Why Is Kyle Richards So MIA On Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 10?

Most fans were already prepared to miss one of the original housewives this season on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after Lisa Vanderpump famously quit the show in season 9. Unfortunately, by the time you’re halfway through this season’s second episode, you might notice that the action is missing a little something: Kyle Richards. She appears in episode 2 briefly, once to have a get-to-know-you dinner with new Housewife Sutton Stracke, and in another scene, she appears only via FaceTime to wish Erika Girardi good luck for her opening night as Velma Kelly in Chicago on Broadway. What gives? Why is Kyle Richards so MIA on Real Housewives?

The good news is that Richards is still a full-fledged cast member — she’s not going the way of LVP any time soon. The bad news is that Kyle says she’s going to be a little less present this year. 

“I didn't do as much as I normally do because I was shooting Halloween Kills and launching my clothing line at the same time and getting ready for the fashion week show. So there were some things I had to miss out on,” she tells Refinery29 over the phone, adding that fans will get a glimpse of those independent projects this season. 

While she’s currently hunkered down with her family just like most Americans, Richards (no relation to fellow castmate Denise) has been on the road for much of the past year. 

The Halloween franchise sequel was shot in North Carolina from July to September 2019, overlapping with RHOBH production. Plus, Richards’ role is more than a pop-culture savvy cameo — she’s one of the film’s main ensemble players — so this was not a single day project. Halloween Kills is currently slated for an October 2020 release, and her fashion line, Kyle + Shahida, which took Richards to New York during RHOBH filming, is online now. We’ll also likely see her fundraiser for local hospitals, at which the guest of honor was pop group Wilson Phillips, she says.

For Richards, who’s been at the Housewives game for nine seasons now, taking a less hands-on approach to RHOBH filming was a bit of a relief. Especially after last season’s fallout with Vanderpump, which is still a sore spot for the Real Housewife. 

“In my mind, if you are that level of friends with someone for so long, there’s always room for repair, but the other person doesn't always agree,” says Richards, referring to Vanderpump.

But while there will be plenty of drama with the remaining cast members, as many a RHOBH season 10 promo has promised, Richards says she managed to miss quite a bit of the rougher moments. 

“Whenever there is a big fight, I'm always like, Thank god I wasn't there,” she says with a laugh. 

But fear not, she won’t be missing for every major moment. She was on this season’s trip to Rome, which she knows will be kind of strange to watch, given the current situation there, and around the globe. 

“I love Italy so much and I’m just thinking about what they're going through right now, but when we were in Rome it was filled with people and food and shopping everywhere we went. It was so beautiful and exciting.”

Well, Kyle fans, at least we’ll always have the sure-to-be-eerie Rome episodes, right?