Dorit Kemsley almost left ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ before season 14, but ‘had unfinished business’

The reality star opens up about her decision to return to the hit Bravo series

Dorit Kemsley is more unfiltered than ever in this season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsas she confronts head-on her separation from husband Paul “PK” Kemsley and her broken friendship with friend Kyle Richards.

But Bravo viewers barely saw any of those storylines. Before cameras picked up on season 14, Dorit, 48, told producers she would not return.

The reality star recalled the story to RHOBH executive producer Alex Baskin during a session on Bravo’s hot mic podcast. According to Dorit, she told Baskin she wouldn’t come back, but changed her mind about 24 hours later.

“I remember PK saying something to me like, ‘Well, you have to do it,'” Dorit recalls. “And when I heard him say: ‘You to have has do it,” he wanted to take that control back. Like, ‘Oh no no no no no. It will be my decision. It’s me who does it. So I said, ‘Well, you know what? No, I’m not. “

Related: Dorit Kemsley Says She and Kyle Richards Are Better But ‘I Needed a Change’ (Exclusive)

Related: Why RHOBHDorit Kemsley and her husband PK chose not to tell their children they are separated

So why did Dorit change her tune?

“I thought I felt comfortable with that decision. But when I had that amount of time, it allowed me, without any pressure, (to think about it),” Dorit said. “And I felt like I was leaving too soon. I had things to finish. I had too much to say. I didn’t leave the impression that I wanted to leave, really who I am. “

“That’s when I called you and said, ‘Let’s talk,'” she told Baskin.

Dorit also sought advice from another friend during this time: former co-star Lisa Rinna.

“She was one of the only people I opened up to about not wanting to come back or being undecided,” Dorit explained. “And she told me, ‘Dorit, if you want to do it, then do it. No holds back. Guns. You go in and you do it. Be yourself, don’t hold back.’ And it stayed with me.”

Related: Why RHOBHDid Dorit Kemsley and her husband PK split? A look back at their 9 years of marriage and what they said about their separation

Related: Dorit Kemsley Reveals She and PK ‘Aren’t Talking About Reconciliation’: ‘There’s a Lot of Work to Do’ (Exclusive)

This was all happening before Dorit and PK announced their separation after nine years of marriage. But as viewers saw in the first episode, this bombshell went off before the first all-cast reunion event.

The timing made Baskin wonder why PJ was so supportive of Dorit’s return, especially knowing she would be forced to talk about their marital problems on camera.

“I suspect he anticipated that there would be a separation and that we were going in that direction and that allowed me to have financial independence or something of my own,” Dorit said. “I also think a lot of it, if I had to guess, was more that maybe he didn’t want the responsibility of having to (take care of me). It almost gave him more freedom. More opportunities, more possibilities – financially and otherwise.

“I will say this about PK. He has always been so supportive,” she added. “There are a lot of things I still like about him, and the reasons I married him. And he has some good qualities. Just… a lot more bad qualities.”

Related: RHOBH: Dorit reveals her marriage problems with PK got ‘progressively worse’ before he stopped drinking

Related: RHOBH: Dorit Kemsley calls husband PK a ‘full-blown alcoholic’ while detailing ‘toxic’ fights that led to split

Dorit – who shares Jagger, 10, and Phoenix, 8, with PK – joined RHOBH for 2016 in season 7.

Since then, the TV personality has been candid about the ups and downs of her personal life, becoming vulnerable in 2021 after suffering a home invasion in which she was robbed at gunpoint. In season 13 of RHOBHshe not only delved into the PTSD she developed as a result of the invasion, but also how its aftermath affected her relationship with the English businessman.

If Dorit had left, she would have exited alongside fellow Beverly Hills Housewives Crystal Kung Minkoff and Annemarie Wiley, who also left last season.

In addition to Dorit and Richards, season 14 of RHOBH also stars Erika Girardi, Garcelle Beauvais, Sutton Stracke and new housewife Bozoma “Boz” Saint John.

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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and can be streamed the next day on Peacock. Well done Hot microphone The podcast can be listened to for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and the video edition is available by signing up to become a Bravo Insider.