PK Kemsley Slams Dorit’s Claim She “Stood by” Him During “Bankruptcies”: “Not Exactly True”
PK admitted on Bravo's Hot Mic Podcast that it was "difficult" to watch Dorit dredge up his "darkest times," including gambling debts and struggles with alcoholism.
Those tuning in to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are seeing a new side to Dorit Kemsley’s now-estranged husband, and he’s only giving more in the most recent episode of Bravo’s Hot Mic Podcast.
Paul "PK" Kemsley and fellow Househusband Mauricio Umansky spoke with Bravo producer Alex Baskin for Season 3, Episode 5 of the official podcast, detailing the ups and downs in navigating marital separation and (in PK’s case) addiction. With nearly one year of sobriety under his belt when the men recorded the podcast episode, PK looked back at his marriage with a new level of clarity, he said.
“You know, I never thought that us two, who were the tightest couple in the f---ing world, would ever be in a position where I’m watching this woman I love — the mother of my kids — talking negatively about me on a TV show,” said PK. “It’s just an unusual concept.”
PK admitted he “struggled” to hear Dorit's statements the RHOBH Season 14 premiere but clarified he was in no way angry.
“I’m just sad to watch it,” he said.
PK denounces Dorit’s claims of support
In the premiere, Dorit claimed to RHOBH producers that she’d supported PK through “a bunch of public scrutiny” throughout their nine years of marriage. Thus, she took issue with PK’s decision to exit the relationship upon his sobriety journey so abruptly, given her years of support toward him.
“Dorit spoke of bankruptcies, gambling debts, D.U.I.s, and that she stood by me,” PK began. “I mean, it’s not exactly true.”
According to the talent agent, the bankruptcy and gambling debts occurred “well before” the pair met. Plus, he said, he’d “recovered from all of the things” mentioned by the mother of his two children.
“I haven’t gambled since 2008; I don’t drink,” he said, adding that his financial strife happened in 2009 or 2010, “during the credit crunch,” and that “all of that was past, past history.”
At the time of the podcast recording, PK revealed he was just two weeks shy of his one-year sobriety milestone, something Mauricio, too, was proud of.
“But the point is, when someone you love, Dorit, is on TV talking about the darkest times in my life and suggesting that she held my hand through them,” PK continued. “It’s difficult to watch sometimes, particularly when she wasn’t with me when it happened.”
In Dorit’s defense, PK said he could see she was “emotionally distraught” and “unhappy” in light of their separation, which was still fresh when filming the current season of RHOBH began.
Dorit and PK announced their split in May 2024 in an Instagram post.
PK Kemsley on alcoholism and “full-blown” recovery
PK said being transparent about his recovery was a “unique personal journey,” and though the desire for anonymity was something considered, he “wanted it to be very positive.”
He also touched on the term “full-blown” when, in the Season 14 premiere, Dorit told Kathy Hilton that PK was “a full-blown alcoholic,” something of a major bombshell.
“I’m full-blown recovery,” PK told Mauricio and Baskin. “That’s the term ‘full-blown,’ that’s where it should be used: I’m full-blown recovery.”
PK told Baskin he was “really proud” for coming so far in his recovery, adding that it wasn’t Dorit’s fault that she had “a lack of understanding” about sobriety. Despite it being an “emotional, tough journey,” he was happy to inspire others who also wanted to seek abstinence.
“The truth of it is, if you understand the disease, alcoholism is a symptom, it’s not a cause,” said PK. “So, the reality is, you have to get to what the cause [is] underneath. It’s just not as simple as to say, ‘He was a full-blown alcoholic; that’s why we’re separated.’”
Listen to PK’s full interview on Bravo’s Hot Mic Podcast on Bravo and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.
And don’t miss all-new episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, airing Tuesdays at 8/7c and streaming the next day on Peacock.
