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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Mauricio Umansky says the rift began with a business disagreement at Hilton & Hyland: he wanted equity and a full partnership, was turned down, and decided to leave to start The Agency. He says he discussed the possible family strain with his wife, Kyle Richards, before making the move, and that she supported him. Those are Umansky’s recollections from a Buying Beverly Hills season 2 teaser, reported by Us Weekly—not an independently verified account of the negotiations.
What Umansky says triggered the split
In the teaser, Umansky described Hilton & Hyland as a firm with about 100 agents and roughly $1 billion in annual production. He claimed that he accounted for 19.6 percent of the company’s production and said he sought equity and a full partnership from Rick Hilton. According to Umansky, Hilton said no, prompting him to leave and establish The Agency. The agent count, production total and percentage are his reported figures, not independently audited statistics.
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Umansky said he raised the consequences with Richards before proceeding. He understood that leaving could create tension between her and her family and told her he did not want to go ahead if she was uncomfortable. He recalled her as “100 percent supportive.” He also characterized the dispute as having turned sour because it affected the family, particularly Richards, and said her family stopped speaking to her. Those descriptions are his account of the personal fallout.
How Kathy Hilton and Richards described the departure
At the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13 reunion, Kathy Hilton offered a different emphasis. As reported by Bravo, she recalled Rick warning Umansky that opening a business would be difficult, while leaving the door open and asking him not to poach staff or agents. Kathy said he hired a few people. Richards added that Umansky had already built a group within Hilton & Hyland.
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| Speaker | What the account emphasizes | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Mauricio Umansky, in the teaser as reported by Us Weekly | He sought equity and a full partnership, says he was refused, and says he and Richards discussed the family impact before his departure. | Umansky’s recollection; the underlying negotiations are not independently established by the cited reporting. |
| Kathy Hilton, at the reunion as reported by Bravo | Rick warned that starting a business would be hard and asked Umansky not to recruit the firm’s staff or agents. | Kathy’s recollection of what Rick said and how the departure was handled. |
| Kyle Richards, at the reunion as reported by Bravo | Umansky had built a group within Hilton & Hyland. | Richards’s description of his position at the firm, not a full account of the partnership discussions. |
The accounts illuminate different parts of the same break: Umansky’s stated reason for leaving, Kathy’s recollection of Rick’s warning and request, and Richards’s point that he already had a team in place. The sources do not provide a complete independent record that resolves how the negotiations unfolded or which account is definitive.
Why the television coverage can be easy to conflate
The business disagreement predates the couple’s later separation storyline. Netflix Tudum’s March 2024 preview of Buying Beverly Hills season 2 focuses on the couple’s separation and family conversations; that is relevant context for the series, but it is not additional proof of the earlier Hilton & Hyland negotiations.
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A Vanity Fair retrospective describes how Buying Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills presented overlapping family stories from different angles. It quotes Andy Cohen saying Umansky and Richards were each telling their own side. That framing helps explain why viewers encounter multiple perspectives; it does not independently verify the business dispute.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known—and what remains unverified
- Umansky attributed his departure to being denied the equity and full partnership he wanted.
- He said he warned Richards that the move could strain family relationships and that she backed him.
- Kathy Hilton recalled Rick warning him about the difficulty of starting a firm and asking him not to poach staff or agents; Richards said he had built a group inside Hilton & Hyland.
- The accounts are reported recollections. The cited sources do not include a complete business record or independently verify the negotiations or Umansky’s production figures.
Us Weekly also reported that Umansky discussed Rick and Kathy Hilton cutting ties with him and Richards after The Agency was created in his book The Dealmaker, published in April 2023. That is the outlet’s description of the book; it should not be mistaken for independent corroboration of the negotiations.
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