The 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star opens up about Lisa Vanderpump leaving the show and what’s still to come on season nine.
Kyle Richards says she has nothing but respect for Lisa Vanderpump.
"I always wish Lisa the best," the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star tells ET's Katie Krause. "I know that she may not feel that, because of everything that's gone on this season, but I have a lot of respect for Lisa. I care about her very much. You know, we had a lot of fun together, and I really wish her the best! I think she's amazing at what she does with her restaurants and bars, so I wish her continued success and health and happiness."
"That’s how I really feel, so hopefully that’s the high road," she adds. "If I felt otherwise, it would be a very low road."
Lisa and Kyle haven’t spoken since last fall, when Lisa fell out with nearly the entire cast of RHOBH over some drama involving a dog that Dorit Kemsley adopted from Lisa’s rescue. Lisa ultimately chose to quit the show, skipping out on the reunion taping earlier this month. (It's important to note this interview took place before news broke that Lisa's mother had died.)
"I don’t know," Kyle offers when asked if Lisa's really done with the show. "I don’t know. I think she's done for now."
Kyle seemingly sympathizes with Lisa's choice, admitting she understands wanting to walk away from the series.
"We all [think about it]," she says. "That’s why I say you just, you never know … Honestly, each year you think, 'I mean, could I really hang in there another year?' But there's a lot of fun we have, too, you know? I think you've seen on the show this season, even though it was drama, there was also a lot of fun. I mean, the last episode was crazy, crazy ridiculous, but we laughed a lot, too!"
The most recent episode, of course, featured Kyle and Teddi Mellencamp’s drunken antics in Provence, France. The duo's attempt to go to bed turned into a bit of a slapstick comedy routine.
"Hey, I made it nine years without making that big of a fool out of myself," Kyle quips. "We live and learn!"
As for what’s still to come this season, Kyle promises some unexpected twists.
"There's just a lot going on with the women and our relationships, and the show is really strong still," she notes. "I think this is a crazy, crazy season and, you know, it's kind of crazy to the very end. It ends on a crazy note, too!"
Then comes the reunion, which Kyle describes as "brutal."
"If I had to pick one word, I'd have to say 'brutal,'" Kyle shares. "It's the worst. It's like, I mean -- whoever came up with that is really... I need to find out who that was, because it's really tortuous for everybody!"
"It was the longest reunion we've ever shot," she continues. "It’s not fun to do that. And even though there's a lot of women that are getting along and are very close right now, there's also a lot of other stuff going on, obviously. So, no one wants to relive it."
ET spoke with Kyle at the premiere party for MTV's The Hills: New Beginnings last week in Los Angeles, which served as a pseudo celebration of all reality TV.
"I was just actually sitting with Kris Jenner and Faye Resnick, and we were talking about the whole reality TV phenomenon," Kyle reflects. "I mean, yes, [The Hills is] a part of it! The Osbournes are a part of it. Paris and The Simple Life, all of that, you know? So, I mean -- we're on our ninth year [of Housewives], it's really crazy to think that reality TV goes back even more than that. It's already like a lifetime!"
"You know, we're going -- it’s our ninth year and the ratings are really high," she says. "People have been following our lives for a really long time."
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo, while The Hills: New Beginnings airs Mondays on MTV.
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