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Kyle Richards is opening up about how she felt when she first learned Erika Jayne had filed for divorce from Thomas Girardi.
Following Erika’s confirmation on a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which was sent to the women in a text message, Kyle is speaking out about her shock and admitting that Erika’s legal drama was “very stressful” for the entire cast.
“When we got that text telling us what was going on with her and Tom, we were shocked because how do you spend that many days with someone and not even have a hint of something? I mean, how do you pull that off?” Kyle wondered during the June 12 episode of The Daily Dish podcast. “But that’s who Erika is.”
Throughout production on RHOBH season 11, Erika was continuously forced to address the shocking allegations made against her and her now-estranged husband, including claims that the two of them embezzled millions from orphans and widows in an effort to sustain their over-the-top lifestyle.
“Every single day, something was coming out, and it was unfolding in real-time while the cameras were rolling. I’m sure she probably wasn’t wishing she was on a reality show at that time, but that’s what was going on so she had to deal with it,” Kyle explained.
According to Kyle, seeing the many headlines against Erika and Thomas was difficult for the entire cast.
“[It was] hard as her friends and fellow cast members to navigate through because you’re reading all these headlines that are so upsetting and shocking. [It was] very stressful for everyone,” she shared, adding that she did her best to “support [her] friend.”
Also stressful for the cast was Sutton Stracke‘s meltdown in Lake Tahoe, which came after she engaged in a tense conversation about race with Crystal Kung-Minkoff and proceeded to shut her down as she attempted to explain her experience as an Asian-American.
Looking back on the drama, Kyle revealed Sutton “was not in the best place.”
“Sutton got very defensive and emotional and didn’t let Crystal finish the conversation, which led to them having an awkward relationship right out of the door. The two of them could not mesh,” Kyle stated.
Even though Sutton eventually apologized to Crystal for silencing her, the drama between them continued in Tahoe, and ultimately, Sutton suffered a meltdown after feeling as if she was on the outs with the entire cast.
“I was just thinking, ‘Pull it together. You’re making a fool of yourself right now and you’re going to regret this in the morning,’” Kyle said while looking back.
“Sutton, when she’s upset about something, it’s kind of hard to talk to her and get her to listen, which is why I was like, ‘Listen to me!’” Kyle added.
As for Kyle’s thoughts on the end of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which is in the midst of season 20, its final season, the mother-of-four shared how her longtime friend, Kris Jenner, is handling the news.
“She cried to me and said, ‘This crew is like my family,’” Kyle revealed. “[And] I so understand and relate to that. The crew on our show has been the same camera people, sound people since Portia was one, turning two in diapers. And now she’s in middle school. It’s hard to walk away from something. It becomes part of your routine.”
Also, during the interview, Kyle admitted she was a bit taken aback by how much of a hit her sister, Kathy Hilton, has become since joining RHOBH in a friend role.
“I knew people were going to think she was funny, but people are really, really loving her, and it’s great. It’s funny to wake up to the different memes,” she laughed.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 11 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.