Dorit Kemsley is pulling back the curtain on what she says really happened behind closed doors in her marriage to PK Kemsley.
In her debut memoir, Unburdened, which was published on Tuesday, June 2, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star details the highs and lows of her relationship with PK, from the early days of their romance to the slow unraveling of their marriage.
Dorit and PK tied the knot in 2015 and share two children, Jagger, 12, and Phoenix, 10. After years of speculation about their relationship, the couple announced their separation in May 2024. Dorit later filed for divorce the following year.
In the book, Dorit explains that her decision to continue on RHOBH was heavily influenced by PK. Although she was unsure about returning to the show, she says PK encouraged her and saw the opportunity differently than she did.
“When the season wrapped and they asked me back, I stood at a quiet crossroads. Part of me hoped they wouldn’t,” Dorit wrote. “But they did ask. And I said yes. The principal reason was simple: PK.”
Dorit said PK was proud of her for being part of the Bravo world and believed the exposure could create new opportunities.
“He was proud of me — like, genuinely proud. He loved seeing me step into the alluring world of television: the events, the fashion, the travel, the visibility,” she wrote.
According to Dorit, PK saw “something strategic” in her becoming a Housewife.
“In Los Angeles, visibility has value. It opens doors. It builds leverage. It creates opportunity not just socially, but professionally, too,” Dorit wrote. “He saw possibility where I saw disruption.”
Dorit admitted that part of her wanted to make PK happy and that his belief in her mattered deeply at the time.
“I liked bringing something into our marriage that excited him. I liked seeing that spark in his eyes when he talked about what it could become,” she wrote. “I liked being admired by my husband. I liked knowing he believed I could do it. I trusted that he saw something in the opportunity that I did not yet appreciate.”
But as Dorit continues in the memoir, she says there was also a quieter change happening in their marriage, and that shift “began with drinking.”
Dorit wrote that as their responsibilities grew, she began to notice a difference in how she and PK handled alcohol.
“I could enjoy a vodka soda and call it a night. For PK, the line blurred more easily,” she wrote. “Over time, I began to notice the difference between celebration and reliance. The drinking no longer amplified his charm; it dulled his warmth. The man who had once been magnetic and playful became, at times, unpredictable.”
Dorit said she eventually became anxious when PK would start drinking, not because she wanted to control him, but because she feared how the night could unfold.
“Not because I wanted to control him, but because I knew how the night might unfold. I would soften my tone,” she explained. “Redirect conversations. Try to steady the mood before it tipped. He would brush it off, saying he was fine and that it was nothing.”
PK has since publicly spoken about his sobriety journey, but Dorit’s memoir gives more insight into how his drinking affected their marriage at the time.
Dorit also recalled the first time PK cursed at her, saying the moment changed something between them.
According to Dorit, “the first time” PK cursed at her, “something foundational had cracked in a way I couldn’t immediately repair.”
After that, Dorit said the couple began marriage counseling.
The revelations come after Dorit spent her most recent RHOBH season opening up more than ever about the state of her marriage. Viewers watched her admit that she and PK were struggling, while also trying to process the emotional aftermath of her 2021 home invasion and the tension in her friendships with Kyle Richards and Erika Jayne.
38 comments