Insider
Kyle Richards responds to 'mean-spirited' and 'unkind' criticism from Paris and Nicky Hilton about 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'
Kyle Richards rejected claims that "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" has lost its "light-heartedness."
"We do have so many laughs on the show," Richards told Insider in a new interview promoting her partnership with Jack in the Box.
Her nieces, Nicky Hilton and Paris Hilton, have each publicly criticized the Bravo reality series in recent weeks.
"I used to love the light-heartedness and escapism of the program," said Nicky about the Bravo reality series in an interview with E! News on October 16. "I feel like, recently, it's become a bit mean-spirited and negative."
Nicky's sister, Paris, dubbed the women's behavior on the show "so unkind" in a tweet on September 8.
—ParisHilton (@ParisHilton) September 8, 2022
"When I watch one of those shows, I want to laugh," Nicky told E! News. "I don't want to be sad. So, hopefully, they could be a little kinder."
Richards told Insider that the laughter is what keeps her returning to the cast.
"Obviously people always ask me, 'How do you hang in there all these years?' — 12 years for me — and what keeps me hanging in there is the laughter and the fun that we do have," Richards said.
Richards values "some of the relationships I have with these women on camera and off camera." Viewers of season 12 saw Richards laughing and shopping for customized cowboy hats with her fellow cast members including Crystal Minkoff, Lisa Rinna, Sutton Stracke, and Garcelle Beauvais.
It also saw her primping at themed costume parties and trying on lavish diamonds with Dorit Kemsley and Erika Jayne.
"I always prefer to have fun," she added.
"I know the audience loves drama, and some seasons are more dramatic than others," she continued.
Kathy Hilton, mom to Paris and Nicky and sister to Kyle, has been a huge part of that drama this season. The aftermath of the dramatic group trip to Aspen led to Rinna accusing Kathy, who's a friend of the show and not a main cast member, of threatening to destroy Richards and her family.
Richards has been forced to stop watching the series for the first time in her tenure as an original housewife. "For me, anything that causes anxiety, I don't want in my life," she continued.
She "had to take a step back" because of how much she was personally affected. "I just love being able to be with the girls and laugh and yes, we'll have drama," she continued. "I just hate to see it go to a dark side."
Richards said she copes with the stress the way many people without access to extravagant parties, giant diamonds, or private chefs do — through fast food.
"I like to get Jack in the Box tacos with extra hot sauce, I love the curly fries, and I have to have a Coke, so that's always my go-to automatically," she told Insider.
"I sometimes have to get four tacos because I just sometimes need to have a lot of them," the reality star said. She also praised the chain's seasonally available Monster Tacos, which are available until November 1.
Richards, who also stars in the film "Halloween Ends," has partnered with Jack in the Box to screen the legendary horror film "Carrie" and hand out as many tacos as possible to passersby at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery before the Monster Taco is laid to rest for the season.
"I'm very flattered that they came to me knowing how much I love the Jack in the Box tacos," said Richards, who's been posting on social media about her love of Jack in the Box for years.
'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Kyle Richards says she was 'floored' by Erika Jayne predicting Dorit Kemsley and her husband would split
Kyle Richards said she was shocked when Erika Jayne predicted Dorit Kemsley and Paul "PK" Kemsley would be the next couple on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" to divorce.
Jayne predicted that the couple would split on stage at BravoCon on October 16.
"I was actually floored by that comment," Richards told Insider in a recent interview promoting her partnership with Jack in the Box. "I don't even know where that came from."
Dorit and PK married in 2015. They have two children together — Jagger, 8, and Phoenix, 6 — and have each said on social media that Jayne's comments are not credible.
For her part, Richards, who along with her husband Mauricio Umansky spends a significant amount of time with the Kemsleys on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," doesn't think there's any trouble in her costar's marriage.
"Dorit and PK are close friends of ours, and we spent a lot of time with them and their family. They're a very loving and supportive couple, and I don't know where that came from at all," she told Insider.
The "Halloween Ends" star added that she was "blown away" by Jayne's comment.
Richards is excited to focus her attention on other projects outside of 'RHOBH'
Richards told Insider she is looking forward to balancing out the housewives drama by heading back to acting. "That'll be a good distraction," she said.
The OG housewife played Lindsey Wallace as a child star in the original "Halloween" film, before coming back years later for the reboots. She has starred in a number of other film and TV projects outside of the horror franchise, including "Little House on the Prairie," "Down to Earth," "ER," and "Days of Our Lives."
"Acting is my first love, my favorite thing to do. I'm going to be happy to be stepping away from reality during this break and focusing on my acting and producing," she continued.
Richards also produced "American Woman," a Paramount+ series based on her own childhood starring Alicia Silverstone that aired in 2018. "That heals me," she said.
She also finds comfort for herself and others in food. She has cooked her famous sloppy lasagna on screen at her La Quinta home in season 11 episode to soothe her castmates as they faced personal and legal struggles.
And when Richards wants low-maintenance stress relief, she takes a trip to her favorite fast-food chain, Jack in the Box.
"It's just when I want a treat. I'm really self-controlled with my eating and working out, so if I am going to do something like that and cheat, that's my go-to always," she said.
She partnered with the chain to share their limited edition Monster Taco with the public at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery before the seasonal menu item heads back to the grave on November 1.
Richards, a Los Angeles native who has posted herself eating from the chain for years, told Insider it's the perfect cheat meal. "I don't feel guilty about that at all. I don't. There are a lot worse things I could be eating," she said.