According to Mauricio Umansky, he and his divorced wife Kyle Richards are being patient with one another while they are apart. In an interview with a podcast on Thursday, Mauricio, 53, discussed his relationship with Kyle, 54, discussed why he limits his time spent filming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, responded to the persistent rumors that he is married, teased Buying Beverly Hills season two, and discussed why he is always so upbeat.
“I was born with a terminal blood disease and I was lucky to survive that,” Mauricio revealed on the November 16 episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast. “Between surviving that and then pretty much spending the first seven years of my life in a hospital, and I forgot, I cannot recall anything of my past prior to my seven-year birthday. It just doesn’t exist. It’s not in my brain. I’m lucky to be here and I’m lucky to be healthy.”
Looking back at his journey to success, Mauricio revealed that despite starting in textiles, he loved real estate and knew he had “charisma and the ability to read a room,” which made him a good salesperson. So, when brother-in-law Rick Hilton, 68, gave him a job at his real estate firm, he knew it was what he should be doing.
Now, years later, he’s showcasing his own firm, The Agency, on Netflix’s Buying Beverly Hills, which also features his stepdaughter Farrah Aldjufrie, 35, and daughter Alexia Umansky, 27.
“It’s not a toxic environment. It’s about a business and I get to do it with two of my girls and you’ll have to tune in to see if there’s a third one coming on,” he teased, signaling to daughter Sophia Umansky, 23.
Upon being questioned about his time on DWTS, where he costarred with his romantically related partner Emma Slater, 34, Mauricio described the experience as “the most fun [he’s] ever had” and “an incredible workout.”
You practice for four hours every day. You’re actually dancing and working out for four hours every day, and on top of that, I was spending at least an additional hour at the gym lifting weights and stretching,” he explained.
During his time on DWTS, Mauricio admittedly blacked out and lost his vision amid one of his live performances, which taught him an important life lesson.
“I missed a third of my dance … It taught me empathy for the people that work for me when they make mistakes,” he explained, adding, “I wouldn’t trade it.”
Moving on to his separation from Kyle, Mauricio admitted it’s been extremely frustrating dealing with constant rumors and reports regarding what is or is not going on between them.
“It’s out of control. The amount of stories that are coming out on a daily basis — everybody wants to know what’s going on with my marriage. [And] I do too,” he stated. “We’re going through a struggle. We’re going through issues, just like everybody else does. There’s no playbook for how to deal with it. And it doesn’t change on a daily basis. If we’re separated, that means we’re giving each other time to allow things to happen, which means it can’t change every single minute and every single day.”
“When I know what I’m doing with my marriage, I will let you guys all know, Until then, everybody can take a hike and f*ck off,” he added.
Still, Mauricio acknowledged that people “want to know” about him and Kyle because they’re “public figures.”
“I don’t have a Google alert on myself. I don’t have a Google alert on my wife. I’ve chosen this year not to watch the season of [RHOBH] … because I also know they’re dramatizing everything and there’s a bunch of stuff that I don’t even want to see,” he shared. “I always tell my wife, I’m like, ‘I know what happens to us.’ So I don’t need to read the speculation and B.S. that’s out there about us.”
While Mauricio has been featured on RHOBH for all of its 13 seasons, he said he’s learned to limit his screen time.
“I’ve taken the decision to be in and out. I’m in, my wife’s always right and then I get out as fast as possible,” he laughed. “I go in just enough to be in a conversation, to listen, but I am completely out of the drama. The drama is all about the women and I have no interest in that. It’s worked out for me for 13 seasons. I’ve gone 13 seasons unscathed.”
In addition to not being seen on camera too frequently, Mauricio makes a point not to get too invested in the ladies’ status with one another, especially since he and Kyle get so close to their castmates.
He clarified, “Reality television is really weird, especially the Real Housewives.” They’re arguing, chatting, and it’s poisonous and gossipy. There’s a lot of it. On [the RHOBH] franchise, at least, the males avoid getting involved in that. Additionally, there’s this attitude that says, essentially, “Let the wives do whatever they need to do.” We are aware that tomorrow will be different because they will need to reconcile.
He said, “I’ve seen Kyle come home and tell me how much she detests housewives and that she won’t speak to them ever again, and then three episodes later, it’s her best friend.” “So, I’ve made the conscious decision to let everything play out without passing judgment.”
Despite his current issues with Kyle, Mauricio offered some sound advice to other couples who are struggling: Avoid the mundane.
“[Focus on] being open, being willing to take some risks, being willing to be outside of your comfort zone. [And be] creative,” he recommended. “As a couple, you still have to continue to go find things to do together.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.