Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards is opening up about a lot in what is arguably her most revealing interview yet.
Kyle, 42, gave a candid interview to NYMag this week during which she touched on a lot of issues. For starters, Kyle reveals she is undecided about doing a second season, while also revealing that many times, she wishes she “hadn’t gone on the show.”
The interview gets better as when asked if she works, Kyle answers that the show is her job. Kyle goes on to deny being angry or being a bully, and discusses the status of her relationship with sister Kim Richards. “The show has taught me to handle her in a different way,” reveals Kyle.
The highlight of the interview however is when Kyle throws Taylor under the bus distances herself from costar Taylor Armstrong, who appeared to be her BFF on the show. “We’re friends. I mean, we’re not best friends. I think our relationship was made to seem bigger on the show. I’m friendly with her,” said Kyle of Taylor. Wowzers, guessing all the hand holding on the show was simply all for show? Excerpts from Kyle’s interview below –
What was with that medium? Do you think there was any truth to what the medium said about your marriage?
No. Even Camille will tell you she believes the medium was picking up on Camille. I’d never met that medium before, and I really don’t know why she was so angry. In her defense, the medium — I have done a reading with a friend and they were asking me all these questions that were all about my friend’s life. So, later, watching the show and knowing what we know now, it actually makes sense, she was picking up on Camille’s marriage. Even Camille said she thinks she was picking up on her life.
So you don’t think you’re an angry person?
I am not an angry person. Anyone who knows me knows I am not an angry person. I’m a very happy person. Everyone handles stress differently. Later, me and Camille were laughing about it. That look in her eyes, and her chest was all red — that’s how she handled it. Me, I had this look of, like, I was trying to be calm, and it comes off angry. I was angry at times, but I’m not a mean person. But it definitely looked like that. I saw that and even I was surprised by that.
How are things with Kim?
Kim and I are good now. It took a while, but we’re happy. That was the worst. We’re in a good place. We’ve put it behind us and we’re moving forward. We had a very rough time though … We didn’t talk for a while. I can’t remember how long, it felt like forever, but it was maybe six weeks. It was after we finished shooting. It was very difficult. We both needed to heal and discuss the things that had happened, off-camera. There were other things that led up to that moment. So it was a very difficult time. And it was difficult having that play out on television, because the viewers don’t judge you by your lifetime of history together. It looks like just a moment.
Are you kinder to her now?
Well I definitely feel that the show has taught me to handle her in a different way. She comes across as very meek and reserved on the show, but she’s really not. She has a very strong personality as well, and you don’t always see that on the show. Well, you didn’t see that on the show. So I think that it’s taught me that what I was doing [with Kim] wasn’t working. Now I don’t try to step in as much, and I let her be who she is. That’s one thing I learned from all this.
How did the rest of your family — Kathy, Paris, Nicky, and Rick — react to you and Kim fighting on the show?
When we first decided to do the show, we were all skeptical, but then we thought, Okay, it’ll be fun. Kathy said, “Don’t use any bad words!” And I was like, “Oops. Did that on the first episode.” But I promised her I was not going to use bad words, that I was not going to be like that. I swore. But obviously … Everybody was excited and they enjoyed watching the show, but of course the final episode was very upsetting for the whole family. That was very difficult for everyone to watch. We’d mended wounds already and moved forward, and then it was like, “Here it comes again, rearing its ugly head.”
Why didn’t they show up for your daughter’s graduation?
You know, I was disappointed that they weren’t there, but what can I say? They had business to do and they had to go. I was disappointed, but I know they were proud of her.
Would you do the show again now, knowing how it played out?
Many times, lately, I feel that I wish that I hadn’t gone on the show. There were a lot of fun times, though. My sister and I had a lot of fun together, too, believe it or not. They didn’t show everything. They only show whatever they choose to use, but we had a lot of fun filming. Unfortunately, the way it ended left me with a very sad feeling inside. I think some aspects of the show were really toxic and negative and it’s been very difficult. You bring that home, and then my husband says, “I don’t like to see you feeling down.” So sometimes I wish I really hadn’t done this, and sometimes I just think I’m going through a hard time and I’ll be okay.
Do you work?
Other than the show, you mean? This is what I’m talking about — people don’t think that the show is a job! It takes up just as much time as if you were filming a regular TV show. You’re filming every day, and I thought, Three months and then it’s done. But then you’re traveling and you’re doing press. You’re blogging. I did not realize it was going to be so time-consuming.
Are you going to do a second season?
I don’t know yet, to be honest. Once they announce it, I’ll decide, but I don’t know if I have it in me again. It’s been very emotionally draining. Until they announce it, I’m going to discuss it with my husband and my children and see how they feel, and if they’re on board, and I think I can handle it again, then yes I would. But if it’s brought about too much drama and problems in our lives, then we’ll probably just leave this behind us and move on.
So Taylor, apparently, lied about her name, and lied about Adrienne being her daughter’s godmother.
I didn’t know Taylor before the show. I know she said her name was Shanna, so I’m confused about her name. Maybe Taylor is her last name? I’m not sure why she changed her name. And with the godmother situation, I guess they discussed that off-camera. I think she told me they discussed it before the reunion and she asked, but Adrienne thought it would be better if it was a family member.
Is Taylor a pathological liar?
Not that I’ve seen? I don’t know. We’re friends. I mean, we’re not best friends. I think our relationship was made to seem bigger on the show. I’m friendly with her. We got to know each other during filming. She was always very nice to me.
In the few years of doing this blog, I’ve never made mention of what I’m about to say here but this interview is without a doubt the best interview I’ve seen in a very long while. The reporter did an excellent job in asking all the right questions. A great in-depth interview. You can read the rest here at NYMag.com.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KYLE’S INTERVIEW AND HER COMMENTS ABOUT TAYLOR?
