Heavy/Bravo Kyle Richards talks to her mother-in-law Estella Sneider.
Kyle Richards is getting some heat for stirring the pot with her husband Mauricio Umansky.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” couple’s marital problems have been a storyline on the 13th season of the Bravo reality show, and now fans are getting a bird’s eye view of what went on in their home when filming took place earlier this year.
In a scene shot in March 2023 during their daughter Portia’s 15th birthday celebration, Richards and Umansky butted heads – over tattoos. The scene filmed four months before the two released a joint statement confirming their separation. Umansky and Richards have been married since 1996.
Here’s what you need to know:
Viewers Criticized Kyle Richards For Telling Mauricio Umansky’s Mom That He Has a Tattoo
Fans saw the drama play out on the November 1, 2023 RHOBH episode “An Unwise Surprise.” During a family dinner party filmed at Richards and Umansky’s Encino, California home, Umansky’s mom, Dr. Estella Sneider, questioned Richards about rumors about her marital problems. Richards brushed that off but later revealed she had gotten several tattoos.
While Estella didn’t seem bothered by the news, she did ask Richards if any of her tattoos were in honor of her son. That’s when Richards spilled that Mauricio has his own tattoo. The “Halloween” star then backtracked with, “Maybe he does? I don’t know.”
After Richards told her husband, “I told your mom you had a tattoo,” a visibly annoyed Umansky revealed he had purposely kept the tattoos a secret from his Jewish parents. “What is wrong with you?” he asked Richards.
In a confessional, Richards admitted she wished she had kept her mouth shut. “I thought, ‘Oh, okay, it’d be funny in the moment, wait to see her reaction.’ But now his reaction? I really wish I had not said anything,” she revealed.
In the comment section of an Instagram clip of the scene, some fans felt Richards knew what she was doing and was purposely trying to cause drama with Umansky.
One commenter wrote, “She looks so immature acting like she is a teenager getting a tattoo.” “She was trying to stir the pot and get a reaction from his mom. She was probably being passive-aggressive since his mom asked about the marriage rumors,” another agreed.
Others noted that what Richards did was a big deal due to the fact that the family is Jewish.
“Omg why did she do that?! 😢 this is a big deal being Jewish. He can’t be buried in the same cemetery 😢,” one commenter wrote. “She converted to Judaism but cannot understand why he would be mad?” another asked of Richards.
Another wrote that it gave “Ross and Monica” vibes a la the “Friends” Thanksgiving episode in which the siblings tattled on one another in front of their stunned parents.” “I absolutely know the significance of tattoos in the Jewish faith. Kyle knows them as well. Makes this move by Kyle a pretty significant betrayal but she did it in such a joking way. I’m perplexed tbh,” came the comment.
Mauricio Umansky Previously Forbid Kyle Richards From Getting More Tattoos
The birthday party scene came on the heels of the RHOBH premiere, during which Umansky told Richards not to get any more tattoos. In one scene, The Agency founder appeared stunned to learn that his wife of 27 years had five tattoos on her body. “Seriously?” he asked. “I only knew of three.”
“Well maybe you should be looking at my body closer,” Richards replied.
She then showed her husband all five tattoos, which prompted him to say she had enough. “Five tattoos is a lot. I will not allow that,” he said.
“If I want [another] one, I’m going to get one,” Richards replied. “It’s my body. You don’t have a choice. You don’t have a choice!”
According to BravoTV.com, Richards previously teased some of her tattoos while filming the RHOBH season 12 reunion last fall. “All four of my daughters have ‘18’ in their birthdays,” she said of a Roman numeral 18 she had inked on her wrist. “This heart is a heart, and it means something to me. … I just got this yesterday, a new one. A moon and four stars, each star to represent my four daughters.”
“I had talked about it with my family for a while,” she said of her decision to get the ink. “Mauricio was thrilled.”
At the time, Richards admitted that tattoos can be addicting, and she had put herself on “probation” from getting any more.
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