‘RHOBH’s Dorit Kemsley On Her Feud With Kyle Richards & Why She Feels “Stronger & More Empowered” In Season 14
Dorit Kemsley is coming in hot for the new season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The Bravo star is feuding with Kyle Richards and her marriage to PK is hitting a rough patch.
Ahead of the RHOBH Season 14 premiere on Tuesday, November 19 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, Deadline spoke with Kemsley to get the tea on the latest drama.
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Kemsley opened up about her friendship with Richards and if she was seemingly more activated this season due to rumors she was going to be affected by a cast shakeup.
DEADLINE: When the trailer for the new season dropped, Housewives fans quickly proclaimed on social media: SEASON 7 DORIT IS BACK. What do you make of the positive reaction fans have been saying in anticipation of the new season?
KEMSLEY: I love the positivity. I think it’s cute and it’s funny that it gets translated as season seven. Listen, this season I had a lot of things to say and a lot going on, and I was coming into my power for a multitude of reasons. The last few years I had been really affected by the home invasion and things that were going on in my marriage and [in my] personal life, and how it was affecting my overall health [so] I ended up doing something about it and getting better and stronger and healthier, primarily, through a business venture that I got into which helped treat a lot of my overall physical and emotional health.
So I came into this season feeling stronger and more empowered and fed up and I felt like there was a lot of unfinished business. It [also felt] like I needed to be unburdened with trying to hold anything inside – for me, it was about better out than in.
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As you can see that pertains to me sharing with the ladies what was going on with PK and I, and also [my relationship] with Kyle, [because as you see in the] first episode that does carry throughout the season, and you see the journey of us really sharing our — we were not in a great place when we started the season, and we hadn’t seen one another since the reunion. What the audience is seeing is us seeing each other for the very first time and there was a lot that needed to be said.
DEADLINE: We recently spoke with Kyle Richards, your Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star, and she wasn’t particularly happy that you had read those messages before the reunion – knowing how your relationship took a tumble because of that, would you do anything differently?
KEMSLEY: Our relationship took a tumble way before that text message, that was the reason why I had read the text message to Erika [Jayne], [it] was to get her opinion about whether or not she would have felt exactly how I was feeling. But it’s very important to note that the issues in our friendship were a year or two on, and there was a series of events in that time, over a sustained period of time that led me to feel like, “Okay, I’m done. Enough is enough.” Sharing the text message with Erika in my trailer was [me] confiding in a friend that I was feeling like one of my best friends was not even treating me as if we were friends any longer. So it was very justified in my mind.
And would I do it again? Yes, I didn’t share any personal information that Kyle had ever confided in me, nor would I ever. This was a message that spoke directly to how I was feeling and how I feel she was behaving towards me. You know, I’m actually going to take back what I said. Would I do it again? Maybe not. Maybe, instead of reading the text message aloud, I would just deal with Kyle first and foremost. So I take that back, now that I’m thinking about it. I probably wouldn’t. I know that it hurt her, and it wasn’t designed to hurt her. It genuinely wasn’t. It was very much designed to discuss with Erika, who’s also a very good friend of both of ours, and to get her opinion because I just started to feel like I was questioning whether or not Kyle and I were even friends.
DEADLINE: It was also suggested that the reason you’re a little more vocal this season was because there were rumors that there was going to be a cash shakeup, and maybe you would have been affected by those cuts. Did any of this affect you when going into filming?
KEMSLEY: Honey, if I spent or invested time in the rumors, then I’d be living a very different life. No, there was a moment in a time [when] I was choosing not to do the show, and I decided to walk because there was a lot going on in my life, and I was questioning whether or not I should do the show. I certainly didn’t go into this season, putting it on, if you will, to keep my job. I don’t think that would ever be the case for me. I think when I know that it’s over, it’s over, but that would be a choice that I make and for good reason.
I will say that when you have not felt like yourself for a long period of time, and you start to feel stronger and more empowered [and] more confident, you are more vocal. It’s as simple as that, and you’re more comfortable with conflict, with addressing things that don’t feel right. And that’s exactly what I did throughout the entire season. If that translates into a good show or the audience being happy, that’s wonderful. I was doing it regardless, because it was where I was and where I am, mentally, emotionally and physically.
DEADLINE: During the premiere episode, we see a scene between PK and Mauricio where they discuss your martial issues – were you aware this taking place? Or how did this come about?
KEMSLEY: Mo and PK are good friends. They spend a lot of time together. They’re very close. So it’s not unusual that they would be meeting for lunch or dinner. I think they meet every week when they’re both in town. As far as why that was filmed, because you never want things to be unbalanced. If I’m talking about my separation and my issues with my husband [with the other Housewives], [PK] being able to have a voice and share how he feels to someone other than me makes sense.
DEADLINE: The trailer focuses on your feud with Kyle, but during the Hayu FanFest, Sutton said that you and her have some troubles during the season. Can you tease anything about that? How does that go and how does your friendship stand now?
KEMSLEY: Well, you definitely have to watch the season to see how that comes about. But yes, Sutton, she likes to get in there. Sutton likes to be front and center and she likes to poke and prod. I certainly wasn’t up for it, so we rub heads for sure, but you’ll have to watch and see.
DEADLINE: Lastly, you and Garcelle had a bit of feud last season. What’s your relationship like now and what can we expect from the two of you this upcoming season?
KEMSLEY: I can tell you that there are interesting things that happen between Garcelle and I and I think it’s definitely worth watching and seeing how things develop.
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