Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Half-sister Kathy (the sisters share motherKathleen Richards, who died in 2002, but Kathy has a different father), was also a child actor, but she did not work as extensively as her younger siblings. Kathy appeared in episodes ofNanny and the Professor,Family Affair,Bewitched,Happy Daysand more. She is also known for marrying into the wealthy Hilton family and being the mother toParis HiltonandNicky Hilton.
While the women spent most of their lives in the public eye, it wasn’t until the release ofThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsin 2010 that the drama between them came to light.
From falling outs and reconciliations — both on screen and off — here is a complete breakdown of the family drama betweenKyle Richards, Kim Richards and Kathy Hilton.
October 14, 2010:The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillspremieres
Joe Pugliese/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillspremiered on Oct. 14, 2010. Kim and Kyle were both in the original cast, along withLisa Vanderpump,Adrienne Maloof,Taylor ArmstrongandCamille Grammer. The sisters got into arguments during the first season, but generally about what was going on within the group of women.
January 20, 2011: Kim and Kyle Richards get into a shocking fight on theRHOBHseason 1 finale
In the season 1 finale ofRHOBH, Kyle and Kim got into an argument that would be remembered for years to come. In the back of a limo, the sisters yelled insults at one another until the conversation hit a breaking point, with Kyle calling Kim an “alcoholic” and telling her to “get help.” The remarks were the first time either of them had mentioned Kim’s struggles with drinking. In a confessional after the fight, Kim said she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to talk to Kyle again.
In the tell-all bookNot All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It, it was later revealed that the sisters “begged” Bravo to leave out the fight scene.
December 2011: Kim Richards enters rehab
While season 2 ofRHOBHwas airing, Kimentered rehabfor alcohol abuse. At that time, Kylespoke out in support of hersister during an interview with HuffPost.
Kim returned to the show for three more seasons following her rehab stay.
November 2014: Kim Richards' dog bites Kyle Richards' daughter
Another source of tension between the sisters came in 2014 — when Kim’s dog bit Kyle’s daughter,Alexia Umansky. Alexia had to undergo surgery on her hand and Kyle posted photos from the hospital, which upset Kim.
Kyle opened up about the incidentin a Bravo blog post in April 2015. “In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t posted that picture, but I certainly didn’t mean to hurt Kim,” she wrote. “It was a difficult time for all involved. I didn’t blame Kim personally regarding the dog and was willing to drop it and move forward, yet she was too angry with me regarding the Instagram post to be able to do that.”
March 3, 2015: Kim and Kyle Richards face off during another memorableHousewivesfight
Evans Vestal Ward/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Kim also brought up Kathy during the fight, saying, “Kathy would not ever act like this. Kathy would have my back like a real sister.”
March 24, 2015: Kim Richards' final episode as a full-time Housewife airs
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After five seasons, Kim left the show as a full-time cast member due to legal issues and another rehab stay.
In April 2015, Kim checked into rehab again following an arrest on charges of public intoxication, resisting arrest and battery on a cop. Then, in August 2015, Kim was arrested again after allegedly trying to steal $600 worth of merchandise from Target. In relation to the shoplifting arrest, she was sentenced in October 2015 to probation, community service and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. She was also asked to continue treatment for substance abuse.
Around this time, Kim sat down for an interview withDr. Phil McGrawwhere shediscussed her relapseand said the tension between her and her family caused her to break her sobriety.
“It isn’t the blog or the season that upset me. It was the relationship between my sister and my niece that’s been destroyed,” she said while crying. “But the bottom line is, it’s the overall outcome of where today is with my relationships with the people I love the most, and that’s what really started getting me upset.”
She also admitted to lying about her sobriety on the season 5 reunion special because she was “ashamed” and “embarrassed.”
“I would have loved to say to the girls, ‘You know what, you’re right,’ but the way they were coming at me, they didn’t make it easy,” she added.
October 8, 2015: Kyle Richards gives an update on Kim Richards
The sisters' relationship seemed on the mend as Kyle supported Kim through her recovery.
“She’s doing really well — she’s doing really well right now,” Kyletold PEOPLEin October 2015.
Kyle gave another update on Kim in November 2015 during an interview onAndy CohenLive. “She’s happy. She’s sober. She shows up this season,” Kyle said. “We have a very difficult relationship and we will probably always be a work in progress.”
July 2015: Kyle Richards gets uninvited from Nicky Hilton’s wedding
Stefanie Keenan/Getty
During a season 6 episode ofRHOBH, Kyle shared thatshe was uninvitedfrom niece Nicky’s wedding to husbandJames Rothschild, and then reinvited.
