Heavy/Getty Lisa Vanderpump.
Lisa Vanderpump broke her silence on Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky’s separation nearly four months after they issued a joint statement to confirm they are having marital problems.
In November 2023 video interview with Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap , the “Vanderpump Rules” star admitted she’s heard “rumors” about the couple for years.
In July 2023, Richards and Umansky confirmed that they’ve hit a “difficult” patch in their 27-year marriage. But in their statement, they claimed “no wrongdoing on anybody’s part” amid rumors of cheating. Tension in the couple’s marriage has been playing out on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” 13th season. Vanderpump exited the show at the end of season 9 after falling out with Richards and several other cast members.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lisa Vanderpump Said She’s Heard ‘Things’ About Kyle & Mauricio’s Marriage for Years
While speaking with Access in November 2023, Vanderpump appeared saddened, but not surprised, by her former co-stars’ split.
“I think there were a lot of rumors for a long time. And there were things that I knew and had heard. But I think everyone is sorry about it,” Vanderpump said of the Umanskys. “But you know, it’s not over until it’s over. People go through things and hopefully, they can figure it out.”
Vanderpump noted that Richards and Umansky have a long history together and share four daughters. “I’m sure you know when you’ve got four kids and the love they’ve had between them, you know maybe they can just kind of sit down and realize…” Vanderpump said.
“Hey, listen, I’ve been married 41 years,” she said of her own marriage to husband Ken Todd. “It’s not always easy.”
Vanderpump elaborated while speaking with Page Six. “It saddens me to see anybody that’s been together that long [break up] because marriage is hard,” she said. “And I hope they can kind of get through this and facilitate some kind of [solution], you know.”
As for rumors of cheating by any party, Vanderpump added, “I don’t know unless I catch somebody in the middle of it. I don’t believe [it].”
Lisa Vanderpump Brought Up Rumors about Mauricio Umansky Cheating in 2013
Vanderpump has been aware of the “rumors” about her former friends’ marriage for a decade. In a 2013 episode of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” she brought up cheating rumors while visiting Richards at her home.
“There are all these nasty rumors about Mauricio. There’s been a lot of gossip in the tabloids, vicious, nasty stuff as far as I’m concerned. And it’s like the elephant in the room,” she said in a confessional. “I don’t feel like I can ignore it with Kyle, so the best thing I can do I feel is to hit it head on.”
In the scene, Umansky announced plans to take his then-toddler daughter Portia out to lunch and run errands. Vanderpump then said, “This is where the rumor comes that he’s been seen with a younger woman!”
In a 2013 post on her Bravo blog, Vanderpump called out Richards for getting upset over her bringing up “the tabloid stories that seem to dominate each week” during their conversation on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
“That’s what we signed up for,” Vanderpump wrote. “It was front and center of a major magazine and to think that in the midst of the show, when a story reared its ugly head that it wouldn’t be discussed is ridiculous.”
“Who does know what transpires in somebody’s marriage?” she added before noting that tabloid stories can’t be “relied on” to be true. “Much has little merit,” she added. “I have the sentiment that if Kyle doesn’t believe it and he denies it, then that’s good enough for me. Who cares what a tabloid says?”
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Lisa Vanderpump Says She Knew ‘Things’ About Kyle Richards & Mauricio Umansky’s Marriage Before Split