5 Times Kyle & Mauricio's Split Was Written On The Wall In RHOBH Season 13 Premiere
In a town where nothing is as it seems, Kyle Richards isn't afraid to be herself. That sentiment rings more true than ever in the Season 13 premiere of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," as the episode was sprinkled with moments foreshadowing her future split with her husband, Mauricio Umansky. There has been a great deal of speculation about their separation, with rumors flying about Kyle and country singer Morgan Wade, as well as a theory that it's a manufactured plot for the show.
However, if the premiere is any indication of what's to come this season, Kyle and Mauricio's troubles are not only real, but there are several fundamental issues in their marriage. The infamous medium Allison DuBois from "RHOBH's" Season 1 dinner party from hell did say Mauricio would never emotionally fulfill her, so perhaps this is simply a prophecy come to fruition. The foundation is rocked to the core, with Kyle projecting an entirely different attitude this season. The Kyle embarrassed by her sister Kim in the first season is not the woman presented in front of the cameras in this premiere. Mauricio may be dancing with the stars these days, but they've clearly been quickstepping toward separation for quite some time.
While both Kyle and Mauricio are building their respective empires, the myriad of issues displayed in the first episode hint at two separate futures. Kyle is tatted, taking back her voice, and not apologizing for a damn thing.
Kyle doesn't want to be mistreated by anyone
Dorit Kemsley gathering all of the women together for the chicest healing exercise was eye-opening for several reasons, but the most important was a sentiment shared by Kyle Richards. She doesn't want to be mistreated anymore by anyone in her life. Kyle told the group, "I was literally sitting there, and I felt like I was drifting out to the sea or something. I was so upset ... it hurt me a lot," which was a huge breakthrough for Kyle. She was clearly wounded at last season's reunion, and it signaled a life-changing turning point for her. It's a time of reflection, and voicing these concerns is the first step.
If Kyle's feeling like this regarding her sister and her friends, it makes sense that her marriage might be on shaky ground. Dating back to the early seasons, Season 4 in particular, rumors about Mauricio Umansky's alleged affairs have been circulating. Kyle has repeatedly dismissed the rumors over the years, but as Sutton says in the trailer, where there's smoke there's fire.
If Kyle truly does have a newfound attitude regarding being treated poorly, she may be ready to actually open up about the omnipresent rumors. She wanted Denise Richards to be "open and honest" regarding an alleged affair with Brandi Glanville, so it's only fair that Kyle be as transparent as possible during this. Placing her marriage on a perch for the 12 prior seasons may be coming back to haunt her.
Kyle has had thoughts about her marriage failing
Kyle Richards' conversation with Dorit Kemsley later in the episode was quite revealing as well. Dorit was opening up about issues within her own marriage with PK Kemsley, but Kyle's comments about her and Mauricio's past were a significant precursor for what was to come. Kyle tells Dorit, "I've had those thoughts. I think that's normal to have those thoughts. I think there's times in your relationship when life happens and it can pull you apart. You can either grow in different ways or you can pull together like you guys have."
In Beverly Hills, the truth always has a way of rising to the top, and this is one of the first times viewers have ever gotten a glimpse into cracks in her perfect family unit. It felt as if Kyle was setting the stage for what was to come. Now that their separation is public, it's easy to put a magnifying glass on every aspect of their life and dissect their comments.
When Lisa Vanderpump allegedly asked Brandi Glanville to place tabloids about Mauricio's alleged infidelity in her suitcase in Season 4, Kyle nearly blew a gasket. This was a turning point in Kyle's relationship with LVP, but looking back, was Kyle more upset because there was already trouble in paradise? Viewers have seen countless Housewives marriages fall to pieces, and while Kyle and Mauricio are yet another number in that statistic, they were somewhat of the premier couple on the series.
Mauricio and Kyle's conflicting schedules
The final conversation between Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky at the end of the episode was painful to watch. Even if their marriage has had issues all along, they've never let it show, making it jarring to hear them on totally different pages. There's never been a point where they've appeared so entirely disjointed from one another.
Mauricio is so busy expanding his real estate empire that he doesn't know anything about Kyle. He's killing it in his professional life, but those aspirations are taking a toll on his and Kyle's marriage. Kyle's trying to set up a meeting to talk to him about their conflicting schedules, but he doesn't want to speak to her. Everything seemed more important, and her patience was growing visibly thin.
Kyle's annoyance was seeping through in this scene, her jaw nearly falling to falling to the floor when he mentions not being able to attend Coachella. She then tells him, "As soon as you can wrap up your golf schedule, let me know." Kyle's going through a complete personal transformation, and after feeling disconnected from everyone in her life, she's debuting a fresh version of herself. Perhaps if Mauricio wasn't too busy planning trips to Portugal or Coachella, Kyle wouldn't be substituting her time with working out and overhauling her life. This sit down between the two felt less like husband and wife and more like two strangers on the most awkward first date imaginable.
Mauricio's lack of knowledge about Kyle's tattoos
Nothing was more cringe about the state of Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky's marriage than his lack of knowledge about her tattoos. Kyle is his wife. They live in the same house. They (presumably) share the same bed. How is he unaware that she has two more tattoos than he thought? She's not hiding them. It goes back to the conflicting schedules, because if he's so busy that he's missing out on significant changes to Kyle's body and appearance, there's a problem.
When Mauricio was going through the gambit of confused emotions about her tattoos, Kyle told him "Maybe you should look at my body closer." From the outside looking in, that's a red flag about a clear lack of intimacy in their marriage. However, it again harkens back to Mauricio not making time for Kyle, at least from her point of view. It feels like every season, Mauricio has slowly gotten more checked out of the show and the marriage, and this season, he's not just checked out, but he's living in an entirely different plane of existence.
Sure, Kyle could be going through some sort of mid-life crisis, explaining her newfound obsession with fitness, tattoos, and a blossoming connection to Morgan Wade, but regardless, it feels like there's a lack of support system in her life. Kyle's transformation into her current version occurred only after everyone in her life failed her, Mauricio included.
Kyle's desire for personal freedom
While on the subject of tattoos, Mauricio Umansky had the audacity to tell Kyle that she shouldn't get any additional tattoos. She stopped him in his tracks, declaring, "If I want one I'm gonna get one. It's my body. You don't have a choice." She doesn't want to explain anything to anyone moving forward, and her desire for personal freedom extends to her husband as well.
After everything that happened with Kathy Hilton, Kyle took control of her life. Kyle then dropped the biggest bomb Tinseltown has ever seen on Mauricio, stating "I'm very f—ing clear right now. I'm not rebelling. I'm just clear." The camera panned to his expression of bewilderment several times throughout the end conversation, and it's obvious that the rocky road toward separation began at this moment. Just like Kyle's Paramount series, "American Woman," her marriage looks to suffer the same fate; an abrupt ending out of nowhere with a lot of hurt family feelings.
The cameras started rolling, and Kyle said action on the greatest performance of her "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" career. Kyle, Kim, and Kathy's family feud may have been her most painful experience on the show to date, but the disintegration of her marriage looks to eclipse that in the devastation department. The writing wasn't just on the wall about their separation in this premiere, it was flashing in giant neon letters for everyone to notice.