Why Did RHOBH's Dorit Kemsley and Husband PK Split? Looking Back at Their 9-Year Marriage and What They've Said About Their Separation

Dorit and Paul “PK” Kemsley announced they were going their separate ways after nearly a decade of marriage in May 2024.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills couple tied the knot in 2015 after welcoming their first child, son Jagger, the previous year. In 2016, Dorit gave birth to their daughter, Phoenix. PK is also a father to three children from his first marriage: daughters Atlanta and Tatum and son Daniel.

A year after welcoming Phoenix, Dorit was introduced to the Bravo audience during season 7 of RHOBH in December 2016. The reality star told The Daily Dish at the time that she and PK were excited about appearing on the show, and wouldn't let public criticism affect their marriage.

“We don't really let outside influences come into our little tight bond because it's me and him and we are so the yin and yang,” Dorit said. “As far as the negative attention, he just says, 'Oh, who cares? We are who we are.’ ”

However, by 2022, speculation about the end of Dorit and PK’s relationship began after fellow RHOBH star Erika Girardi shared at BravoCon that she thought they’d be the next couple from the network to split. After denying rumors about their separation in October 2023 and on season 13 of the show, Dorit and PK announced they had split with a statement on their respective Instagram Stories in May 2024.

“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,” they wrote. “We have made the mutual and difficult decision to take some time apart and reevaluate our relationship while we prioritize our children.”

The former couple's separation will be addressed on season 14 of RHOBH, which begins airing on Nov. 19. The trailer for the season included a snippet of conversation between the two as they navigate their new relationship.

From their Great Gatbsy-inspired wedding ceremony to their journey as a couple on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, here’s everything to know about Dorit and PK Kemsley’s relationship.

Their first date was at a Jersey Boys show 

The longtime Bravo couple first crossed paths in 2011 thanks to mutual friends in New York City while PK was visiting for work. Dorit told The Daily Dish in September 2020 that they “didn’t really have our first official date for a couple of months” after they “went out as a group.”

Nonetheless, the reality TV star said there was “a very clear chemistry” between them. However, PK had recently separated from his wife and "had a whole life before" her, stopping the entrepreneur from initially pursuing a relationship.

Dorit told Wedding Style in March 2015 that she even said no when PK first asked her on a date because she had plans to travel to Hong Kong for work. However, she changed her mind, believing her recently deceased grandmother had sent him as a sign.

“He asked me to postpone my flight … We went out and have been inseparable from that first night,” Dorit said, adding that her former husband made the move from Los Angeles to New York six months later.

For their first date, they attended the musical Jersey Boys, where “it was very clear” they had a connection. “I think when he saw that I was just like dancing around and enjoying it so much, I think for him he thought, ‘OK, this is definitely my kind of girl,’ ” Dorit told The Daily Dish.

Dorit and PK had a Great Gatsby-themed wedding in 2015

After dating for nearly four years, Dorit and PK tied the knot on March 7, 2015, with a Great Gatsby-inspired ceremony at Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room in New York City.

“It was everything we wanted,” Dorit told Wedding Style, adding that the venue was “elegant, warm and luxurious with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline.”

During the evening, Dorit and PK shared a dance to “My Eyes Adore You,” a song from the Jersey Boys musical they attended during their first date. The former couple’s close friend, Boy George, sang for their guests to close out the night.

“I felt like I was floating outside my body,” said Dorit. “I was filled with love and completely euphoric.”

They share two children

Before their 2015 wedding, Dorit and PK grew their family when they welcomed their first child, Jagger, on Feb. 11, 2014.

They became a family of four in 2016 when Dorit gave birth to their daughter, Phoenix, almost exactly two years after Jagger on Feb. 23. Soon after their second child was born, Dorit joined the cast of the seventh season of RHOBH.

PK was supportive of Dorit joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Dorit was introduced to the cast of RHOBH in 2016 by former housewife and Vanderpump Rules star Lisa Vanderpump. After joining the reality show, Dorit admitted PK didn’t mind the attention their family received.

“PK's cool. He likes it. He likes the thrill of it,” she told The Daily Dish in January 2017. Heading into the show, Dorit said she had no worries about their relationship faltering due to the “tight bond" they shared.

“PK and I are so solid. We just are,” she added. “We connect. I mean, I'm OK on my own, but then I'm with PK [and] I'm whole, and it's the same for him. So therefore no outside influences and nothing that anyone can say can seep in or create waves between him and I."

Dorit's costars speculated about their relationship on RHOBH

Speculation about the former Bravo couple’s marriage seemingly ignited when Dorit’s costar Erika claimed they’d be heading to “splitsville” during a game at BravoCon 2022. Dorit confronted the “XXPEN$IVE” singer about her “mean-spirited” comment during the premiere of RHOBH season 13, where she apologized for giving “a shady answer” to “a shady question.”

Dorit and PK denied rumors they were separating in October 2023. In a statement to PEOPLE, the couple admitted to facing “some challenging years" following Dorit's struggles with PTSD after she was robbed at gunpoint in her home with her children while PK was working in London in October 2021.

However, they made it clear at the time that they did not plan to break up then.

“We have not separated nor are we planning to do so. Rather, we are focused on healing, making changes and doing the things that many couples have to do at some point in their marriage,” their statement read. “We are doing what we can to focus on the best interests of our family, as opposed to spending our time contending with rumors and hearsay that are not true.”

Dorit addressed the rumors surrounding her marriage at the RHOBH season 13 reunion in March 2024. She cited the 2021 home invasion and PK's frequent traveling as points of tension for the couple but said they had been “working through things” and were doing “better than ever” when he chose to quit drinking.

“PK was drinking a lot and he's a drinker. I just think that its very difficult to have clear-headed conversations when he's drinking so much, so he gave up drinking,” she told host and producer Andy Cohen and her costars. “That was a very pivotal moment, so things are — knock on wood — as good as they can possibly be.”

They announced their separation in May 2024

After nearly a decade of marriage, the former couple announced they had separated with a joint statement on their Instagram Stories in May 2024. They admitted to navigating “a lot of speculation about our marriage” in the past few years before revealing their split was “to safeguard our deep friendship and maintain a harmonious environment for our children.”

In the days after their announcement, Dorit shared that she was taking things slowly amid their separation in a reply to a comment on a since-deleted Instagram post that read, “wait i thought y’all were stronger than ever? 🤔."

“We were. S--- happens. It’s called life- try it sometime. One day at a time,” she replied.