For 13 dramatic years, Kyle Richards has been the voice of reason on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Somehow, even as her castmates got embroiled in "Hell Dinner," the return of the bunny in the Season 7 reunion, and puppy-gate, Richards not only remained innocent, but also likable.
In fact, Richards' level-headedness, combined with her ability to laugh off Rob Herr 's ridiculous comments, has earned her a spot in the Real Housewives Hall of Fame. She's rumored to be Andy Cohen's favorite, and she's even been canonized in the most iconic of ways: as a meme. (A meme in which she and a fellow actor appeared to tearfully berate a cat is a mainstay of the internet—Richards even heard someone ask, "Is this the girl in the cat meme?")
But even the most beloved housewives can't stay completely out of it. "RHOBH" revealed deep-rooted issues between Richards and her sisters, Kathy Hilton and Kim Richards, who both spent time on the show. It’s safe to say there were a lot of fights and tears.
"You know, it's not nice when they do a split screen with your sister," Richards tells Bustle. "The two hardest reunions were with my sister Kim in Season 5 and with my sister Kathy in Season 12. They were really emotional."
Viewers also witnessed Richards' breakup from her former best friend, Lisa Vanderpump (which was punctuated by a "Bye, Kyle" from Vanderpump's husband). Soon, fans may get to see her address those cheating rumors and her reported separation from husband Mauricio Umanski — an incident that prompted cameras to return in July after wrapping up a week ago Start shooting.
Meanwhile, RHOBH Season 13 is off to a great start, and Richards has more than a decade of Housewives to reflect on. Below, she talks hot mic moments, her beauty secrets, and her most listened-to Housewives songs.
You always have the best hair on TV. How do you keep it so long and luscious?
I always prioritize hair care, just like my skin. Over the past few years I started losing weight on it and for the first time in my life I damaged it and it was so annoying. That's why I'm excited to work with Nexxus - because I get to work on reversing the damage.
Also, when you are stressed you tend to lose your hair, this is the first time this has happened to me. Because my hair was always the center of attention, I panicked. If someone told you that you had beautiful blue eyes your whole life and suddenly they turned a different color, you would think, "Wait, what happened? What am I going to do?"
Besides shampoo and conditioner, what other hair care products do you use?
I use [Nexxus Unbreakable Care] Root Thickening Spray because I prefer the full, curly, sexy look of the '90s, and this helps make my hair look fuller.
What are your thoughts on injectables when it comes to skin?
Well, Botox is great. When I first started this show, no one was talking about it like they are now. I remember my husband didn’t even know I had Botox. Andy Cohen asked me - if you ask me anything, I'm a human being, I can't lie - so I answered, and then I realized I had to tell my husband that I had Botox. He said, "What? That's personal." It was a big show.
I don't like facial fillers. I have a square chin and a fuller face, so I don't think I need it. For some people, this might be great. I just think people are really fascinated by it.
Was there anything that surprised you when you first started filming the show?
If we walked into the bathroom or closed the door, I guess that was it - I didn't know they would point the camera at the door and listen to us talking in there. This happened in Season 1's "Hell's Dinner." This is new to me.
What do you think is the most played out storyline?
I can only think of one, and that's Lucy's dog story, whatever it is. Our show wasn't staged or staged, but I think that was brought to the table in order to have another [spinoff].
What’s your favorite Housewives song?
Oh, "It's Expensive to Be Me" by Erica. Her music is fun. Every time it sounds, I can't help but sing along. But when I was doing "Ultimate Girls Trip," I couldn't stop singing Luann [de Lesseps]'s song "Money Can't Buy You Class."
What do you remember about the Bravo audition tape?
So embarrassing. I sound like the biggest nerd ever. My executive producer is a good friend of mine and he loves [making fun of] it.
They asked, "What's something about you that would surprise us?" I said, "I read the newspaper from cover to cover every day." When I heard that, I was embarrassed.
What was your favorite part of the shoot?
I love that we travel with the girls. I know there's always going to be drama, there's always going to be something inevitable, but I got married at 18 and had a kid at 19 - I didn't go on girls' trips or do a lot of activities . It’s a normal part of growing up as a child star.
[Each time] I was naive and thought, "Maybe this time we just want to have fun." But we would sneak into each other's rooms, laugh, crawl into each other's beds, review the night, and be in our pajamas in the morning Wake up, drink coffee. This is interesting to me.
So, what’s your favorite trip?
It's easier for me to think of the least favorite one: Amsterdam. Just because of what happened, but it's a beautiful place. It was a disastrous trip. I think everyone gave up that night. The producers were freaking out – we were like, “We’re all done now.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity .
