t shoot the next day. I was at my breaking point. I have so much on my plate, and some of the women just push.

But you were able to continue…

I needed that break. I think they saw [I was] really struggling and were reaching out to me. They actually helped me get through the rest of the season.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve been through during filming?

The stuff with my sisters. My family comes with some drama. Being on TV, you don’t have the luxury of choosing what you show. The stuff with my marriage was hard enough to go through without cameras. At the time, my husband was not prepared to share anything, so it came off strange and that was hard. When I started talking more openly about it, I felt a lot better.

Did it force you to confront some things you’d been avoiding?

[Filming] was like therapy. Alexia told me she felt like that as well. We had to [face] all these things we didn’t want to deal with or talk about.

You and both of your sisters have had a lot of ups and downs.

It seems like there’s always someone on the outs, but at the end of the day, we all love each other.

How do you support them when they’re going through challenges?

It’s not an easy answer because there’s so much going on there. It can be difficult. Depending on what that person’s going through, it weighs heavily on the whole family.

You outed yourself as the mystery Housewife Reese Witherspoon mentioned she’s working with. Tell Us more!

I was working on a project, and I met with her production company, Hello Sunshine, and they loved it, so I teamed up with them. [Reese and I later] sat across from each other [on a flight], but I didn’t know it was her because she had a mask on. When we got outside, I was like, “Oh, it’s Reese Witherspoon. Hi, it’s Kyle.” She was very sweet.

How does it feel to have celeb fans?

Sometimes I’m shocked at who the fans are and who follows me on Instagram. Hearing Jennifer Lawrence say she loves you, you’re like, “I didn’t know she knew who I was!”

What’s next for you?

I can go do whatever I want now, which is great and exciting — and sometimes a little strange. I want to focus on my daughters and my work projects. The end goal is to be happy and at peace.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Surrounded by a lot of dogs. I probably wouldn’t be living in L.A. full-time; I’d be in the mountains where there’s more nature — and not so much chaos!

For more on Kyle, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.