Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards’ close friendship with Morgan Wade has raised eyebrows amid her ongoing separation from husband Mauricio Umanksy.
Richards and Umansky opened up about experiencing “a rough year” in their marriage via a joint Instagram statement in July 2023. The pair also seemingly addressed fan speculation regarding the nature of Richards and Wade’s relationship.
“While it may be entertaining to speculate, please do not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative,” the statement read. (Although the pair asked for privacy to “work through our issues” at the time, Umansky told TMZ in September 2023 that he and Richards are “currently separated.”)
Despite the pair’s request, many have continued to wonder whether there’s a romantic spark between Richards and Wade. When asked which Real Housewife she’d most like to style during a September 2023 appearance on the “Who What Wear” podcast, Real Housewives of New York City star Jenna Lyons, who is a lesbian, joked, “The one I want to get my hands on is Kyle Richards because I think Kyle is coming over to my team, so I think she needs a little help.”
Keep scrolling to see Richards and Wade’s most candid quotes about each other:
An Unlikely Pair
In February 2022, Richards shared an Instagram photo of herself, her daughter Alexia Umansky, fellow RHOBH star Teddi Mellencamp, pal Jenn Leipart and Wade grabbing a bite to eat.
“I stalked @morganwademusic on IG after listening to her music while driving solo from Utah to Colorado while making #housewivesofthenorthpole & today we met up in person for the 1st time. The most unlikely of friendships some may think but kinship knows no boundaries 💞,” she captioned the snap.
A Special Night
Wade performed at Richards’ Night of Music in April 2023, which she hosted in honor of her late friend Lorene Shea.
“Thank you @morganwademusic for performing and making the night even more special by sharing your own personal stories,” Richards wrote via Instagram at the time.
Shutting Down the Dating Rumors
Days after Richards and Umansky released a joint statement admitting they’d had “the most challenging” year of their marriage, Richards set the record straight on her bond with Wade.
“We are very good friends,” she told paparazzi in July 2023 footage obtained by Page Six. When asked if theories that she and Wade are romantically involved is just a rumor, she replied, “Yes.”
Sharing Their Origin Story
The pals explained how their friendship began during an August Instagram Reel shared via Richards’ profile.
“I heard Morgan on the radio. I heard ‘Wilder Days,’” Richards said, referring to Wade’s 2021 single. “And then I went to all the others, and I was like, ‘Wow, this girl is really blowing me away with her voice and the lyrics.’”
The reality star then looked Wade up on Instagram and was surprised by her appearance. “The tattoos and everything, I wasn’t expecting all of that,” she said.
“She was scared,” Wade joked.
Richards continued to admire Wade from afar until the musician “sent me a DM asking me who I was following her.”
Wade chimed in to explain her actions, saying: “I just didn’t expect someone from Beverly Hills (to follow me).”
Trolling the Trolls
Richards and Wade had a bit of fun with the chatter surrounding their relationship by starring in a music video together for Wade’s song “Fall in Love With Me.”
In the video, which dropped in August 2023, Richards plays a homeowner who fantasizes about a romance with her neighbor, played by Wade. Their characters have a series of steamy encounters including taking a bubble bath together, feeding each other fruit and nearly kissing.
The twosome uploaded a joint Instagram post to promote the video.
“It’s campy and fun — but also important and representative of all kinds of love, even in the country space, in any space,” the caption read. “@kylerichardsandi and I trusted the process of making a piece of art that stands boldly beside this music and I’m proud of that.”
Richards and Wade also addressed the inspiration for the video in an Instagram reel shared ahead of its release.
“If you get on the internet, you see people were obsessed with us being friends,” Wade explained. “We thought it would kind of be a good idea to kind of poke fun at that and kind of troll the trolls a little bit.”
Dealing With the Rumors
During an August 2023 interview with 103.5 Kiss FM at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Wade said that she’d come to find the dating speculation “funny,” despite being overwhelmed by it at first. “It’s been a lot. It’s weird. It’s strange,” she said, noting that she and Richards are “good friends.”
Wade continued: “But now, I’m like, people weren’t going to shut up about it. … We made this really sweet video, and it’s nice to be able to bring that light to a same-sex relationship in country music.”
Strictly Business
After Richards and Wade were spotted together in Paris in September 2023, Richards explained that the getaway was work-related as she was hired to produce Wade’s documentary.
“Morgan is very talented. We were in Paris shooting the documentary that you guys probably heard about online,” the actress explained during a Q&A session on Amazon Live. “There’s just so many things out there online. I’m like, why do people just make things up, invent things about the trip? They see that there’s a camera there, and they completely ignore that there’s a camera there.”
A Permanent Bond
The season 13 trailer for RHOBH confirmed fan theories that Wade has a “K” tattoo in honor of Richards.
In the teaser, which was released in October 2023, the pair visited a tattoo parlor together. After Richards introduced her companion to the tattoo artist, Wade joked that they met because, “She stalked me.”
Later in the trailer, Richards’ costar Dorit Kemsley asked her, “You put the first letter of your name on her body. What is going on, Kyle?” In response, Richards simply shrugged.
