Kyle Richards Feels 'Terrible' For Bringing Morgan Wade On RHOBH

Kyle Richards is a staple of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," having appeared in almost 300 episodes since the reality show debuted in 2010 through the beginning of 2024. She's been in the spotlight even longer. Richards made a stunning transformation from her early days as a child actor in television series like "Little House on the Prairie" and the film "Halloween." As an adult, in addition to her longstanding time on "RHOBH," Richards has appeared on "ER," and reprised her original "Halloween" role in the franchise sequels "Halloween Kills" and "Halloween Ends." 

Off-screen, Richards became friends with country singer Morgan Wade after she became a fan of Wade's music. Richards connected with the singer via Instagram. While Wade was unfamiliar with Richards' reality show, the two women bonded over other shared interests, like Wordle and working out. Richards also worked behind the scenes to film a documentary about Wade. 

Then, starting in 2023, Wade joined her friend on three episodes of "RHOBH." As evidence of their strong bond, Richards even tattooed her first initial onto Wade's arm on camera. 

However, by January 2024, Richards expressed guilt about putting her friendship with Wade on television. The "RHOBH" star noted the experience brought extra stress on Wade. "Seeing these headlines ... just [being] thrust into the spotlight brought her anxiety," Richards explained on Amazon Live. "Like myself, she suffers from anxiety, so I felt terrible to have put her in that position."

Although Morgan Wade is used to performing as a musician, Kyle Richards acknowledges that the singer's experience is very different from Richards' life as a reality TV star. "She just wants to make music and all of a sudden she was thrust into this like, world of gossip and tabloids and traveling and having paparazzi take pictures of her," Richards explained on Amazon Live.

This isn't the first time that Richards observed that her relationship with Wade has caused the country singer to go out of her comfort zone. Before Wade appeared on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Richards asked her to perform at a concert in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Wade later admitted to Richards that the attention she received that night made her uneasy. If not for her commitment to Richards, Wade might have left the event early.  Wade was compelled to work through her discomfort since she was aware the event was personally important to Richards. The benefit supported suicide prevention and recognized Richards' late childhood friend Lorene Shea. 

Despite the difficulties of a friendship in the spotlight, Richards sees the benefits of their bond. On a "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" episode, she noted that Wade inspires her. In contrast to Richards' own struggle with seeking perfection, the reality star said, "Morgan is 100 percent herself. No excuses, no apologies and there was something very freeing about that to me" (via Us Weekly).

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In July 2023, news broke that Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky, her husband of 27 years, were separating. Immediately, Morgan Wade's friendship with Richards drew her into the drama, as rumors implicated the country singer in the situation. Wade was so upset she skipped her usual routine of working out and stayed in bed for days. "I seriously thought I was going to have to go to a rehab just preventively, to keep me from doing something stupid," Wade, who has been sober for six years, later informed The New York Times. To cope, the singer sought out therapy.

A month later, Wade demonstrated her resilience when she released a music video for her song "Fall in Love with Me." The video features steamy scenes between Richards and Wade, with the two feeding each other and taking a bubble bath together.  Wade noted the video was a direct response to rumors that she and Richards had a romantic connection. Their strategy was to "poke fun at that and ... troll the trolls a little bit," Wade explained on Instagram.

As for Umansky, he praised both Richards and Wade's performances in the video. "He likes Morgan a lot. We've gone to her shows [as a] family," Richards explained to Us Weekly in December 2023. At the time, the "RHOBH" star also noted that she and her husband were still living together and figuring out their relationship.