Real Housewives’ Kyle Richards addresses Morgan Wade romance rumours amid separation from husband

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 18: (L-R) Morgan Wade and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards walk the red carpet at Kyle Richard’s “A Night Of Music" in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at The Fleur Room on April 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ella Hovsepian/Getty Images)

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards has addressed speculation about her relationship with country singer Morgan Wade, insisting the pair are “very good friends”.

Richards, 53, has been linked to “Wilder Days” singer Wade, 28, amid the public announcement that she has separated from her husband of 27 years, Mauricio Umansky.

Richards and Umansky’s separation was first reported by People earlier this month, with a source telling the publication that the reality TV couple “have been separated for a while now but are still living under the same roof” and remain on “amicable” terms.

Richards, who has appeared as a main cast member on RHOBH since the show’s inception in 2010, later took to Instagram to confirm the separation in a joint statement with Umansky.

However, she clarified that claims the pair were divorcing were “untrue”.

The shock news of Richard’s separation from Umansky, with whom she shares three children, quickly fuelled existing speculation about the Halloween Ends star’s relationship with Wade, with whom she has regularly been pictured with at events and on her Instagram page in recent months.

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Kyle Richards has denied speculation that she’s dating Morgan Wade

Now, Kyle Richards has shut down rumours of a romance with Morgan Wade.

In footage obtained by Page Six, Richards can be seen telling members of the paparazzi that the pair are “very good friends” while driving away from a restaurant in West Hollywood.

Asked whether speculation of a romance is “just a rumour”, Richards replies firmly: “Yes”.

Pressed on claims she and Wade share matching tattoos, Richards gestures to her passenger seat where friend and former RHOBH co-star Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, 42, is sat.

“We have matching tattoos too”, Richards states, adding: “[Wade’s] not the only one I have a matching tattoo with”.

In her previous joint separation statement with Umansky, Richards insisted that “there has been no wrongdoing on anyone’s part”, adding: “While it may be entertaining to speculate, please do not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative.”

Richards and Umansky wed in January 1996 and went on to welcome daughters Alexia, 27, Sophia, 23 and Portia, 15 – all of whom have appeared on RHOBH over the course of the hit Bravo show’s 12 seasons.

The Real Housewives franchise has featured plenty of cast members over the years who identify somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, including Braunwyn Windham, Julia Lemigova, Meghan King, Noella Bergener, Brandi Glanville, Kandi Buruss and Taylor Armstrong, as well as The Real Housewives of New York City‘s new cast member, Jenna Lyons.

Will Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky’s separation be featured on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13?

Filming for season 13 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills took place in the first half of 2023, with Kyle Richards returning alongside established castmates Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, Garcelle Beauvais, Crystal Kung Minkoff and series newcomer Annemarie Wiley.

Production had already wrapped before news of Richards and Umansky’s separation first broke in July, leaving fans wondering whether the pair’s marital struggles would feature in the upcoming season.

On Monday (10 July), Real Housewives host Andy Cohen confirmed on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy that Richards and Umansky’s separation would be addressed in RHOBH season 13 “in some way, shape or form”.

No release date for RHOBH season 13 has been confirmed as of July 2023.

Who is country music singer Morgan Wade?

Morgan Wade was born in Virginia and released her debut album, Puppets with My Heart, in 2018 as an independent artist.

Wade later signed with Sony Music subsidiary labels Thirty Tigers and Arista Nashville before releasing her sophomore album, Reckless, in March 2021.

Her third album, Psychopath, is set to be released on 25 August, 2023.