Us Weekly
Kyle Richards Defends Her Time on Bravo While Addressing Bethenny Frankel’s ‘Reality Reckoning’
Kyle Richards has heard about Bethenny Frankel‘s reality show reckoning — however, she has nothing but praise for Bravo.
“Obviously I know there’s certain things people think about reality television. It has its downside [and] has its upside,” Kyle, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly at BravoCon on Saturday, November 4. “My personal experience has been very good in spite of everything.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star credited the network for her professional success, adding, “I wouldn’t be here for 13 years if it wasn’t [a good experience]. And anything that I’ve done in these 13 years is something I chose to do and I only have myself to blame or answer to. So that’s my take.”
Kyle’s insight comes after her friend Bethenny, 53, made headlines for speaking out about her issues with the reality TV industry. After the WGA and SAG-AFTRA went on strike earlier this summer, Bethenny reflected on the challenges she faced as a TV personality.
“We’ve always been the losers. During the last writers strike, we were providing all the entertainment, and that’s really when the gold rush of reality TV started,” Frankel said in a July Instagram video. “I have never made a single residual. So either I’m missing something or we’re getting screwed too.”
Bethenny, who appeared on eight seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City, continues to push for changes such as unionizing reality TV and receiving residuals. Her demands, however, have not been met with support by everyone in the industry.
“I can tell you with great certainty that everyone at Bravo likely despises me, including Andy Cohen, because it’s very personal and because they have to protect the realm,” Frankel shared on an August episode of Rob Lowe’s “Literally!” podcast. “It’s a very complicated thing I walked myself into whilst also burning bridges and seeming like I’m biting the hand that fed me, but I fed myself. There are a lot of people who didn’t get fed.”
Bravo has not publicly addressed Bethenny’s comments about her time at the network. Amid the drama, Vanity Fair published an exposé with interviews from various Housewives who detailed their negative experiences at Bravo.
Kyle, for her part, has “not read” the article yet. “I’ve had so much going on in my personal life. I’m just trying to stay afloat,” the reality star, who is going through a public split from husband Mauricio Umansky, told Us on Saturday. “I actually only know a little bit about [Bethenny’s reality reckoning], to be honest. I haven’t done the deep dive on that.”
Kyle Richards Says ‘RHOBH’ Fights With Her Sisters ‘Did Prepare Me’ for Mauricio Umansky Drama
Kyle Richards has been going through a “challenging” time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills amid her separation from Mauricio Umansky — but it’s nothing compared to her past on the show.
“Obviously, having disagreements with my sisters [Kim Richards and Kathy Hilton] on camera has been very challenging,” Kyle, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly at BravoCon on Saturday, November 4. “It’s funny because where I was at in my life then, it was so difficult for me … to have my life out in front of the cameras and sharing it with the world, where now I have 13 years under my belt and it’s easier, but I’m going through something very different [and] what my husband and I are going through.”
Us confirmed in July that Kyle and Mauricio, 53, were going through a rough patch after two decades of marriage. Mauricio — who shares three daughters with Kyle and is stepfather to her eldest daughter, Farrah, from a past relationship — later announced in September that the pair are currently separated but still live in the same house. Their relationship struggles are currently playing out on season 13 of RHOBH.
“It’s very challenging for all of us to be in the spotlight during this time. So I mean, I guess [those fights with my sisters] did prepare me a lot going through what I’ve gone through, but it’s still crazy,” Kyle told Us during the three-day convention in Las Vegas. “I have so many people that don’t know us weighing in on our relationship and people saying things like, ‘Don’t do this, You’re going to regret it.’ I’m like, ‘Do you think I wanted this? Do you think that this was my fairy tale?’ Think about what you’re saying to me.”
As Kyle and Mauricio work through their relationship, rumors have continued to swirl about what went wrong and where they stand.
“The rumors? I don’t even care anymore, honestly. We look at these things and we’re like, ‘We don’t care about the rumors,’” Kyle said on Saturday. “I do get a lot of messages of support from people, but then I get the, ‘What are you thinking?’ I’m like, this is not, like, I just went one day, ‘Eh, bye, I’m bored.’ So it is hard when people say, ‘You’ve crushed our dreams, we’ve followed you all these years. True love doesn’t exist.’”
The reality TV star added: “I’ve got to worry about my family, and now I’m thinking about strangers that are sad. I appreciate that they care that much, but it’s hard.”