Getty Mauricio Umansky poses with his wife Kyle Richards at the Buying Beverly Hills premiere party.
Mauricio Umansky has long been a fan-favorite Househusband on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The husband of Kyle Richards has been featured on the Bravo reality show since its first season in 2010, but fans have only seen small glimpses of his life as a businessman and know little of his backstory.
In an interview with Worth, Umansky, 52, revealed that he started a clothing company right out of college, then ventured into the real estate business with a job at Hilton & Hyland, the prestigious firm in Beverly Hills co-owned by his brother-in-law, Rick Hilton. Umansky said he was the top agent during his first year at Hilton & Hyland, so he decided to branch out and open his own firm, The Agency, in 2011. He also admitted that his wife’s foray into reality TV also gave them “the perfect opportunity” to market their own company “instead of advertising somebody else’s company.”
In a 2019 interview with Inman, Umansky opened up about his strained relationship with his brother-in-law after they became real estate rivals. “We’re good,” he said. “We’ve made up …We were definitely in a fight for a while. And it was real.”
But in 2022, Umansky landed his own Netflix real estate reality show, “Buying Beverly Hills,” and he told his backstory in a slightly different way.
Here’s what you need to know:
Mauricio Umansky Did Not Mention Hilton & Hyland in the ‘Buying Beverly Hills’ Premiere
In the first episode of “Buying Beverly Hills,” titled “Family Dynasty,” Umansky explained that two of his four daughters, Farrah Aldjufrie and Alexia Umansky, work for his company. “Family businesses are part of my DNA,” he said. “Two of my daughters, Farrah and Alexia are following in my footsteps.”
Later in the episode, Umansky revealed that his first job was working for his father and then a few years later he was “fired” from a job he had in the clothing business.
“I literally thought the world was just gonna end. I didn’t know how I was gonna put food on the table,” he said as images of his young marriage and first baby with Richards flashed onscreen. “I was crying, I was bawling and Kyle was an extraordinary wife. She sat down with me and said ‘We’re gonna figure something out.’ And she said, ‘Let’s go get our real estate licenses together.’”
“It’s been an unbelievable run,” Umansky continued. “And I decided to start The Agency.”
Viewers reacted harshly on social media, with some calling Umansky out for not mentioning that he got his start with the Hiltons.
“Mauricio…tells his story as going from out of work garmento to owner of The Agency,” one commenter wrote on Twitter. “He left out the part where Rick Hilton hired him and gave him the opportunity to build his empire and then he betrayed him.”
“Did Kyle tell Mauricio to leave out the fact that Rick Hilton was a huge part of Mauricios success? They think we forgot??? “ another tweeted.
Other fans said that after seeing Umansky in his work mode, they’re not surprised by past scandals, such as his sister-in-law Kim Richards accusing him and Kyle of “stealing” her house, and the fact that he laughed off RHOBH star Erika Jayne‘s cursing out of Garcelle Beauvais’ 14-year-old son, Jax.
“After watching #BuyingBeverlyHills I can see Mauricio Stealing Kim’s goddamn house doing wrong by Hilton & Hyland enjoying a 14-year-old boy being verbally abused. He’s not the stoned, fun guy we see on #rhobh. Mauricio Umansky is not a nice man,” one viewer wrote.
Mauricio Umansky Said Some of the Agents May Not Be Prepared to Work for The Agency
In addition to Umansky’s daughters, other up-and-coming real estate agents are featured on “Buying Beverly Hills.” In an interview with E! News, he noted that everyone on the show really works for his firm.
“Nobody was cast for the show,” Umansky shared. “These are all real people that are struggling. We show the rookies, the young 20-year-olds, and allow them to make mistakes. Some of them may not make it. They may not have what it takes to be an Agency agent and be prepared to work for the most successful, luxurious, global real estate firm in the world.”
That could even include his own daughters. In one scene from the series, Umansky announced that he closed on the firm’s $85 million dollar Sarbonne property. But the listing had actually been brought to The Agency by Farrah, and her dad neglected to tell her he sold the place from under her.
“The Sarbonne property is an $85 million property in Bel Air. It’s a listing I was introduced to by somebody that I met at the gym,” Farrah said in a confessional. “It’s the biggest listing that I’ve brought to the table, only to find out that my dad sold it.”
On Twitter, a viewer wrote, “Mauricio selling Farrah’s property from right under her nose reveals so much about his character.”
But others weren’t quite so surprised.
#RHOBH fans watching Mauricio’s Netflix show… & being disappointed that he’s not a nice man …what show have you been watching for the past 12 years?” one commenter asked. “When did he ever thank #RickHilton for starting his career?”
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