Step Out of the Spotlight! Bravo Challenged to FIRE Kim Richards to Spur Recovery

Season five of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” is a wrap, but the drama has reached new heights for cast member, Kim Richards. Viewers have had a front row seat to Richards’ ongoing and often disturbing battle with addiction, and now the  failed recovery has been blasted all over America. This season’s continuous claims of sobriety have sloppily clashed with her on air behavior, with most viewers questioning the sad and flailing spectacle.

Kim Richards first appearance after arrest for public intoxication

The jig is officially up, with Kim’s recent arrest, triggered by a drunken, belligerent display at the Beverly Hills Hotel, followed by resisting arrest and battery on a police officer. While Bravo has made no announcement as to the possible return of Richards, this revealing incident certainly challenges the idea that the spotlight is a healthy place for a struggling and deceiving addict.

Kim’s last Bravo blog was posted in mid February, where she addressed her televised relapse, which was explained away on the show by a nonsensical and confused diatribe, delivered by an obviously experienced truth dodger.

“But in all seriousness, I wish people would just stop trying to intrude in my life and “fix” a problem that doesn’t exist.”

“I hate to sound like a broken record, but yes, I made a mistake when I took Monty’s pain pill to relieve the chronic pain from my injuries, and yes, I am still sober and strong mentally and physically.”

As a side note, these “injuries” were never clearly defined. She continued to defend her supposed sobriety during the three part reunion, which ironically finished airing under 48 hours before Richards’ drunken rampage.

“Let’s get this straight real quick – I am not struggling with my sobriety, nor have I struggled with my sobriety. I am sober. I have been sober for three years. I don’t appreciate all the conversations that have been behind my back. And I do not have to defend myself any longer.”

Kim Richards claiming NO struggle with sobriety, sent more red flags waving, and at this point, even more viewers weren’t buying it. One thing was for sure…Season five of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” was true reality TV, topped off by a shattering off camera finale. William C. Moyers of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation recently spoke to People Magazine, asserting that dismissing Richards could be the best way for Bravo to push the ex-child star to help herself.

“This is one of those moments when her painfully public problem can become a personally promising opportunity to turn her life around,” adding,   “But only if she takes seriously the reality of what’s happened, by stepping away from the limelight and instead putting her attention on the help she needs and deserves to get better.”

Andy Cohen, the creator of the ‘Housewives’ series weighed in on the arrest, commenting that he had reached out to the Richards family, and wishes Kim and her family a peaceful resolution. Moyers challenged Bravo, as well as the rest of the cast, with a thinly veiled twist of the verbal knife, to encourage Kim to seek recovery.

“There is nothing funny or appealing about the reality of Kim’s situation,” Moyers added. “She owes it to herself to step away from the limelight to get help. Her costars and Bravo should encourage Kim to take the first step or next step to recover.”

Lisa Rinna should be patting herself on the back, because she has been the only cast member to do just that. After Kim’s arrest, Lisa tweeted her sentiments.

What direction do you think Bravo will take…will an alleged contractual ‘sobriety clause’ be their only recourse, or will Bravo step up and do everything in their power to push Kim Richards to save herself?

 

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