Kyle Richards Gets Candid About Female Friendships, On-Screen Drama and What It Takes to Be the OG Housewife

If you are a true lover of reality television, you are sure to watch the Real Housewives franchise, especially the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Bringing us some bedazzling glam, the best of fashion, jaw-dropping drama and fabulous locations, the ladies from Beverly Hills sure do keep us entertained, and the one Housewife who knows how to bring it all is Kyle Richards. 

Kyle Richards (left) with co-star Erika Jayne

Charming, warm and effortlessly pleasant, Kyle puts you at ease from the moment you meet. Immaculately put together, she constantly has a smile on her face and comes across exactly as fun and sassy as the woman we have been watching on the show for 12 seasons. So what makes the OG housewife tick? Cosmo India sat down for an intimate chat with the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star to talk about all the drama that takes place, the hot reveals headed our way and the secret to forming lasting bonds of female friendship in the midst of filming a reality television show.  

Cosmo India: You are the OG Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. What is your secret for lasting 12 seasons on the show, while others came and went? 
Kyle: I think someone authentic makes a great Real Housewife. It’s OK to be flawed, it’s OK to make mistakes. But if you’re being genuine, you can live with yourself. The moments I regret the most were when I wasn’t being myself. I have learnt to be true to myself no matter what happens. I think other women have come and gone because they weren’t genuine. They either wanted to project themselves as a certain person, or they wanted to be liked, and the fans can see through that. You can’t be on a reality show and not be real. I still make mistakes – trust me – but if you do screw up, at least you can live with yourself because you were being genuine.

Cosmo India: How real are the bonds your formed with the women on the show?
Kyle: They are absolutely real! When I did Ultimate Girls Trip I realised that the ladies on the other franchises don’t have the relationships that the women that Beverly Hills has. I learned this firsthand from the Atlanta women, the New Jersey women and the New York women. They always feel like someone from the show is coming for them or trying to stab them in the back. But in Beverly Hills, we really do deal with the issues that come up on the show, and even though we might fight, we are really there for each other, and we support each other. I don’t think there is such a close bond amongst the cast members of any of the other franchises.

Cosmo India: Who are your 3 closest friends on the show? 
Kyle Richards: I don’t think I can say just three! Teddi Mellencamp is one of my closest friends. If I could bring any housewife back, it would be her because I had so much fun with her on the show and I love being with her. Teddi is an incredible person and an incredible friend and I think she is actually a great Housewife. My husband and I are really close with Dorit and PK. Teddi, Dorit and I all live close to each other so we’re always catching up together. I’m really close to Sutton as well. We’re like sisters— we argue and then we make up.  I call her on most days and we speak for an hour or so. I’m also close with Lisa Rinna, Erika and Garcelle.  As I said, we have our ups and downs but in the end, we are all there for each other.

Sutton Staecke, Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley 

Cosmo India: The one person you could not connect with at all?
Kyle Richards: There’s been a couple. We can’t always get on with everyone, and some people you just don’t click with. But I don’t want to take any names.

Cosmo India: Who is the nicest housewife? 
Kyle Richards: I don’t think I can choose just one. I love Teddi Mellencamp for all the reasons I’ve already given. She has her own podcast now, and it’s so funny because all the current cast still turns to her to find out her take on all the drama. She can analyze every single person, and she's so great at it. And it's just so funny how we all turn to her to give us her input.

Cosmo India: Who has the best sense of style? 
Kyle Richards: I can appreciate how everyone dresses and it suits them well, but I would never wear any of it because it’s not my style. If I had to choose one person it would have to be Dorit. She knows how to put an outfit together, and her wardrobe is amazing.  

Cosmo India: Do you watch any of the other RH shows?
Kyle: I have, especially at the start of the pandemic when we were all at home. But what was interesting was that when I joined the cast of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, the people I met were all different from what I expected them to be, based on what I had seen on TV. I made some good friends from that show. In fact, I just caught up with Kenya from The Real Housewives of Atlanta in Paris recently.  It was so much fun!

Cosmo India: Are you a big fan of reality television? What kind of entertainment do you like?
Kyle: I am actually a big reader. I love to read. I love thrillers and true crime. I’m in my happy place when I’m reading a good book or listening to a podcast alone in my car.  

Kyle with her sister Kathy Hilton at the Season 11 Reunion

Cosmo India: What is the craziest thing anyone has ever done on the show? 
Kyle: Oh my gosh, that’s a hard one! There are far too many crazy things each season to name only one. 

Cosmo India: The 3 most coveted items in your fashion closet RN?
Kyle: I adore handbags, power-shoulder dresses and jewellery!  But in reality, my style is extremely casual. I will always love good jeans, sneakers and sweaters. And kaftans – people make fun of my kaftans, but I think they’re really chic and remind me of being on holiday.  

Cosmo India: What is the best trip you have ever taken with the Housewives and why? 
Kyle: Our trip to Provence. We laughed and laughed the whole time we were there and just had the best time. We had so much fun on that trip, it was beautiful. 

Cosmo India: Any hot secret you can reveal about the ongoing season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? 

Kyle: This season there is a lot of drama. I clashed with people that I care about, and there was something going on with some of the girls – I had a big fight with one of them and she left my house.  I think the viewers will like it a lot.  Whenever I say it’s a great season, it’s not great for us, it’s great for the viewers. So, make sure you watch on Hayu to find out!

Cosmo India: What are your plans for the future?

Kyle: My next film, Halloween Ends, comes out in October, which is really exciting, and I’m producing a one-hour drama for TV as well. My next goal is to produce a movie, so I’m manifesting that right now!