What Crystal Kung Minkoff Really Blames For Her RHOBH Exit

After "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" season 13 wrapped in February, Crystal Kung Minkoff announced in April that she was exiting the show. "I just wanted to share the news that I will not be coming back to film season 14 of 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.' It's very bittersweet. Never did I think I would have been asked to do the show in a million years, let alone film it for three seasons. Every single year I was asked back, it was a blessing. It was an honor," she stated in an Instagram video. Minkoff went on to say, "Being the first Asian-American on 'Beverly Hills' was a lot of weight on my shoulders."

During her first season on "RHOBH," Minkoff and fellow castmate Sutton Stracke got into a heated discussion about race. As reported by People, the boutique owner insisted that she didn't see color, which offended Minkoff as a Chinese-American. Stracke has since apologized and the two castmates moved on to become close friends. Despite the rough start to her first season, Minkoff went on to star in the reality show for two more years, but apparently, she didn't bring enough drama and got the axe from "RHOBH."

Fans of reality shows know that it's all about producing juicy storylines, but Crystal Kung Minkoff supposedly just wasn't carrying her weight in "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." A source told the Daily Mail, "They don't want her back because they feel she has done all she can do on the show and she no longer has much to add to the drama, so another contract has not been offered." The insider continued, "She wanted to leave the show for a while, she is sick of all the fighting and hashing things out, it became like a never-ending rollercoaster for her. Plus she wants to focus on her family away from the cameras."

As the co-founder of Real Coco and the wife of "Lion King" director Rob Minkoff, Crystal undoubtedly has a lavish life and doesn't need the show to get by. In fact, Rob encouraged her to quit when things got too rough. Prior to her firing, he told People, "There've been a few times where she's been upset about something and I'm like, 'You don't have to do the show' ... 'If you don't want to do the show, it's okay.'" Crystal shared, "I'm having more fun as it goes on, which is good. I did not have fun in the beginning." Fans of "RHOBH" are sad to see Crystal go as they found her IDGAF attitude refreshing and many are wishing another cast member got fired in her place.

Crystal Kung Minkoff admittedly didn't have much of a storyline other than fighting with Sutton Stracke during her first season and Annemarie Wiley in her last. However, fans loved her classy, no-drama attitude, and one shared on Reddit, "This is a super bummer! She is one of the most authentic of this cast." Some felt Dorit Kemsley should have gotten the boot instead. A viewer wrote, "We are keeping the Child of the World and getting rid of Crystal? Come TF on, bravo!" Another pointed out, "Dorit makes racist comments. The 'child bride' comment is the final nail in the coffin. No one will dare call her a racist, but she has very little self awareness, and only cares about her reputation, other people's perception of her and how she comes across."

Garcelle Beauvais, who joined the cast in season 10, told Access Hollywood, "I'm really disappointed too. Like she [Minkoff] said, I think it's bittersweet for her, you know what I mean? It's a tough show, as you know." The OG of "RHOBH," Kyle Richards, stated on Amazon Live, "It made me sad of course. I have kind of mixed feelings. Not because of her, just because... It's probably disappointing but also like life's great without reality television, too." As for Minkoff, she told People that she's planning on using her free time to travel with family. "Morocco, maybe this year," she revealed. One thing's for sure, a vacay without all the housewives will definitely be more stress-free.