Mauricio Umansky Gives Update on Kyle Richards Friendship Before RHOBH (Excl)

There really is no tension between Mauricio Umansky and Kyle Richards despite their separation.

“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is back, and it’s another season. The way Kyle and I made it work is that it’s real, it’s innate,” Umansky, 55, told Us Weekly exclusively as he celebrated being the new face of ARI for the brand’s 2026 campaign. “We’ve never faked anything.”

Umansky explained that his friendship with Richards, 56, is “real” even though they’ve broken up.

“We got married when we were babies,” he continued. “We’re still legally married. But we were together for 27 years.”

News broke in July 2023 that Richards and Umansky had officially separated. (They share daughters Alexia, 29, Sophia, 25, and Portia, 17. Richards and ex-husband Guraish Aldjufrie share daughter Farrah, 37.)

“We’re lucky to just be genuine and vulnerable. We don’t have to fake anything for television,” Umansky told Us. “Everybody’s like, ‘What’s your secret?’ Well, my secret is that it’s not fake. My secret is that it’s real.”

Umansky still referred to Richards as his “best friend” and explained why she didn’t attend the event on Tuesday, November 18.

“She wanted to be here, but she worked all day long, and she’s leaving at 4 a.m. for a flight and she had to pack,” he said.

Umansky told Us that “it sucks” for people who end their marriage and “hate” their ex — something very different from how he and Richards are navigating this new chapter.

“At the end of the day, you married that person. You married them because you love them, and however your life changed, doesn’t mean you have to start hating somebody,” he said. “You could have a friendly split. You could have a good split. You should be good parents. You really should not make things difficult.”

Umansky will be on the upcoming season of RHOBH, set to premiere on Thursday, December 4. A scene between him and Dorit Kemsley was teased in the season 15 trailer earlier this month.

Related: Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky’s Honest Quotes About Their Separation

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills couple Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky have shared insight into the reason behind their separation after 27 years of marriage. Us Weekly confirmed in July 2023 that the couple were taking time apart. “Kyle and Mauricio have been separated for a while, but are still currently living together,” a source […]

Umansky was also namedropped during BravoCon 2025. A clip from the upcoming season shown during the three-day fan event in Las Vegas had Richards and their daughters discussing Umansky’s rather public romantic life.

“The last time there was paparazzi pictures of him with some girl at the valet, I texted him and was like, ‘You are doing the absolute most. Tone it down,’” Sophia told her mom and sisters.

Portia, meanwhile, told her friends that Umansky is “being a hoe,” which elicited a laugh from the family.

Aside from his reality tv and real estate career, Umansky is leaning into his fashion roots with his new ARI campaign.

“I’ve been buying ARI for about four years now, I walked by the shop and I fell in love with it, and I started buying it. I started owning it,” he told Us on Tuesday. “Little by little, I ended up meeting the owner. He asked me, ‘Would you mind doing a little modeling job for us?’ And I was like, ‘Bro, I don’t model. What are you talking about?’”

Umansky credited his past on Dancing With the Stars as something that allowed him to take a step “out of my comfort zone,” which is what this photo shoot did as well.

“I don’t mind being out of my comfort zone again,” he said. “I did it, and it’s been fun. I enjoyed the collaboration, and I just enjoyed doing it.”