Heavy/Bravo Dorit Kemsley and Kyle Richards.
Kyle Richards gave an update on her decision to quit drinking alcohol – and how it has affected her friendships. In a December 2023 interview with Us Weekly, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star confirmed she has not had any alcohol for nearly 18 months – and doesn’t plan to ever start drinking again.
Richards also shared that many people in her life have not been supportive of her lifestyle change. “When you choose to stop drinking on your own, it’s interesting how it’s met with such resistance from your peers,” she said.
Richards admitted that when she first quit alcohol in mid-2022 she would pretend-order a vodka soda and then ask the server to just bring her a plain club soda. “It just got to the point where I was like, ‘Why am I having to pretend at my age?’ I think about my daughters and peer pressure, and here I am, feeling like I don’t want to be pressured into this,” she said. “So I stopped pretending. I was just like, ‘Guys, I promise you, I am still going to be fun.’”
Kyle Richards Doesn’t Understand the Negative Reaction to Her Abstinence From Alcohol
Richards said she last had alcohol on July 15, 2022 and doesn’t miss it at all. She explained that even though she wasn’t a big drinker, she feels so much better now without wine and margaritas.
The RHOBH star has put a bigger focus on her workouts. After being given flack for going to the gym during a cast trip to Las Vegas, she questioned why her healthy lifestyle choice was frowned upon. “I don’t understand why doing something good for you is looked down upon,” she said. “I was up at five o’clock [a.m.], why wouldn’t I do something that makes me feel good and gives me energy? Maybe it’s a reflection of something they don’t like about themselves,” she added of her co-stars.
Richards’ new lifestyle also made her take a look at her 27-year marriage. In July 2023, Richards and her husband Mauricio Umansky confirmed they had separated.
In a scene filmed for the RHOBH episode “Hellevator,” Richards admitted she grew tired of the social obligations she had with her husband’s real estate brokerage firm, The Agency. “There’s a lot of business events where I’m supposed to go and be the wife and be supportive and sometimes it’s like, I don’t wanna go to these parties,” she told her co-star Dorit Kemsley. “A big part of [his job] is putting yourself out there and being social, and I’m in a place where I don’t want to do that. I would much rather be home reading than going to an event, especially now that I don’t drink anymore.”
Kyle Richards’ Co-Stars Have Questioned Her Decision Not to Drink
BravoSutton Stracke argues with Kyle Richards on RHOBH.
Richards’ decision to quit drinking has been addressed multiple times on RHOBH. Co-star Sutton Stracke questioned if Richards secretly had a problem with alcohol, while Garcelle Beauvais missed the “fun” side of a tipsy Richards.
During a dinner party scene, Richards finally had it with all of the chatter about her sobriety. “I’m exercising and not drinking, because guess what, even if I have two glasses of wine, the next day I feel down and depressed. I can’t afford to be depressed right now,” she said in the episode “Ring Around the Rumor.”
On July 15, 2023, Richards marked her one-year sobriety milestone. In an Instagram post, she revealed that she quit alcohol after realizing it wasn’t serving her in a positive way. “It was definitely met with resistance by some,” she wrote of her decision. “I have never been one to fall prey to peer pressure. No matter my age.”
Over the past two years, Richards formed a close friendship with singer Morgan Wade. The 29-year-old lives a sober lifestyle and loves to work out like Richards. Richards said she now chooses to surround herself with people who will support her. “My friends happen to be like me,” she told Us. “We want to take care of our bodies and enjoy hiking and then grabbing coffee.”
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