The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 9 kicked off with a bang during Tuesday’s premiere, with Lisa Vanderpump kicking Kyle Richards out of her house and declaring herself “done” with her former best friend.
With the tense scene teasing the possible end of the longtime friends’ relationship, the Bravo reality series quickly cut back to two months prior, when things appeared to be more or less normal between Vanderpump and Richards.
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Vanderpump, meanwhile, was struggling to mourn the loss of her brother Mark Vanderpump, who died by an intentional drug overdose in May 2018 at the age of 59.
“It’s still so fresh,” the businesswoman explained to the cameras. “There’s a lot of people who say taking your life is selfish. I’ve never felt that, and I know my brother well enough to know that he didn’t need to do that. It was a cry for help gone totally wrong.”
Beginning to cry, the Housewife continued, “I’m a strong woman; I can cope. But I was never prepared for this, and it’s been very difficult.”
Trouble was brewing with the other Housewives too, after Dorit Kemsley adopted a puppy from Vanderpump Dogs that was later found in a shelter.
Kemsley told Erika Girardi that the puppy was “not the right fit for the family” after nipping at her children and her husband, but that she had not believed the dog would end up in a shelter, saying she had given it away to a “beautiful home.”
Vanderpump claimed not to be upset at Kemsley, telling Richards and Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, “Maybe in her mind, she believed it was going to a good home.”
But Richards felt like she was getting a double standard from Vanderpump friendship-wise, not being invited to the opening of her new restaurant Tom Tom, despite not being accused of dropping a rescue dog off at the shelter.
Vanderpump insisted that because the Tom Tom opening was a party for The Daily Mail, she didn’t invite anyone to the bash, but Richards was clearly upset, calling her a “b—,” and telling her “I’m not gonna f—ing do this again.”
“Lisa likes to take the opportunity to make me look bad sometimes,” Richards explained to the camera. “And I sit her and watch her with friends that do something really, really s—y and watch her do nothing.”
Breaking down and apologizing to Richards, Vanderpump embraced her friend, who accused her of “looking to start s—” with her before making up.
“I’m such an idiot,” Vanderpump said through tears as Richards and Mellencamp Arroyave comforted her.
“Lisa’s always been one to hide her emotions, but after her brother passed, she’s having a lot of ups and downs right now,” Richards explained.
With just two months between this scene and the Housewives’ fiery fight, it’s clear there’s much more to come this season.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
Photo credit: Bravo
