Kyle Richards, the last remaining original cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, might finally be preparing to leave the Bravo series. The Halloween Kills star told E! News earlier this week during NBCUniversal’s upfronts that Season 12 could be her last. The news comes after Richards’ close friend, Lorene Shea, died after a struggle with mental illness.
“I always say, ‘I don’t know,’ and each season I think, ‘Well maybe I can do one more,’” Richards, 53, told E! News when asked if she would star in RHOBH Season 13. “And sometimes I’m just like, ‘How can I keep doing this?’ especially when I get really upset, like this last season when we ended.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
After she finished filming Season 12, Richards was sure that was the last time she wanted to participate. She felt she was done and wanted to “live my life in peace.” However, that feeling could change after she has time to “digest” the events of the past season. “I just take it day by day,” she said.
Richards did not share details of Season 12, but she has mentioned a falling out with co-star and half-sister Kathy Hilton. On May 11, Richards told Watch What Happens Live host, Andy Cohen that they hit a “little bit of a rough patch” after filming the latest season However, Richards reconciled with Hilton and her other sister, Kim Richards, after they reached out to her following Shea’s death. “My sisters and I are speaking again because they’ve also known Lorene since she was seven,” Richards told E! News. “So, you know, life works in funny ways.”
Richards continues to grieve for Shea, who died on May 1. Shea’s death has inspired Richards to push for mental health reform. She agreed with Ashley Judd, who recently told Good Morning America that depression “lies to you” after Ahsley’s mother Naomi Judd took her own life. Naomi also struggled with mental illness and depression.
“[Lorene] really felt there was no hope for her and that she would never come back. And there was no way to get her the help that she needed because we were constantly told, ‘Well, she’s an adult. She doesn’t want to come here,’” Richards said this week. “And now she’s gone… And we’re all left to suffer, knowing that if she could have gotten the help, maybe she would still be here today. So, changes definitely have to be made.”
Richards also pointed out that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. “I don’t want it to be something that’s so uncomfortable to talk about,” she said of mental illness. “If [Lorene] had cancer, we lost her to cancer, we would be talking openly about that.”
Richards shot to fame as a child star and plays Lindsey Wallace in the Halloween franchise. She joined RHOBH when the show launched in 2010 and is the last remaining bast member. Season 12, which debuted on May 11, also stars Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne, Dorit Kemsley, Garcelle Beauvais, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Sutton Stracke, and Diana Jenkins.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.
