Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton’s Feud Started Long Before the ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
The feud between Kyle Richards and her sister Kathy Hilton goes far beyond their on-screen drama on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Long before they became part of the show, the RHOBH stars experienced a complete breakdown of their relationship, with both of them refusing to speak to one another and making a conscious effort to avoid any interaction.
While their drama has reached new heights in recent years, here’s how the feud between Kyle and Kathy actually started.
Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton had a falling out because of their spouses
The primary source of the decade-long feud between Kyle and Kathy can be attributed to the longstanding animosity between their spouses. In 2010, which was also the year the RHOBH first premiered, Rick Hilton, Kathy’s husband, declined to promote Mauricio Umansky, Kyle’s husband, to partner status at his real estate company, the same one that manages the renowned Hilton hotels.
In response, Mauricio created his own property management company, which quickly achieved success. The drama heated up after Mauricio reportedly started to hire agents that originally worked with Rick.
The feud between the husbands spilled over to Kyle and Kathy. While Kyle was developing a television show about her childhood, Kathy expressed her disapproval of the project, and the situation escalated to the point where legal notices were exchanged between the siblings.
At the time, Kathy wanted nothing to do with RHOBH, something that changed in recent years as the sisters tried their best to bury the hatchet.
‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ stars attempt to mend their broken relationship
The arrival of Kathy on the cast of RHOBH in season 11 gave fans a glimmer of hope that the strained relationship between the sisters would get better.
In an episode from season 11, Kyle explained how she never meant to offend Kathy when she created her own show. Instead, she had hoped to pay tribute to their mother, Kathleen Richards, who died in 2002.
While season 11 saw some attempts at repairing their relationship, Kyle and Kathy seemed to slip back into their old habits once season 12 arrived. Things got really heated during the cast trip to Aspen, Colorado.
Unfortunately, whatever went down between the two was not caught on camera, though Kathy later admitted to saying some things about her sister that she probably shouldn’t have.
Kathy apologized for her actions at the time, but that didn’t mend her relationship with Kathy.
Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton’s feud was rekindled in season 12
The fight between Kyle and Kathy during the Aspen trip started after RHOBH star Lisa Rinna asked for a shot of tequila that wasn’t Kathy’s invested brand, Casa Del Sol.
Kathy was very unhappy about the situation and became even more irate that Kyle didn’t say something to Lisa about it. Kyle later told the cameras that it is very difficult to talk sense into her sister once she becomes angry.
“Once Kathy is mad, it’s hard to turn that around,” Kyle shared. “Listen, Kathy can be so much fun and funny. She can also be very difficult. The part that bothers me so much is how much I let it affect me. That’s where it’s different with friends versus sisters.”
It is difficult to say where things stand between Kathy and Kyle following their disastrous season 12. Reports have surfaced that the two have not spoken to each other in months, though that will undoubtedly change as filming for season 13 of RHOBH gets underway.
Fans can watch the drama continue to unfold when the new season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres later this year.
