The Real Housewives of Potomac’s Ashley Darby is setting the record straight about her exchange with Mauricio Umansky.
Ashley was asked on the Feb. 1 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen why she gets “a pass” for talking to the husband of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Kyle Richards, but consistently faulted fellow cast member Stacey Rusch for possibly seeing ex-househusband Chris Samuels.
As Ashley told Andy Cohen, “Let us clarify, number one, Kyle and I did talk about this the other day, but I did not flirt with Mauricio, let the record reflect.”
Andy thought it best to shelve what happened between Ashley and Kyle, teasing that the conversation will be featured on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th. But as for the “double standard” between Ashley and Stacey, Ashley said the matter had everything to do with honesty, and that she was telling the truth about not flirting with Kyle’s husband of 30 years.
Kyle, for her part, recently admitted she hadn’t seen the RHOP episode containing the alleged flirtatious exchange (more on that below), but noted it would be “embarrassing” if Ashley had flirted. Later on WWHL, Ashley gave herself a one out of 10 for how close she was to making moves on Mauricio. “He’s not even my type,” she claimed.
Married to Medicine’s Kari Wells, tending bar at the Bravo clubhouse, shadily added, “Mauricio flirts with a lot of girls in Aspen.”
Ashley Darby and Mauricio Umansky’s exchange in Aspen, explained
The drama kicked off in Colorado when the RHOP cast made a pit stop in Aspen, a go-to place for Kyle, Mauricio, and their shared four children, on Season 10, Episode 15. All gathered at Kemo Sabe (Kyle’s favorite hat store, BTW), where Mauricio stopped to pay the East Coast Bravolebs a little visit.
Ashley, apparently smitten by the actively dating bachelor, tried to stop Mauricio on his way out with her “wingwoman” Stacey (only after Mauricio brought up plans to hit the town solo that evening). However, all was thwarted when Gizelle Bryant showed up and sent Mauricio on his merry (and lonesome) way.
As she said at the time, ”Mauricio, we’re going to let you go, because these ladies right here are a hot mess. Keep your tongues in your mouth!”
Related: Gizelle, Monique & More Reveal Surprising Details on Angel’s Colorado Accommodations
Ashley later said on The Real Housewives of Potomac After Show, “I feel like enough time has passed” since Mauricio and Kyle’s 2023 separation, though Gizelle had her own reasons for intervening when she did.
“Everything I could think of in that moment was I don’t want a Beverly Hills-Potomac showdown,” Gizelle admitted. “I don’t want it. Those girls on Beverly Hills would be pissed … I don’t want Erika Jayne on my phone. I don’t want Dorit [Kemsley] on my phone. None of them.”
What did Kyle Richards think of Ashley Darby and Mauricio Umansky’s exchange?
Fans asked Kyle what she thought of the exchange during a Jan. 20 Amazon Live stream, and she revealed she hadn’t watched the episode. However …“If she was flirting, that’s weird,” Kyle told fans. “I mean, I would never be able to date anybody that any of the women, a Housewife, dated or was married to. That’s just weird, I don’t know … You’re embarrassing yourself, doing that on camera.”
Related: Ashley Darby Shared “A Little Smooch” With Charrisse’s 27-Year-Old Son
Kyle added that she was more accepting of Gizelle’s involvement in Aspen because Gizelle had been forthcoming with Kyle and labeled The Agency founder as “off limits” due to his and Kyle’s long history.
As she explained, “Gizelle, I will say, she texted me right away because she felt uncomfortable. She’s like, ‘Just so you know, we just ran into Mauricio and blah, blah, blah,’ and I was like, ‘All good.’ I mean, I don’t care, you know? Everyone can do what they want.”
Find out where the RHOP cast will be sitting for the upcoming Season 10 reunion.
