Celebrity News March 18, 2024
Mauricio Umansky on ‘Annoying’ Speculation Amid Kyle Richards Separation (Exclusive)
Real estate mogul Mauricio Umansky and daughters Farrah Brittany, Alexia Umansky and Sophia Umansky are dishing on “Buying Beverly Hills” Season 2.
“Extra’s” Megan Ryte spoke with the cast about the new season, which not only focused on the selling, but also the drama surrounding Mauricio and wife Kyle Richards' separation.
Mauricio didn't mince words about living his life in public!
He said, “Sometimes I feel like the public eye... just all the scrutiny — particularly with going through the separation from Kyle — speculation, scrutiny, all of that, it's annoying.”
When asked if it’s difficult to say how he feels due to possible headlines, he answered, “Not being able to live under any privacy or anything like that. That's definitely a very huge sacrifice that I think we all accept when we all want to be on reality television, and it’s a sacrifice.”
As for regretting things he’s said in the past, Mauricio said, “It happens all the time."
"Buying Beverly Hills" is supposed to center around Mauricio and his professional life with his daughters.
Mauricio said he wanted to create a “real estate-porn show that was exciting and people could learn from.”
Sophia spoke about having her family's personal business play out in public, reflecting, "I feel like this whole thing unfolded in the middle of filming. So, it would've felt weird to continue filming and pretending our lives didn't change so much. It almost felt natural to open up about it on the show."
She continued, "Hearing everyone’s responses to that is really hard. You really can’t do anything right on ‘The Housewives.’ Everybody is like, ‘You need to share more’… Then we open up on this show and everyone’s like, ‘This should have been handled privately at home...’ I wish everyone was nice and empathetic.”
Sophia also said mom Kyle has been helpful with tips for navigating reality TV. "I feel like she was my go-to person," she recalled. "When we would sit down and do interviews for the show, I would literally cry because I hate doing interviews. I hate being put on the spot. She would always calm me down and make me feel so much better."
Kyle and Mauricio's separation was, of course, also a storyline on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
It didn’t faze Farrah or make her hesitant to be part of a reality show. She said, “‘Buying Beverly Hills’ came along and it seemed just like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knows where this could go? Who knows where this could take us with our business? This is a real estate-focused show. Of course, this year, things kind of changed a little in part of our personal lives... but at the end of the day, I think that we just want this to be great for our company and for business."
She added, "I think it's more of a question of the other show is the issue, maybe" referring to "RHOBH." "And for this one, it's exciting. It's not supposed to be based on drama and be so heavy.”
The daughters also all dished on what it's like having dad Mauricio as their boss, which can sometimes be challenging!
Sophia admitted, "I definitely struggle taking orders from him. I feel like at home, I'm the boss of him. In the office, he's the boss, so I have to listen to what he says, and that is definitely a struggle for me. But I also do love it. It's brought us so much closer, and we have the best time together at work."
Alexia reflected, "I do get very nostalgic and full of pride when I look at what we've accomplished and the culture we have and the friendships we have in our office and how much fun I have every day, and I can literally look back and remember when it was just an idea at home. I feel like I got to see it from the behind-the-scenes from the very beginning, so that to me is so special and so beautiful."
She added, "The most difficult part is that we are the daughters and it's kind of like, 'Oh, I'll talk to him when I get home,' but then we're not allowed to talk business at the dinner table." She explained, "We get stopped by mom and [sister] Portia."
“Buying Beverly Hills” Season 2 premieres March 22 on Netflix.