Kyle Richards Addresses Lisa Vanderpump Skipping Out on Filming ‘RHOBH’ (Exclusive)

The ‘Real Housewives’ star fills ET in on the ‘unpredictable’ season to come, which Lisa is rumored to have stopped filming midseason.

Kyle Richards promises Real Housewives of Beverly Hills lovers are in for an “unpredictable” season.

“I always say, when it's crazy TV, it's really bad for us,” she tells ET. “'Cause that means a lot of stress for the cast, but hey, hopefully you guys will like it.”

Viewers are eagerly awaiting season nine of the Bravo hit, which is currently filming and expected to premiere in early 2019. Until then, fans are spending a lot of time in the rumor mill, as reports continue to surface that Lisa Vanderpump has essentially gone MIA on her co-stars, reportedly refusing to film the show with them due to some unconfirmed drama.

“I mean, well... that's a question you have to ask her!” Richards says when asked what went down. “All l I know is, I love Lisa. We've been friends for many years. We started the show together. We're the two last originals left from the cast, and I love her. If she needs to take her time to, you know, step away for whatever reason, you know, all I know is, we've all reached out to her. We've all included her. We've all wanted her to be there and included. The ball's in her court, I guess, you know? It's up to her.”

Vanderpump has missed out on some public full-cast outings, including Camille Grammer’s recent wedding and Richards’ Halloween bash. Richards and her co-stars, most notably Lisa Rinna, have been clapping back at commenters who ask about Vanderpump on Instagram posts from events like those.

“Because everything's wrong!” Richards exclaims. “And there's stories about, that we haven't invited her, that we haven't included her. That's not true! She's been included, invited to everything. So, we're like, no. No, that's not what's happening here. So, you feel the need to defend yourself when you see stories like that, or comments. People, I'm like, where are they getting this from?! That's not true. That didn't happen. Sometimes we can't resist clapping back, what can I say?”

In October, a source told ET that Vanderpump was still filming the series, just not with her cast. Instead, she was said to be shooting solo scenes surrounding her business ventures and charity work. Bravo does not comment on series still in production. 

“I'd like her to be around,” the reality star admits. “You know, selfishly, I like being with Lisa. We have fun and we laugh together. So, yeah. I'd like her to be there, you know? I always, I've always wanted to do the show with Lisa.”

Richards confesses she and Vanderpump last spoke “not that recently,” and she played coy when asked if the restaurateur would show up on the final, still-to-be-filmed girls’ trip for the new season. What she would divulge, however, is that the upcoming episodes will be unlike anything the viewers have seen before.

“[It’s] unpredictable,” she teases. “So unpredictable. I mean, that’s the word. Unpredictable. It's really been like, every day, I don't know what's coming next. I really don't. None of us do.”

“I've never felt like that through a season, so it's strange,” she adds. “You just don't know what's going to be around the next corner.”

With only weeks left to film, Richards says she has no idea how things will end. She even seemed to hint that Vanderpump might skip out on the reunion, which will tape in the spring.

“I'd like to see some resolution, yeah, to some of the things that are going on,” she notes. “I think we'll have some resolution with some, and some I don't know.”

Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton attend the opening of Rebag Melrose Place. - BFA.com

ET caught up with Richards at the opening of Rebag Melrose Place, the first of two Los Angeles boutiques for the retailer, which buys and sells “gently loved” high-end handbags.

“I'm a big lover of handbags and I was burglarized in December, and they stole all my handbags, so you know, in the beginning, I was like, I don't know if I can replace these things!” Richards tells ET. “But now, little by little, I am. And yesterday, I actually replaced it with a beautiful bag I got here.”

Richards attended the event with her sister, Kathy Hilton. The pair’s relationship was previously strained due to Richards’ scripted series for Paramount Network, American Woman, which was loosely based on her and Hilton’s childhood. The series was canceled in September after one season.

“You know, family's family,” Richards notes. “So, they have their moments. We're no different than anybody else. Now we're good and we're happy -- thank god, because it's the holidays!”

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