Kyle Richards came close to sitting out one of Bravo’s biggest events of the year. Before the premiere of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th, the RHOBH star told PEOPLE that agreeing was not a given.
“It was not an immediate yes,” Kyle said. “I said, ‘Can you give me like two days?’ because I was exhausted from shooting Beverly Hills. You know what it’s like shooting two shows back-to-back, like Vicki just did.”
What changed her mind was the occasion itself. “But how could we not want to celebrate 20 years? When we started this, people were like, ‘Is reality television even going to be around for long?’ And look at this. That’s something to really celebrate.”
Kyle took a road trip across the country with Lisa Barlow, Porsha Williams, Gizelle Bryant, Vicki Gunvalson, Luann de Lesseps, and Teresa Giudice. Past and present costars joined them for the franchise’s anniversary.
The Franchise That Shocked Her Most
Kyle went in expecting the usual suspects to bring drama. What she witnessed instead made her grateful for her own show.
“I was so happy and love all these women so much on the main cast,” she said. “But then, obviously on Beverly Hills we fight, we have problems, but on RHUGT I’m like, ‘Wow, this is kind of making me appreciate Beverly Hills. I cannot believe what I’m seeing right now!’”
Gizelle, during the interview, called out Real Housewives of Orange County. Meanwhile, Kyle mentioned Real Housewives of Salt Lake City as the group that surprised her. “It was crazy,” Kyle said.
Porsha explained the surprising pattern. The visiting casts, not the host cities, tended to cause the chaos. “When we were in each city, you would assume, ‘Okay, well, the Atlanta girls are going to act up,’ or the Miami girls. It would be the other cities that were visiting us that showed out.”
The Girls’ Trip Gang Mentality
Porsha shared how the main cast became a close-knit team. They always supported each other, no matter the situation.
“If it involved any of us, I don’t know if it’s because we’re on the girls’ trip together, but I was very protective of us,” she said. “Like I rode for Lisa. I’m like, ‘Listen, look, I don’t care what you say she did to you. She’s our friend, and we love her.’ We rode like a little gang.”
Lisa Barlow says a cast member confronted her about issues they thought were resolved at the reunion. Loyalty clearly shifts fast when everyone is trapped on the same road trip.
The Monte Carlo Twist
While Kyle worked on the anniversary season, news about her personal life came out. In a video obtained by TMZ, her estranged husband Mauricio Umansky was spotted kissing an unidentified woman on a floating dock in Monte Carlo.
For context, Kyle and Mauricio have been separated since July 2023, though neither has filed for divorce. Their relationship status has been unclear for two years. That’s why a video like this sparks discussion each time.
The timing is its own storyline. Kyle steps out to celebrate 20 years of the franchise that made her famous. At the same time, news shows her estranged husband with someone else overseas. She has spent recent posts talking about facing hard times with a new calmness. This is the kind of moment that tends to test it.
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