‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Star Officially Returning After Money Dispute

Kathy Hilton was a major hit during her first season on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. It was a shocker to many that the mother of socialites Paris and Nicky Hilton would take part in a reality series. But considering her sister Kyle has been on the show since the beginning, Kathy figured she’d join her little sister in the foreign territory. Her nonchalant and sometimes ditsy moments on the show caused many social media reactions. It was a no-brainer for producers to want her to return, but a pay discrepancy caused her to pause. Now, TMZ reports that Kathy is indeed returning to the beloved Bravo franchise.

The media outlet reported that Kathy previously refused to film anything for Season 12 because she felt she was being undervalued by show producers in terms of what they were offering. After several weeks of negotiations, both sides were able to come to an agreement. Kathy will continue to make regular appearances on the reality series.  

Despite reports that Kathy was MIA from filming due to wanting a higher salary, her sister Kyle told TMZ paps that Kathy was busy with Paris’ wedding planning. “She’s getting ready for Paris’ wedding,” Kyle told them at the time. When asked whether or not Kathy was filming the show, Kyle shot back, “Not today. Paris is getting married today.”

As it turns out, Kathy didn’t tell her famous daughters she was joining the show. Nicky told Us Weekly that she’s not a fan of reality shows and didn’t want her mother, 62, to ever participate in reality TV. “She totally did it behind our backs and we read about it in the press. I watched the show and I know those type of shows thrive on drama and I just didn’t want my mom partaking in any of it and she didn’t.”

Kathy is set to begin filming with the cast just after the holidays. Filming has been suspended due to three members – Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne and Garcelle — testing positive for COVID-19. All women are vaccinated and have had mild symptoms. Production for the others will resume at some point this week.