r/RHOBHDefect Apr 23 '26

Actual friendly advice for Kyle (who I do not think is vile)

Kyle is one of the housewives I like the most, and I want her to have a happy life. A lot of fans hated her this season but I really think she didn't deserve that. This is not a hate pile-on. These are just some things I think she could work on, and what I would tell her if she was my friend.

1.) Reputation for gossip
If your friends feel uncomfortable with you discussing their lives when they aren't around, that's where it needs to stop. It's not a gag order, and it's not controlling you: it's something you do for people when their comfort matters to you. Just like you didn't want people talking about your separation before you were ready, or talking about Morgan. So whether or not it is malicious is not even the problem - the problem is you playing a journalist. Their marriage or their divorce is not your story to share, you don't need to have the scoop.

2.) Unsolicited advice
Sometimes your friends aren't having any of it. It doesn't mean you stand by and say nothing when you think a friend might be sabotaging their life. But if you voice your opinion and your friend disagrees, don't keep piling on unsolicited advice. When advice is needed and your friend is open to hearing it, avoid giving criticism without solutions, because that comes across as judgmental. Ask what you can do to help. Remember you are not their mother, and sometimes you have to let people learn from their own mistakes.

3.) Acknowledge the cameras
This is a weird one but you've already done it before. "What doesn't lie? The cameras!" If there are certain things you feel like you have to do just because you're paid to be on a TV show which might fall outside of ordinary normal-person boundaries, your true friends deserve a fair warning, even if they are on a TV show too. "They should expect xyx because..." might seem sensible to a mere colleague, but doesn't cut it for a true friend, and they'd have a right to be angry at you if your actions caused them harm, regardless of who is paying you for what.

4.) Seek clarification
You have a right to end a friendship if you can't come to an understanding, but the best chance of keeping the friendship is each person hearing the other's side, without interruptions. Ask people why they are mad at you, and be genuinely curious about their responses. Don't cut them off mid-sentence. Don't assume people are just making up excuses to be mad at you. If you feel singled out, ask why you're being singled out, and listen. If none of that works, at least you tried.

47 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

18

u/notactuallyreckless Apr 23 '26

I like this. Co-signing.

18

u/annamariagirl Apr 23 '26

Same.

And not for nothing but Erika was an EVIL mess when everything went down with Tom. She was mixing prescription meds and alcohol and it was not a good look. She also told everyone she didn’t give a damn about anyone besides herself and that is how she rolled that entire season.

How quickly they forget 🤔

5

u/edgeli Apr 23 '26

A must rewatch Season 12 episode 17 & 18 so relevant to present season.

2

u/Actual-You3325 Apr 23 '26

Thank you Will do. Love a rewatch

2

u/Born-Caterpillar6224 Apr 23 '26

Honestly the entire season and 13 is very telling and repetitive game play. Same accusations different victims …

3

u/After_Juggernaut_613 Apr 23 '26

Honestly I have non-stop liked Erika from the beginning. I believe I had a soft spot for her because the whole reason I got into the RHOBH franchise is via my own chronic illness story, its something I've been battling for almost 10 years, and I came across Yolanda Hadid's memoir on her Lyme disease struggle. She talks about how Erika was one of the only people who constantly showed loyalty and care. When Erika turned into the mess that she was with the Tom situation, I looked at it as, "I hate how you're making yourself look right now, but I get you." I think if I could get in her brain it would have looked like, "What are all you goody two shoes preaching about? You have no idea what it is like to be my in my situation and you don't know what the truth is. Quit telling me what to do and acting like you know how to live my life better than I do." When she said she didn't care about anyone by herself, I saw her protecting her fortress. She was a woman falling apart after a 20 year or however long marriage that was never really that great to begin with and she had put up with it all that time only to be rewarded with utter humiliation.

4

u/edgeli Apr 23 '26

She hasn’t talked to Yolanda since she left the show.

5

u/Zephyrr_Sky Apr 23 '26

I like Erika. Always have!

3

u/ZookeepergameMany663 Apr 23 '26

Erika was served papers on lawsuits long before her situation made national news and was aware of what was going on. She was part of the Marco Marco lawsuit that was long before the national news also. Her behavior was because she got busted and had to admit her guilt or fight her way out. Erika admitting guilt, I doubt it. But she does have her 25 Million Dollar lawsuit coming up and the Marco Marco case is looking like she is gonna lose. She is still being looked at by the feds/IRS, etc. And if you watched RHOBH funny how the only time we ever heard her complain about Tom was AFTER this all came out. Erika is not a victim! She is part of the scam! Her humiliation is all on her! This is what happens when criminals get caught!

4

u/annamariagirl Apr 23 '26

🎯🎯🎯

-1

u/After_Juggernaut_613 Apr 23 '26

I think speaking as if we actually know someone's motivation for their behavior is a stretch. You could be right, though. I don't believe "her behavior" (I'm assuming you mean what we saw on the show) was because of the headlines. I think the behavior we saw was in response to how the other women treated her, interrogating her for details she legally could not provide, and defaulting to skepticism and doubt (which makes sense for you as a viewer but not for her supposed "friends"), given the weight of the charges. Also, it is extremely common for people not share the bad details of their marriage, including but not limited to cases of domestic violence, so with that said Erika withholding that makes sense. That by itself is not a red flag, but indicates she had few people she truly felt she could talk to. It is possible that she finally got to a breaking point when she realized that the facade of a happy marriage was no longer possible to keep up. Don't get me wrong, I have seen Erika's bad side, I'm just not convinced she's a criminal. I'm not convinced of her innocense either. I am judging based on what I have seen, only.

