Kyle Richards

Kyle Richards lives the life that some envy on Bravo television's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Born in Hollywood, Kyle was raised on TV as the daughter of Mr. Edwards on the series Little House on the Prairie. She went on to scream for her life in the movie Halloween.

Her sister, Kim, also came along for the ride on the Prairie, and then went on to star in the Witch Mountain movies.

Kim and Kyle returned to the public eye recently as Bravo Housewives for two seasons that followed with an explosive reunion. Kim recently checked herself into rehab in January.

Kyle chatted, on the release date of her new book Life is Not a Reality Show, about her real life and more.

WCT: (Windy City Times) Heyyy, Kyle. How are you?

KR: (Kyle Richards) I'm wonderful, thank you. Well, actually not wonderful, I've been better…

WCT: You have had a lot going on.

KR: A lot going on! [Laughs]

WCT: I wanted to tell you that I spent New Year's with [Beverly Hills Housewives] Taylor [Armstrong].

KR: You did? She's sweet.

WCT: She told me she is very close to you.

KR: Yes. I get so mad when I look at Twitter and some of the comments people make sometimes. I think, "If they only knew how sweet she is and how much those comments hurt!"

WCT: I noticed on the reunion show how everyone was upset about what other people say, not what is said to each other. It is just hard.

KR: Exactly. It is very difficult. Going into the reunion, none of us want to talk about things that we have already fixed but that is what we are there for to be honest. It is very hard. People even ask, "Why did we bring that up?" Are we supposed to say everyone just looks lovely? No, we are there to be honest. That is what makes it very difficult, especially when many of us are very sensitive.

WCT: I noticed you came in town for Fashion Week last year.

KR: Yes, I love Chicago! I absolutely love it.

WCT: I heard you went out to [the restaurant] Sunda.

KR: I did. I had dinner with Brad Goreski. It was really great.

WCT: I was reading your book last night and never knew that you were on Little House on the Prairie. You sister played the part of Olga, and I freaked out when I read that.

KR: Isn't that funny? When people bring up Little House on the Prairie, half of me thinks it's a fond memory and the other half thinks, "Great, I sound like a dinosaur now!" [Laughs]

WCT: I wished you had even put more in the book. I love all the behind-the-scenes [material]. I'm old, so…

KR: Be careful!

WCT: I mean I am a kid of the ‘70s, so all the Watcher in the Woods stuff...

KR: It is so funny and feels so long ago. When people put that together they are always shocked. They will say "Oh my God—you are that girl in Halloween!"

Someone just tweeted to me the other day after seeing Good Morning America, "I didn't know you were Paris Hilton's aunt." I thought have they been living under a rock? It is so funny, the old trivia.

WCT: I liked the part in the book where it says, "Don't star in a horror film; your parents won't let you watch it."

KR: Oh, my God! I definitely have anxiety disorder and I think that contributed to it no doubt. [Laughs]

WCT: Someone told me that the guy that played Michael Myers would just walk around set and creep people out.

KR: I don't remember that. For me, we were playing cards on the set and it was normal. I was never scared making that movie. That was just what I did, and I was used to acting. I had done a lot of scary movies. But when I saw myself in the movie that was what was horrifying. Thanks, mom!

WCT: You dated C. Thomas Howell. Who didn't have a crush on him?

KR: I dated him for years, yeah.

WCT: He was adorable and such a cutie.

KR: He was a cutie, I have to say…

WCT: There are family pictures in the book and a whole hair chapter.

KR: It is not so much about my hair, but I had to put that in there because it is probably my number-one question on Twitter. Especially having four daughters I am always on them about taking care of their hair. It is really about how you take care of it not just the shampoo you use. Some people are neurotic about dieting or their skin. I am neurotic about my hair.

WCT: I know the show and you have tons of gay fans. I was looking for something special in the book for us.

KR: Maybe for my next book! Well, you can apply all of the relationship advice for sure to everyone. I have a lot of gay fans that are telling me that they are using my advice from the book in their relationships, anyways. I think it applies to everyone.

WCT: Good. It seems the book is very dedicated to your mother, how she influenced you and taught you etiquette.

KR: My mom was a very powerful force in all of our lives. She was bigger than life. She is a big part of obviously who I am so I thought it was important to acknowledge that and attribute to her as well. It is so funny that my daughter, who is 15, was saying to me as she was flipping through the book that it is so cool to have this to pass down to her daughters. I had never thought of it like that when I was writing it. I thought, "That is pretty cool. I can pass it down my daughters with life lessons to go by that their grandmother taught me." It is really nice to have that.

WCT: Do you want to do more acting?

KR: I have always been acting up until I was pregnant with Portia. Then I took downtime, which I always do. I did guest-starring roles here and there. It was fine for me because I have all the kids.

I still have been acting. I did a movie for Lifetime recently and I have sold a pilot, a half-hour sitcom.

WCT: Oh, good!

KR: You will like that because you like all of that ‘70s stuff. We are going back to the sitcom. That is what I really love!

WCT: Awesome. Do people tell you that you look like Demi Moore a lot?

KR: Every day. I have had it since General Hospital. When was that?

WCT: The ‘80s, I believe...

KR: I was on a sitcom myself at the time and used to get fan mail asking if I was also on General Hospital or [if I was] related to the girl on there. I was wondering who the girl was. She was dating Emilio Estevez and I was dating C. Thomas Howell. We would cross paths and I was pregnant when she was pregnant with Rumer.

WCT: No way!

KR: People would stop me and ask where Bruce Willis was when I was walking down the street. Before the Real Housewives, they would ask me about Ashton Kutcher! [Laughs]

WCT: Well, you have carved your own niche now. Please tell your sister we are all wishing her well.

KR: Oh, thank you so much. She has enormous amount of support and I always tell her to look at her Twitter and how people are supporting her, to stay strong!

WCT: Would you come back to Chicago and sign some books soon?

KR: I actually want to do that. I told my publisher because I actually do love Chicago. It is a beautiful city and everyone is so friendly. There is a good energy there. We are trying to set up something.

WCT: Keep us posted!

Life is Not a Reality Show: Keeping It Real With the Housewife That Does It All can be purchased at all book retailers.

Interview by Jerry Nunn for Windy City Times