While fans have known for months that Dorit Kemsley and Paul "PK" Kemsley are separated, the former couple revealed new details on their split during the Season 14 premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. And during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills After Show, Dorit shared even more about what transpired when she told the world about her changed relationship status. Namely, she didn't get the support she thought she'd get from her fellow cast members.
"Naively, I actually thought going into the group, because so many women in the group had had this experience, that I would be around support. Like, that everyone would [at least] say, 'Listen, I know. I've been there.' So, lend some type of support. And oh boy, was I wrong," Dorit explained in the above clip, which aired after the Tuesday, November 19 episode.
As it turned out, Kyle Richards was the one to eventually send a text to Dorit amid issues in their friendship.
"Would you believe that that was actually more than 90 percent of the ladies did?" Dorit added, confirming — after Bozoma Saint John questioned her — that no one else reached out.
Why did Dorit Kemsley and PK Kemsley separate?
In another After Show clip, Dorit shared more about the separation.
"It was initiated by [PK]. We had had a rough few years. It wasn't consistently a rough few years, it was just like, good and bad and good and bad. And then it started to get progressively worse," she explained.
The couple's home invasion, and Dorit's resulting PTSD, also played a role in the split.
"I was struggling so much being in a place that I didn't feel myself. I didn't feel like myself. I was desperate to feel confident. And when it started to come, I grabbed at it like it was the [air I needed to breathe]," she continued. "I think we reached a point where something had to be done, right? It was like being on a merry-go-round. And I had to get off the merry-go-round."
As for why she decided to share the separation news when she did? "I had just reached a place where I was fed up. I didn't care. And this was what was going on and there was no way I was going to try to hide it, bury it. This is what it is," she said.
Dorit Kemsley and PK Kemsley's separation announcement
Dorit and PK announced their split in May 2024 — weeks after they celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary — with an Instagram statement.
"We as a couple have been subject to a lot of speculation about our marriage. We have had our struggles over the last few years and continue to work through them as two people who love each other and share two amazing children together,” the since-deleted post read. “To safeguard our deep friendship and maintain a harmonious environment for our children we have made the mutual and difficult decision to take some time apart and reevaluate our relationship while we prioritize our children. We appreciate your love and support while we continue to do the work necessary throughout this journey. With love, Dorit and PK."
As of now, neither party has officially filed for divorce.
Are Dorit and PK Kemsley still living together?
While Dorit and PK's exact living situation is unclear, rumors have swirled that PK had set up a home base at a hotel in Beverly Hills. The Beverly Hills Hotel, in fact.
"At the reunion, Andy [Cohen] had asked about PK staying in a hotel. And Dorit went around-about saying Boy George was staying at the hotel. We all knew that wasn't true," Garcelle Beauvais explained during the After Show.
Kyle and Erika Jayne confirmed they'd heard the same rumor, and Jennifer Tilly said she'd actually seen PK at the famous hotel.
"We didn't know, and we didn't want to ask," Kyle said. "I would never ask that, even though we're friends. But I felt so sad, too. I was like, 'This is sad. You guys love each other.' But look at the position I'm in. Who am I to talk?"
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How the RHOBH Cast Reacted to Dorit and PK's Kemsley's Separation Announcement
As fans saw on the show, most of the Beverly Hills 'Wives found out about the breakup when the statement was posted online. Erika was the only one that Dorit told ahead of time.
"I wrote a text to both of them, and I was in a total panic about what to do," explained Kyle. In the end, she only sent the message to PK because she was afraid Dorit would either show people or think she was being "manipulative" by sending her a "supportive text."
When Kyle called Erika to ask for advice, Erika told her that none of the cast had reached out to Dorit and she should send the text.
"Once I knew that, I was like 'I don't care what she thinks about me,'" explained Kyle. "'I'm sending it.'"
Meanwhile, Garcelle was "shocked" — especially because an official announcement made everything so real.
"I was like, 'Wow, It's really happening,'" she said.
According to Dorit, this wasn't the first time she'd seen this reaction from the ladies in her friend group.
"The lack of compassion that was shown by the same ladies that didn't reach out after the home invasion ... " added Dorit while chatting with a shocked Boz.
"I think even in case of, like, the separation, I am equally surprised just because [Sutton and Garcelle have] both been in it," the newest 'Wife said. "So regardless of how they feel about you, I think, at least, a 'Hey, I read this, are you OK?'"
Dorit said that this was exactly why it "meant so much" that Boz asked her how she was doing when they first met.
"You lent more support to me in one of the hardest times in my life in that hour than the women combined that I had known for five, six, four years," she shared. "It's just mind-blowing."
Watch the full RHOBH After Show clips above.
