Heavy/NBCUniversal Kyle Richards.
Fans are more convinced than ever that Kyle Richards leaked the story of her separation from Mauricio Umansky to People magazine last summer.
On July 3, 2023, an anonymous source told the entertainment magazine that the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” couple had been “separated for a while now” but still lived “under the same roof.” Richards and Umansky, who wed in 1996, promptly released a joint statement to confirm they had “the most challenging year” of their marriage, but to assure fans there was no talk of divorce.
Since that time, both Richards and Umansky have claimed not to know who leaked the story to the press. But the report was published days after the fan account @FaceReality16 posted a “deep dive” about the couple’s marriage and Richards’ suddenly close relationship with singer Morgan Wade.
On February 26, the account posted a screenshot of names of alleged viewers of the montage. Richards and Wade were highlighted among the 18,000 people who reportedly watched it. “Kyle and Morgan both watched my entire deep dive days before the separation was ‘leaked’ to PEOPLE,” the account captioned the screenshot. Richards and Wade’s IG handles were circled to show they both watching the stream on June 30, 2023.
“Back in late June 2023 I posted a Kyle and Mauricio deep dive,” Face Reality 16 shared. “It’s fair to say that the deep dive went viral and was shared by most Bravo blogs on IG (there’s a TikTok version as well). At some point within the 24 hours the deep dive was live in my stories, Kyle and Morgan both looked through the entire dive. Why is this significant? My deep dive into what was going on with Kyle, Mauricio, and Morgan went viral and a lot more people started asking a lot more questions and noticing a lot more details that they hadn’t before.”
The Deep Dive Scoured Richards and Umansky’s Social Media Activity
The initial “deep dive” was posted in June 2023. It zeroed in on Richards and Umansky’s lack of photos together and changed social media patterns.
On July 2, just one day before the People story broke, @FaceReality 16 zoomed in on Richards’ close bond with Wade. The outlet went into detail about Richards and Wade’s matching rings and tattoos. The post also tracked back to the date that Richards stopped wearing her wedding ring.
The post had fans wondering if rumors about Richards’ marriage could be true. Hours later, People magazine’s story dropped.
The Face Reality 16 fan site pointed out that Richards didn’t seem very concerned about who leaked the story about her marriage. But she was previously consumed with Lisa Vanderpump’s role in leaked tabloid stories amid the Puppygate storyline.
Fans reacted to agree that it seemed Richards was motivated to leak the story about her marriage.
“Kyle leaked it and I’ll die on this hill,” one fan wrote.
“The call is coming from inside the house!!” another agreed.
“Whoever leaks the story has more control over it. It is very on brand for Kyle. Mo seemed like he was in no hurry to finalize anything. Kyle was already checked out and seeing what the Bravo accounts were saying gave her the push,” another added.
Kyle Richards Was Asked Who Leaked the Story
The leaked magazine story was revealed on the RHOBH season 13 finale, titled “Soirees and Separations.”
While Richards appeared upset by the leak, several castmates speculated that she may have leaked the story herself. “Did the People magazine exclusive come from Kyle as a way to get ahead of what everybody else is saying about her?” speculated RHOBH star Annemarie Wiley.
On the “RHOBH Aftershow”, Sutton Stracke agreed that it would make sense for Richards to leak the story. “If you put it out there first then you can control it,” she said.
Richards doubled down on her stance during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” on February 21, 2024. After host Andy Cohen shared a viewer poll, “Who do you think planted the story about Kyle and Mauricio’s marriage Kyle, Mauricio, or someone else?” she replied, “I don’t know. I really don’t know, I really don’t.”
She added, “Mo had some ideas and he was really upset about it. I was too, I have no idea. I mean, someone it’s like someone hears something, they tell a friend, they tell a friend it’s like that…”
Later in the evening, Wade caressed Richards’ hip as they posed for a photo backstage. The cozy photo prompted more speculation about their relationship.
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