“I was told it’d be better if I didn’t come to the wedding, so I’m not going,“Kyle said on the showprior to being invited again. “I’ve always been very close with all of my nieces and nephews, but somewhere along the line, something happened where I was told it may be a better idea if I didn’t come.” She continued, “I don’t even know how to describe — nor do I want to describe — the relationship between my sisters and me. It’s just really bad.”
Kyle did end upattending the wedding, which was held at The Orangery at Kensington Palace.
December 2016 - April 2017: Kim Richards is the center ofRHOBHdrama
Even though she wasn’t a full-time cast member, Kim was a main storyline onRHOBHseason 7. Cast member Rinna said that Kyle was “an enabler” and that Kim was “probably mostly sober” but that “they’re this close to Kim dying.” Kyle had her sister’s back and ended up confronting Rinna about the remarks.
“Did you or did you not say that my sister is close to death?” Kyle said to Rinna. “And that she is not 100 percent sober and that I’m an enabler?”
The situation continued into the reunion at which Kim famouslyreturned a bunny stuffed animalthat Rinna had gifted Kim’s grandchild.
May 2018: Kyle Richards says that she and Kathy Hilton aren’t speaking
Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty
During the season 8 reunion, Kyle revealed thatshe hadn’t spoken to Kathyfor six months at that point and that the tension first arose over her decision to produceAmerican Woman. “That’s why I’m looking forward to her seeingAmerican Woman, because I think she’s going to look and say, ‘I read the situation wrong,’ " Kyle said. “And then we’ll go from there.”
Kyle also commented on the situation involving her husband and the Hiltons. “I think it started with my husband leaving their real estate company and opening [competitor] The Agency.”
May 30, 2018: Kyle Richards opens up about Kathy Hilton andAmerican Woman
Ahead of the June 2018 premiere ofAmerican Woman, Kyle spoke to PEOPLE aboutwhere she stood with Kathyand explained that Kathy felt the show was going to be too personal.
Kyle also said Kim was supportive of the show. “I love my sisters and I would never do anything to disrespect or embarrass them. I’m looking forward to the show coming out so Kathy can see it and realize. That’s my hope,” she added.
September 2018: Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton celebrate Kim Richards' birthday together
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
In September 2018, the three sisters appeared to be on good terms.Kim posted an Instagramof herself celebrating her birthday with both of her sisters and a group of friends, and the following month, an insider told PEOPLE thatKathy and Kyle were doing a lot betteras well.
“They’ve worked on their relationship and things have gotten so much better,” the source said. “Kyle hated that they weren’t getting along. Kyle is so much happier when there is peace in her relationships with her sisters.”
June 11, 2019: Kyle Richards talks about the idea of Kathy Hilton joiningRHOBH
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
During an appearance onWatch What Happens Livein June 2019,Kyle addressed a rumorabout Kathy joiningRHOBH.
“I mean, I would be happy … I’ve had one sister on, why not have another sister on?” she said. “My sister Kathy is actually — people don’t know this, but she’s one the funniest people there is. She’s a practical joker and she’s very, very funny. So I think she would be an amazing Housewife, actually.”
May 19, 2021: Kathy Hilton’s first season ofRHOBHpremieres
Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
The first season ofRHOBHto feature Kathy in an official role premiered on May 19, 2021. Kathy was a big hit during the season thanks to quirky moments, including asking “Who is hunky dory?” when a castmate used the turn of phrase.
In an interview with PEOPLE,Kathy said that she saw doing the showas a way to spend more time with Kyle. “I never would have thought I’d say yes to this. I stopped watching it after the first season. My sister Kyle and I had our ups and downs so it was nothing that I wanted to watch,” Kathy explained. “But Kyle convinced me to do it. And I was flattered. I thought it would be an opportunity for us to spend time together. I really missed her.”
October 20, 2021: Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton have an emotionalRHOBHreunion
Nicole Weingart/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Kathy also shared her feelings aboutAmerican Woman, saying that anything involving their late mother is difficult for her. “Just the fact that she’s not here anymore, it’s just very hard for me,” she said.
July 19, 2022: Kyle Richards says filming with her sisters is “difficult”
Kathy Hilton, Kim Richards and Kyle Richards.Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
During an appearance on Australia’sThe Morning Show,Kyle said that filming with her sisterscan be “very difficult.”
“When my sister Kim was on, it was great, and then it was awful,” Kyle explained. “It was one of the worst times on the show for me ever. With Kathy, I was like, ‘It’s gonna be great, we’re gonna have fun.’ And we really did last season. And of course, something happened this season but we are sisters. We’re blood. So, we’ll always come back together again at the end of the day.”
July 20, 2022: Kathy Hilton speaks out about her supposed feud with Kyle Richards
Ahead of the release of the second half of season 12, Kathy spoke out abouther feud with KyletoEntertainment Tonight.
“You know, I had said some things out of frustration that I was feeling personally,” Kathy said. “I did apologize to Kyle. Sisters do go through things … I learned.”