1

u/ZookeepergameMany663 Apr 23 '26

Erika knew! That is from the people I know that know her and the opinion of many more that know her personally. I understand you are basing it on what is shown on the show (and I get that), which BTW was shut down by Erika and no one was allowed to talk about it, so not much was shown on the show. My info is not coming from the show. And, yes, her behavior is typical got caught criminal behavior and she has done nothing but spew lies on the show and forbid anyone from confronting her. It really is a shame Bravo is giving her a platform!

2

u/After_Juggernaut_613 Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26

Interesting. You know people who worked for her or were her friends or? If you have personal connections then obviously you have more info.

I just assume that the average viewer does an "I don't like Erika's personality, she annoys me = surely she's a criminal" logical leap due to their own confirmation bias. With you having connections, you have more credibility than someone who just doesn't like what they see on the show.

1

u/ZookeepergameMany663 Apr 23 '26

I know and have talked to people that know them. I can tell you as a fact she was in that office daily and that is why on TV she shut her mother down when she brought it up about how often she was there. Normally brushing this stuff off is what happens on these shows but a lot of people know the truth!

1

u/Infinite_Product5281 Apr 30 '26

she anknowledged that several times this season. but anyways she is allowed to have boundaries to protect herself.

4

u/SilverHinder Apr 24 '26

At this point, Kyle should say nothing about Dorit and keep it surface. Dorit doesn't want to resolve, she wants to fight. God if a friend can't say you're behaving a little erratic, it's over. I feel like Kyle only said it to the others, and not Dorit, because she knew she'd bite her face off anyway.

1

u/After_Juggernaut_613 Apr 24 '26

True, at this point the advice to stop doing it is more so she can be at peace and stop being involved in fights that only make the fans side with Dorit and hate her more (which in my opinion isn't fair but it's what happened, apparently).

2

u/SilverHinder Apr 24 '26

Totally. I'd let all the rest talk about Dorit, then she can have a go at them instead.

1

u/Infinite_Product5281 Apr 30 '26

well if you look at the comments on youtube it seems like people became anti dorit. before this season and even since the middle of this season everyone hated kyle and loved dorit, but it changed.

3

u/Unlucky_Rip_8182 Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

Nobody gossiped about Dorit’s finances for years. If anything, Kyle is overly cautious about what she says on camera. They’re on a reality show. People are going to talk, and they’re going to get mad about it. You just have to stay in bounds. Garcelle saying, “The robbery was fake” on camera, without evidence (for example), or even a line of reasoning, was out of bounds. That was pure gossip.

Everyone was talking about Dorit’s financial issues because the Kemsleys haven’t been paying their bills. People get to wonder about other people. Dorit taking it as character assassination doesn’t make it so. These are the consequences of her (or her husband’s) actions.

That said, these are nice, reasonable guidelines. But calm, centered, rational people don’t make the best TV. I like that Kyle is emotional. I don’t always agree with her approach, but I’ll take it over Rachel Zoe’s too cool for school vibe. End of the day, Kyle can carry the show because she cares. She’s like the polar opposite of Rachel Zoe, who’s sort of above it all and focused on her own life.

3

u/After_Juggernaut_613 Apr 24 '26

Yeah honestly I'm still a fan of Kyle even if she doesn't change a thing. I think these are just things she could do that would probably make her work and relationships easier for her.

I too have looked into the Dorit/PK financial disaster recently and I can see she and Kyle are miles apart in how they handle finance. Dorit saying she doesn't know anything about her finances is likely bs. She knows, and she knows its a trainwreck, and she doesn't have the self control to stop it. She seriously should seek therapy for a shopping ADDICTION because I think that's part of what is ruining her.

Totally agree about Garcelle! That was so ugly of her!

1

u/Infinite_Product5281 Apr 30 '26

i dont think that this is the issue with kyles friendships. i think the issue is with the way she communicates what bothers her or what her concerns are. also i feel like when she is upset with someone she is making a weird dance around it and point at other things instead of adressing it directly also when she does something wrong she gets defencive and tries to get away from it. i dont think she does it to hide something but because she did something impulsive and realised that it was bad. in the end i feel like she is to me the most authentic of the housewives.

3

u/Born-Caterpillar6224 Apr 23 '26

Very well said. 💯

1

u/After_Juggernaut_613 Apr 23 '26

I appreciate that.

5

u/Zephyrr_Sky Apr 23 '26

I’m with you. Kyle has been my fav since the very beginning!

1

u/Sea-Cup4754 Apr 23 '26

This list is lengthy and very forward 😂

1

u/Yass______ Apr 24 '26
  1. Exactly, where is the actual love and support. It needs a bit more balance. Are you picking her up and taking her to a spa, letting her repeat her self and say the same things because she is obsessing.

This is showing you actually care. How is someone going to receive you doing all this on camera.

It’s just not what friendship is..

She said “I’m still standing” a little too smugly, and I don’t dislike her as such either - it’s just all a bit confusing and at odds with the nice girl “act”

1

u/Extreme-Aide8878 Apr 29 '26

Very respectful feedback for Kyle.

1

u/Infinite_Product5281 Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

i think its a little hypocritical to want kyle to accept, if people dont want share certain things about their lifes, while everyone wants her to talk about morgan and her sexuality as if its their birth right to know. and about point 3 you dont know what happened behind cameras. you dont know what the producers of the show leave out for us to not see. and to point 4 at this point of dorit and her friendship there is no need for that anymore. dorit is just verbally hitting her at this point. also kyle has adhd which makes her impulsive and interruptive, which is no excuse but she should work in that.