The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans were shocked in 2023 when it was reported that star Kyle Richards and her husband Mauricio Umanksy had split after 27 years of marriage.
This came after months of speculation and an exclusive report from PEOPLE. It appears the news went public before Kyle and Mauricio had time to address their split with their four daughters.
Kyle and Mauricio wed in 1996 and have four daughters: Alexia, Sophia, and Portia. Kyle has another daughter, Farrah, from a previous marriage, although she grew up considering Mauricio a father figure. The four girls have frequently appeared on RHOBH throughout the years and more recently starred on Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills.
Hours after the news broke of their split, the couple released a joint statement on social media denying that they planned to divorce despite having “a rough year.”
“The most challenging one of our marriage. But we both love and respect each other tremendously,” the post explained. The couple have split, with Mauricio moving out of the family home, but have yet to enter legal proceedings. “There has been no wrongdoing on anyone’s part. Although we are in the public eye, we ask to be able to work through our issues privately. While it may be entertaining to speculate, please do not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative.”
Production on the 13th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills had already wrapped when the news broke, but cameras soon returned to capture the fallout of Kyle and Mauricio's split. Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills was in the middle of shooting its second season when the break-up was reported.
How The Umansky Girls Felt About Their Parents' Split
While speaking during an Amazon Live in July 2023, Kyle Richards discussed how her daughters were "holding up" after finding out she was estranged from husband Mauricio Umansky.
| Kyle and Mauricio's Daughters | DOB |
| Farrah Brittany Aldjufrie | October 31, 1988 |
| Alexia Simone Umansky | June 18, 1996 |
| Sophia Kylie Umansky | Janaury18 2000 |
| Portia Umansky | March 1, 2008 |
"Listen, they know that we all love each other and they're old enough to understand that not everything is perfect all of the time and that's okay and no matter what they're loved," the Halloween actress shared.
Kyle and Mauricio's split didn't come as a shock to Alexia, who had seen how her parents' relationship had changed. She noted that although their marriage was "still very full of so much love," and without fighting, they were just not as affectionate together. The real estate agent added that her dad was too busy focusing on his real estate empire while Kyle was locked in "health mode."
But you know, they were both traveling a lot more and not being as affectionate with each other as much. And their schedules were just so opposite. I could tell that they weren’t each other’s priority anymore and they were just changing.
Kyle Richard's Daughters Learned About Her Separation From Mauricio Umansky From The Media
Kyle Richards in support of NAMI hosts A Night Of Music at The Fleur Room
Collider reported that Kyle Richards' daughter Alexia Umansky admitted she learned about her mom's split from husband Mauricio Umansky from the media.
Appearing on an episode of the Scrubbing In with Becca Tilley & Tanya Rad podcast, she explained that her family had never discussed the situation as a family and that she learned about her parent's separation from the news.
“The news of my parent's separation came out before we had ever talked about it as a family internally,” Alexia explained. “And then the cameras for Buying Beverly Hills were coming the very next day.”
The news being made to the public so early helped the Umansky family learn that they had brushed too many things under the rug. "That was the first conversation with sisters and just dad that we were like, we need to be doing this more. We feel out of the loop," she said. "We're learning things from TMZ, and it doesn't feel fair."
Kyle spoke on an Amazon Live, as reported by PEOPLE, about their personal news being leaked to the press before they could tell their children. "It’s weird to have to acknowledge to millions of strangers that you’re having problems," Kyle explained. "You know, it would be nice to be able to work through issues in your life without everybody watching and weighing in on it."
How Kyle Richards' Daughters Had To Address Their Parents' Split On Reality TV
Mauricio Umansky and his daughters were filming the second season of their now-cancelled reality TV show Buying Beverly Hills when they learned about the breakdown of their parent's 27-year marriage. The kids had been part of their mother's 15-year reality TV journey, so they were pros at dealing with personal struggles on camera. “What was filmed was two of the four big conversations we’ve had as a family,” Alexia explained in the podcast episode.
We had one conversation when the news came out, but my sister Farrah wasn’t there. So the next day when the cameras came, Farrah came and that was the first, full conversation as a family we had.
She continued, "So that was as real as it gets, as honest and open as it gets, which is so crazy."
- During a chat with Us Weekly, Alexia admitted that being in the public eye forced her sisters and parents to talk about their personal issues before they were ready.
“With everything going on in our family in the public eye, being on camera, you’re talking about things a little sooner than you’re ready,” she said. “Just naturally, that happens, and we really leaned into that experience.”
Sophia told the LA Times about the day the news broke about her parents' split and how the cameras arrived in Aspen two days later. "So we basically had that experience in one day where we all saw the article. And it was kind of shocking to all of us." She added that the girls only had a day to process the news before they had to figure out how to address it on camera.
Alexia and Sophia added that the cameras were already scheduled, so they could do nothing. Sophia explained that the girls had very little time to "process," before filming started on their reality show. While Sophia revealed, "We weren’t going to change everyone’s schedule [since] a lot of the rest of the cast [were] coming to meet us."
The girls defended their mother for keeping quiet on RHOBH about the breakdown of her marriage. Alexia told the outlet that it makes her "really sad and really mad for anyone coming after our mom for not sharing enough." They acknowledged how their mother was protecting her family from the world from forming opinions on her impending split, and wanted the family to be able to process the news internally.
Farrah added that as much as Kyle gave the Bravo show "as much as she can," the "show does not come no.1."
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Buying Beverly Hills
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2023
Cast
-
Mauricio Umansky - Alexia Umansky
- Melissa Platt
- Ben Belack
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming -
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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
- Release Date
- October 14, 2010
- Showrunner
- Andy Cohen
- Directors
- Rob Minkoff
- Writers
- Kyle Richards, Brandi Glanville, Lisa Vanderpump
- Franchise(s)
- The Real Housewives
Cast
-
Kyle Richards - Kim Richards
-
Denise Richards -
Brandi Glanville
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is a popular reality TV show that focuses on some of the wealthiest women in the United States who crave the lavish life of Beverly Hills. Series regulars include Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, and Camille Grammer. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has struck a chord with viewers since 2010, with people consistently tuning in to watch the show’s over-the-top drama
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