Kathy also talked about her relationship with Kim and addressed rumors that she doesn’t get along with her.
“That is a rumor I would like to clear up — Kim and I have never had a problem,” she said. “I mean, like all sisters, we’ve had a little something here or there … but we get along very, very well.”
September 14, 2022: Tensions rise between Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton onRHOBH
In an episode ofThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,the reality stars headed to Aspen, wheretensions roseduring “tequila-gate.” After Kathy tried to get her fellow castmates to taste the tequila brand, Casa Del Sol, that she and her daughters, Paris and Nicky, invested in, she got upset at Kyle for not defending her after Rinna’s apparent snub. (Rinna sippedKendall Jenner’s818 Tequilaand complemented its sweet taste instead of trying Kathy’s).
Ultimately, Kathy left the group and could be heard saying “too f—ing disgusting,” as she walked away. She added, “I am f—ing pissed off!”
“Once Kathy is mad, it’s hard to turn that around,” Kyle said in a confessional. “Listen, Kathy can be so much fun and funny. She can also be very difficult. The part that bothers me so much is how much I let it affect me. That’s where it’s different with friends versus sisters.”
September 21, 2022: Kyle Richards says she doesn’t know if she can “fix” her relationship with Kathy Hilton after Aspen breakdown
During an episode ofThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsthat aired on Sept. 21, 2022,Kyle and Kathy’s relationship was again put to the test afterKathy’s “breakdown” in Aspen.
After leaving a nightclub early with Kathy, Rinna alleged that Kathy started “screaming about everything” and threatening to “take down the show single-handedly.”
Rinna said things escalated from there, adding, “She takes her glasses off, she throws them on the ground, she’s jumping up and down, breaking her glasses, she’s pounding the walls and she’s screaming she ‘made’ Kyle… Kathy’s responsible for Kyle and she said, ‘I will destroy Kyle and her family if it’s the last thing I ever do.’ "
In a confessional, Rinna claimed that “Kyle is way more famous and way more successful than Kathy Hilton’s ever been,” which has led to jealousy between the two.
Later, Kyle traveled to Georgia to continue filmingHalloween Ends.She explained that she hadn’t seen or spoken to Kathy since the incident in Aspen. “I really, honestly believed that we would never go to a bad place ever again,” Kyle said in her confessional. “And I don’t know how I can fix this.”
October 14, 2022: Kathy Hilton addresses her feud with Kyle Richards at BravoCon
At BravoCon 2022 Kathy shared an update onher relationship with Kyleafter theRHOBHseason 12 drama. “We love each other. We’re family,” she explained. “I think she’s beginning to really see through things.” Kathy added that she’s “not speaking” to her sister right now but would be open to a conversation.
Cohen, who was also at the convention, told PEOPLE that he “hopes” thesisters will work out their differences. “Blood is blood,” he said. He also addressed the possibility that Kim would return toRHOBHto help mend fences between the pair, saying, “I hope so. I love Kim.”
October 26, 2022: Kyle Richards says she doesn’t think she can “fix” relationship with Kathy Hilton
On thethird and final partofthe RHOBHreunion, much of the conversation revolved around drama from the women’s trip to Aspen. After lots of back-and-forth, Kyle began to cry. “I feel very put in the middle of this whole situation,” she said. “Obviously, my sister is my sister. My feelings were very hurt. I feel like I always get the blame for things in my family… I didn’t f—ing do anything and then when this whole thing came out, it just made us worse and set us back.”
Later in the conversation, Kathy told her sister, “I think that I had so much that’s hurt me … I thought we were going to have more to our relationship.”
As the reunion episode neared an end, Kyle asked Kathy why she was mad at her. Kathy said she didn’t want to talk about it. Host Cohen then stepped in, saying, “Kyle, you’ve been crying for the last while. You’re clearly still very upset about everything with your sister. Do you feel like you two can figure this out?” She responded, “I hope so.”
Still, things didn’t seem promising when Kyle later spoke toDorit Kemsleyabout the feud. “You are going to fix it,” Kemsley told a tearful Kyle.
November 16, 2022: Farrah Brittany says she and Paris Hilton don’t talk about the tension between their moms
During anappearance on the#NoFilter with Zack Peterpodcast, Brittany addressed the ongoing tension between her mom, Kyle, and her aunt Kathy — and how it’s impacted her relationship with her cousin Paris, whom she’s “extremely, extremely close” to.
“We don’t talk about it. It’s too painful,” she shared. “We’re both very defensive of our moms. If we let that interrupt our dynamic, it would be too painful and too hard to untangle. We let our moms do their thing and we just shut it out.”
Brittany went on to add: “Hopefully everything’s going to be OK soon. It’s really hard to deal with.”
