Paul “PK” Kemsley is taking accountability for his role in bringing Dorit Kemsley into the spotlight, and how it may have impacted their marriage.
Speaking on the We Need to Talk podcast, PK admitted that joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was ultimately his decision, not Dorit’s.
“When you are dealing with the consequences of your actions, whether it be Dorit’s actions or my actions, ultimately, who lit the fire? I lit the fire,” he said. “Because I put her on the show. She didn’t want to go on the show.”
He explained that at the time, he was drawn to the idea of building a name in Los Angeles and saw the show as an opportunity.
“I had a very dear friend of mine… and when we went to L.A., he said to me, ‘There are only three entry points in L.A., PK: Money, power and celebrity,’” PK recalled. “That’s what he told me, and I’m like, ‘Okay.’”
PK also admitted part of his motivation was personal.
“I, first of all, believed that I had the most beautiful, charismatic, sharp, ferociously ambitious wife, and I wanted to show her off.”
However, he said he underestimated the impact the show would have.
“That show was fun until it wasn’t,” he shared. “I was blind to what was going on, what was happening. I didn’t act soon enough… I had no regard for the global awareness of this show.”
Looking back, PK acknowledged mistakes in how he handled the situation as things began to shift.
“I will maintain that I have absolute accountability for going down that avenue, and I made some very significant mistakes in not acting when I saw it going wrong.”
While he stopped short of blaming the show entirely for their split, he did question how much it influenced their relationship.
“I’m not blaming that show for my divorce… but I think the biggest question that I have that will never be answered is… was I responsible for putting her in that world, and then that world created what happened now?”
PK also took issue with how reality TV can shape public perception.
“The show likes to go back and only talk about bad things,” he said. “And then they build up this vision of who you are as a person… and then you start believing it.”
Despite everything, he emphasized that his main focus now is protecting their children as they move forward.
“The only real victims are going to be the kids, so I’m going to do all I can to protect them.”
PK and Dorit announced their separation in 2024 after nearly a decade of marriage, with their relationship struggles playing out publicly in recent seasons of RHOBH.
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