‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Comments on Kyle Richards ‘Staging’ Split For Storyline

Kyle Richards

Heavy/NBCUniversal Kyle Richards.

A “Vanderpump Rules” star reacted to speculation Kyle Richards staged her separation from  Mauricio Umansky to create a storyline for “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

Bravo star Lala Kent talked about Richards, whom she once called “the queen” of Beverly Hills on her podcast “Give Them Lala” on June 3, 2024,

Kent made her comments after a fan asked her if she got pregnant for a storyline on “Vanderpump Rules.” The single mom announced her second pregnancy in March 2024 before filming for VPR was put on hiatus.

Here’s what you need to know:


Lala Kent Thinks Kyle Richards’ Situation is ‘Absurd’

Lala Kent

PeacockLala Kent.

Kent was thrown off guard when asked about her pregnancy, which was conceived via intrauterine insemination via a donor.

“Is that really a question?” she asked, before describing the inquiry as “absurd.” Kent noted that it would be crazy to prep her body, get a donor, and choose single motherhood for decades to have “one season of a storyline” for “a show filmed two months out of the year.”

“That is so wild to me that that that that’s what people are saying, but it also tracks because there’s many people in Bravo,” she said. “Mauricio and Kyle for example, they’re staging their breakup for a storyline. They’re changing the dynamic of their family and 27 years of marriage for a storyline. It’s absolutely absurd.”

Kent is a fan of Richards.  During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live.” In April, she gushed about how “fantastic” the 13th season of RHOBH was. “In my eyes, this season Kyle was so inspiring,” Kent said. “There was something about the attitude that shifted for me and I felt that she was so empowered and I loved her.”

Richards and Umansky announced their separation in July 2023 after 27 years of marriage. Their split played out on both “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and Umansky’s Netflix reality show “Buying Beverly Hills.”


Kyle Richards Denied Staging a Storyline

Kyle Richards Mauricio Umansky

PeacockMauricio Umansky and Kyle Richards at home.

In July 2023, People magazine reported Richards and Umansky’s split news before they had planned to announce it themselves. RHOBH cameras picked back up to capture the aftermath, while “Buying Beverly Hills” was also in production. Some speculated that the couple had planted the separation story to create buzz for their reality shows.

An anonymous source told OK magazine that Richards desperately needed a storyline for the 13th season of RHOBH. “If you know Kyle, you know that she just wanted a juicy storyline to save her spot on the Bravo series,” the insider claimed in October 2023. “She knows what she’s doing.”

But Richards denied the rumors. During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” the Bravo star said she had “no idea” who leaked the story. “I mean, Mau has some ideas, and he was really upset about it, I was too, I have no idea,” she told host Andy Cohen.

She also appeared on Bravo’s “Hot Mic” podcast and denounced rumors that she faked her split for a storyline. “What human being would create a story like this for?” she said to executive producer Alex Baskin in November 2023, per Page Six.  “Who would do that for ratings, put their family through this.”

“That is one of the dumbest things I’ve maybe ever heard in these 13 years,” Richard added. “I’m going to pretend that I’m separated and torture my children so that people tune in? I mean, it’s just the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

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