Mauricio Umansky Says Ignoring His 'Issues' with Kyle Richards on “Buying Beverly Hills ”'Would've Been Awkward' (Exclusive)
The Agency CEO opened up about the challenges of filming ‘Buying Beverly Hills’ season 2 amid his split from Richards during an exclusive interview with PEOPLE
Mauricio Umansky exclusively revealed to PEOPLE what it was like to film Buying Beverly Hills amid his separation from wife Kyle Richards
The pair’s split was confirmed in July 2023 when the second season of the Netflix real estate show was being filmed
Season 2 of Buying Beverly Hills premieres Friday, March 22, and appears to document the couple’s split based on the trailer
Mauricio Umansky is opening up about the challenges of filming with Kyle Richards amid their split.
Ahead of Friday’s season 2 premiere of Buying Beverly Hills, the Agency CEO revealed to PEOPLE how he and Richards navigated their marital hardships on the Netflix real estate drama.
“There were definitely challenges,” he says. “It was happening, it was real life. We had the cameras on.”
Umansky continues that he and Richards had a “choice” to “pretend that it wasn’t happening” while they were filming. However, he adds that, “I think that would’ve been awkward on television.”
“The reality is that we are going through our issues after being married for 28, 29 years. We did it and we chose to put it on camera and it was great, and now the audience gets to see the way that we interacted with each other.”
He explains that viewers will see “real life issues that happen all the time” in decades-long marriages.
In the trailer for season 2 released last Thursday, fans got a glimpse of what appeared to be the real estate broker and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star making the difficult decision to reevaluate their marriage.
The opening scene shows the couple — who met in 1994 and married in January 1996 — in their bedroom as Umansky says, "I've been so stressed and the travel obviously affects us.”
In the next clip, the pair appear to sit down with their daughters during a family dinner to address the tense situation. Umansky and Richards share daughters Alexia, 27, Sophia, 24, and Portia, 16, as well as Kyle's eldest daughter Farrah Brittany, 35, from her first marriage to ex Guraish Aldjufrie.
"We wanted to have this conversation when we were all together, for obvious reasons," the Bravo star says. "I'm really sorry you guys..." The shot quickly pans to a different scene where Umansky confirms, "She wanted the separation," referring to his wife.
PEOPLE first confirmed the pair were separated in July 2023. A source close to the two said, "Kyle and Mauricio have been separated for a while now but are still living under the same roof. They remain amicable as they figure out what’s next for them and their family."
Following the news in July, Richards and Umansky both shared statements to their respective Instagram accounts.
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"In regards to the news that came out about us today... Any claims regarding divorcing are untrue," they wrote. “However, yes, we have had a rough year. The most challenging one of our marriage. But we both love and respect each other tremendously."
The statement continues, "There has been no wrongdoing on anyone's part. Although we are in the public eye, we ask to be able to work through our issues privately. While it may be entertaining to speculate, please do not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative."
Season 2 of Buying Beverly Hills will premiere on Netflix on Friday, March 22.
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