December 6, 2022: Kathy Hilton says she hasn’t talked to Kyle Richards in “a while”
At the People’s Choice Awards, Kathy talked toAccess Hollywoodabout the tension between her and Kyle.
“I have not talked to [Kyle] in a while,” she told the outlet. “We’ve texted, but I have not talked to her for a while.”
Kyle also attended the award show — but the sisters kept a cordial distance all night.
“We could be better, but we are sisters and at the end of the day we always come together, but we could be better and that’s what I want, that’s what I need in my life — to feel good,” the reality star toldExtra.
March 12, 2023: Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton pose for a photo together at Elton John’s Oscars party
Kathy Hilton and Kyle Richards at Elton John’s Academy Awards Viewing Party.Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation
Kyle and Kathyposed for a picture togetheratElton John’s31st Annual Academy Awards Viewing Partyin Los Angeles. However, they sat at separate tables during the event.
A source later told PEOPLE that Kyle and Kathy are “still not speaking.”
“Nothing has really changed since the reunion. They’re still not speaking. Nobody has made an effort to sit down and patch things up,” the source explained. “Kyle is busy focusing on herself right now and Kathy is doing the same. But they’re family and each of them are supportive of the other and always will be.”
April 10, 2023: Kathy Hilton and Kim Richards open up about their sisterly bond
Kim told Kathy how much she appreciates herduring an interview withEntertainment Tonight. “I love love. I look up to you … You’re like my biggest supporter,” Kim told Kathy. “You’re always behind me and always encouraging me and when I think I can’t do something, I know you believe I can.”
“We do have fun together. We really do,” Kim continued. “And I think also the other thing is you’re very patient with me and that’s huge because sometimes I need that.”
“So I was thrilled to have — you know, go into the nursery in the morning and just look at you and poke at you to try to wake you up so that I can pick you up,” Kathy added.
April 18, 2023: Kyle Richards expresses hope for a reconciliation with Kathy Hilton
Kyleopened up to PEOPLE about her relationship with Kathyduring an event in Los Angeles.
“We’ll get there one day, you know, it takes time,” she said on chances of the sisters making up. “Family’s complicated. You know, we’re no different than anybody else except we’re in the public eye. But, we’ve gone through hard times before and we’ve always come back together. So that’s the hope.”
May 16, 2023: Kyle Richards reunites with Kathy Hilton and Kim Richards at her niece’s bridal shower
Kim Richards, Kathy Hilton, Kyle Richards, Kimberly Jackson and Whitney Davis.Kyle Richards Instagram
Kyle, Kathy and Kimreunited at Kim’s daughter Whitney’s bridal shower. Kyle posted photos from the event on her Instagram, including a photo of the three sisters posing with some of their children.
“My beautiful niece @whittlesdavis is getting married 💍💞 A beautiful shower for our Whittles,” Kyle wrote in the caption. “So happy for you & @lukegrahamwhite 🤍.”
June 5, 2023: Kathy Hilton confirms exit fromRHOBH
While chatting with E! News, Kathy confirmed that she’s no longer involved with theRHOBH.
“I’m doingParis in Love,” she said, referring to her daughter’s reality show. “But I know [RHOBHis] going to be great. It’s always interesting and fun and lots of drama.”
According to Kyle, Kathy’s departure from the Bravo series hasn’t benefited their strained relationship.
“Things are obviously not great— I think most people know that,” she told E! co-hosts Justin Sylvester andAdrienne Bailon-Houghton. “But we’re family, we’re blood. We’ll always come back together.”
November 28, 2023: Kim Richards reveals she hasn’t spoken to Kyle Richards in months amid her sister’s separation from Mauricio Umansky
After separating from her husband, Mauricio Umansky, in July 2023, Kyle decided to keep her marital issues to herself.
“I don’t know anything about what’s going on with her,” Kim told PEOPLE during a rare sit-down interview with Kyle and Kathy. “She didn’t call me at allreally, but I called her every day or at least once a week and just said, ‘I love you. I’m here for you.’ I was hurt because I’ve always been her go-to.”
Kyle responded: “When I’m struggling, I keep to myself a lot. That’s how I kind of operate. I get quiet.”
March 13, 2024: Kathy Hilton defends Kyle Richards at theRHOBHReunion
“You know what? People I know, when you’re high profile, they’re gonna say, ‘You’re this, you’re that.’ They’re gonna make stories up,” Kathy said, coming to her sister’s defense.
Paris came to her father’s defense in a since-deleted comment on the fan Instagram account @queensofbravo. “My father is a consummate gentlemanand has always taken the higher road. He would never speak negatively about his family- especially in the press,” she wrote. “Frankly we are all sick of him [Mauricio] using the Hilton name every chance he gets to plug his lame show. It is enough already.”
source: people.com
