Kyle Richards Says Fans Overreacted to Photo of Her & Morgan Wade Backstage at WWHL

Heavy/Bravo Kyle Richards poses with Andy Cohen and Kiki Barth.

Kyle Richards shut down speculation over a photo of her and Morgan Wade backstage  at “Watch What Happens Live.”  The photo, which showed Wade caressing Richards’ hip, added more fuel to the theory that the two friends are dating amid the Bravo star’s separation from her husband Mauricio Umansky.

Addressing the photo on her Amazon Live on March 5, 2024, Richards said fans got it wrong. When a fan asked, “Do you think fans are overreacting to the way that Morgan rubbed your hip?,” the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star replied, “I mean, yes.”

“I was actually looking at the pictures,” Richards said. “I was with Kiki [Barth] and we both had our hands like that. And also, when you’re nervous you just… I kind of like, you know, I just thought it was stupid.”

Elsewhere on the Live, Richards noted that Wade was with her at WWHL because she was in New York City for work. On the WWHL episode, which aired February 21, Cohen noted that Richards’ niece, Nicky Hilton, was in the audience, but he did not mention that Wade was also there.

Fans Thought the Photo of Kyle Richards & Morgan Wade Looked Like They Are More Than Friends

The photo of Richards and Wade caused a lot of buzz online. On February 22, a video clip from the photoshoot was shared by the @facereality16 fan account. In the footage, Richards posed in a slinky black dress while Wade, dressed in a black suit jacket, put her arm low around her waist. From the side, the “Wilder Days” singer could be seen caressing Richards’ hip as she leaned in close to her for the shot.

After Richards said fans overreacted to the photo, fans reacted once again.

“Kyle. KYLE. Earth to Kyle. The jig is up babe. She really thinks we’re all big idiots doesn’t she? 🤠🤠,” came one comment.

“We could have a sex tape of them and Kyle would be like ‘what? It’s just two friends catching up,’” another cracked.

But others defended the Bravo star as she navigates new waters after 30 years with Umansky.

“She doesn’t think everyone are idiots,” one fan wrote. “It’s her life. Her marriage of almost 30 years has ended, she has 4 daughters and is probably in love with a woman not to mention all of it is all over social media. Has anyone stopped to put themselves in her shoes and see why she might be scared. A lot of you should try that before judging.”

Kyle Richards Said a Blind Item is Not About Her & Morgan

Heavy/Bravo/GettyKyle Richards and Morgan Wade.

Days before clarifying the hip photo, Richards got a tattoo of a cowboy hat on her forearm. A photo of Richards’ new ink was shared on tattoo artist Amanda Merkatz’s Instagram page. After Richards spent time at the Extra Innings Festival in Arizona, “Cowboy Hat for @kylerichards18,” the post was captioned.

Wade performed at the concert and Richards was in the front row to watch her, according to TMZ.

Richards has been adamant that she is just friends with Wade. During a previous livestream, she shut down a blind item that she and Wade are preparing to announce their romance via a magazine cover story. The rumor was posted by the pop culture gossip site Deux Moi, per Reality Tea.

“That is not true. That blind item is not about me,” Richards said during an Amazon Livestream on March 1. “Gotta be about somebody else! So, I wonder who it is. Now you have me curious.”

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