As Season 14 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills heats up, I can’t help but feel something is lacking. As much as we all love newbies Bozoma Saint John and Jennifer Tilly, I miss Crystal Kung Minkoff. She announced her exit back in April, just before filming began. Since then, she started a podcast called Humblebrag with Cynthia Bailey. Crystal’s kept busy and still weighed in on Real Housewives thanks to this podcast. However, I miss watching Crystal on RHOBH Season 14, and here’s why.
Why isn’t Crystal Kung Minkoff on RHOBH Season 14?
In April, Crystal’s exit became official when she posted a video. Her classy farewell message impressed Andy Cohen. She later expanded on the reasons and confirmed it wasn’t entirely her decision, in an interview with Jeff Lewis. Crystal also theorized that producers were looking forward to a season of all unmarried Housewives.
On her podcast, Crystal admitted she expected to come back for Season 14. She even marked the filming schedule on her calendar. However, Crystal didn’t want to embellish things in her real life for the sake of a storyline on the show. And in their lengthy conversation, it seemed as if that’s what producers wanted her to do. Despite not ending up with a Season 14 contract, Crystal emphasized she was grateful for the show. Hopefully, that means things ended on good terms, leaving the door open to a potential comeback.
Crystal came into her own last season
Last season, Crystal came to a bit of a crossroads. When Garcelle Beauvais said to speak up, Crystal wondered why she had to scream to be heard in the group. Her husband Rob Minkoff reminded her that she had very strong opinions that she should make known. And that she did!
It was frustrating to watch Annemarie Wiley’s apparent obsession with Sutton Stracke’s esophagus. Crystal gave up on niceties and called Annemarie “such a b*tch.” She accused the newbie of weaponizing her medical knowledge and lying about being a doctor. Annemarie’s attempts to fire back never phased her. It was also refreshing that Crystal wouldn’t let up on taking others to task for insinuating Sutton had an eating disorder. She cleared Annemarie so effectively, that the former Housewife fought with a Crystal parody account.
Crystal topped off a strong season with her reunion performance. She beautifully called out multiple cast members, including Erika Jayne and Dorit Kemsley. Much like viewers, she admitted to having “so many questions” for Kyle Richards that went unanswered. She found her voice and stepped into the role of holding others accountable. It was an odd decision by production to let her go after her best season yet. Especially when the reported reasoning was that she didn’t have a storyline.
When that came out, it was hard not to list the many other Housewives who skated by without a storyline for multiple seasons. It didn’t seem like a coincidence that, in her farewell video, Crystal pointed out the many things she shared with viewers over the years.
Crystal would have Garcelle’s back with Dorit
While we all love the activated Dorit, she’s still problematic. Just recently, the way she spoke to Garcelle bothered me. Like Garcelle, Crystal has very legitimate grievances with Dorit. And Dorit was never great at taking accountability for it.
After Annemarie alleged that Crystal called the ladies uneducated, Dorit fired back by calling Crystal a “child bride” who got “married at 12.” At the reunion, Crystal had to explain why this was particularly offensive to say about an Asian woman. Dorit, still not getting it, said, “They called Priscilla Presley a child bride.” For reference, Priscilla was 14 when her relationship with Elvis began. Crystal was 24 when she married Rob. Dorit also mistakenly said she was the only one to go to college and had a patronizing response to Crystal listing her many accomplishments.
Which brings us to Season 14’s Oceanside cast trip. It was hard to see Garcelle get brushed aside for pointing out that, no, Dorit does not own it when she gets things wrong. Dorit was pretty dismissive. Maybe she would’ve been if Crystal were there too. But while she’s on a redemption tour, it would help Dorit to finally make amends for her insensitive comments. And Crystal would ensure Garcelle had backup instead of being a lone voice.
It was a joy to watch Crystal’s friendships grow
Who would’ve thought that Crystal and Sutton could go from “Jealous of what? Your ugly leather pants?” to close friends? But in fact, the two became so close, that Sutton cried when Crystal was let go. We know how much Sutton cherishes her friendships, even if that bonding ceremony didn’t work out.
Housewives shows are all about the drama and the fighting, but fans like to see the genuine moments of friendship, too. It’s why viewers are so drawn to scenes of Boz and Dorit bonding. The Beverly Hills ladies are increasingly fractured, which is why it’s no wonder Sutton’s ceremony didn’t work. After all, most of the drama this season is over Dorit and Kyle’s falling out.
This is why I appreciate the scenes of Sutton and Garcelle hanging out so much. Last year, it was a joy to watch the trio of those two and Crystal become closer and closer friends. Crystal and Sutton’s journey reminds us that relationships on these shows can drastically change for the better. It doesn’t have to all be friendships falling apart.
Crystal already has a connection to standout newbie Jennifer Tilly
Because Beverly Hills is a small world, Crystal was already connected to Season 14 addition Jennifer Tilly outside of their mutual friendship with Sutton. Back in 2003, Jennifer starred as Madame Leota in Rob Minkoff’s The Haunted Mansion movie. Coincidentally, twenty years later, Kyle’s co-star Jamie Lee Curtis played the same role in the remake.
I love it when Housewives have longstanding histories with one another. And Jennifer has been such a joy this season, more scenes of her interacting with other Housewives would be welcome.
Just recently, Crystal invited Jennifer to her holiday party. The two also posed together at Sutton’s recent Christmas bash. It feels like we were robbed of seeing their dynamic on screen! Hopefully, Crystal will make “friend of” appearances either this season or in the future.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills returns January 7, 2025 on Bravo.
