Crystal Kung Minkoff is ready to peel back the curtain of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“For the last three years, I have felt like I couldn’t talk about things that happened on the show on Beverly Hills that didn’t air,” Minkoff, 43, explained on the Monday, February 16, episode of her “Humble Brag” podcast. “I don’t know why. I felt kind of paralyzed by it.”
That all changed, however, when she recalled a scene where she had an important conversation with costar Garcelle Beauvais during a cast trip to Ojai, California.
“I had a conversation with Garcelle, and I had it on camera, and they did not air it. It was my last season,” she recalled to podcast cohost Cynthia Bailey. “I have always felt that I defended her, and yes, I just felt like she threw me under the bus. I said to her, ‘I cannot move forward in our friendship unless you understand what I went through, and I just don’t really trust you.’”
According to Minkoff, Beauvais, 59, was “really shocked” but open to having an honest, open conversation that is believed to have also involved Sutton Stracke. (Minkoff said she and Stracke, 54, are also good today.)
“She apologized and she said, ‘I had no idea but I’m really sorry I did that to you,’” Minkoff recalled. “The audience never saw that, and I think it was really important to.”
Bailey, 58 — who has had her own experience on reality TV as a cast member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta — applauded Minkoff for sharing her experience and acknowledged how disappointing it can be when a cast member knows the viewer doesn’t see everything that went down during filming.
“It’s really confusing when people don’t know the whole story, and we have no control over editing,” Bailey shared. “When things are shown and you don’t have the full context … it’s kind of hard to defend what they didn’t see.”
The conversation came up after Beauvais publicly wished Minkoff a happy birthday earlier this month.
When some fans questioned why the Bravo stars appeared so close, Minkoff explained that her former costar deserved credit for acknowledging her mistakes and moving forward a long time ago.
“It’s a relief for both parties because it was such a great moment,” Minkoff said. “The end was so cathartic. I wish it aired for the lessons it had in it. My relief from what happened with us happened years ago but the world didn’t know. It was a really important moment, and that’s why I’ve been friends with her since.”
In April 2024, Minkoff announced that she was leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ahead of season 14. (She initially joined in 2021 for season 11.)
As for Beauvais, the actress confirmed in March 2025 that she was leaving the franchise after five years to focus on other projects.
Regardless of what did or didn’t air, Minkoff still has a good relationship with Bravo and is expected to make an appearance in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th after filming during a party with cast member Kyle Richards.
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