Alexia Umansky is coming to her father Mauricio Umansky’s defense after viewers criticized his reaction to her emotional revelation about being sexually assaulted seven years ago.
The 30-year-old daughter of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards opened up about the traumatic experience while competing alongside her father on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Now, she’s explaining why Mauricio’s reaction was exactly what she needed in that moment.
Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly following the show’s November 12 season finale, Alexia explained why she initially chose not to tell her parents about the assault.
“I never shared it with my parents because I didn’t feel ready, and I care so much about my family,” Alexia said. “I felt like my hurt would become their hurt, and I didn’t want to hurt them.”
During an earlier episode of Special Forces, Alexia revealed that the incident occurred seven years ago while she was traveling with friends.
“Seven years ago, I was on a trip with some friends, and I was with people I trust. I was put to bed because I had a little too much to drink. I woke up, and I could tell something had happened,” she shared.
“I felt completely objectified. And I had a lot of pain and anger because of that. At the one-year mark, I decided that happiness is a choice and I was gonna choose to put it away. But it still hurts.”
The emotional confession marked the first time Mauricio learned about what his daughter had experienced.
However, after the episode aired, some viewers took issue with his seemingly reserved reaction, questioning why he didn’t immediately comfort Alexia with a hug.
Now, Alexia is setting the record straight.
“Something I would like to say is I feel like a lot of people had a negative reaction to how my dad reacted. A lot of people were like, ‘Didn’t he get up and hug her?’” Alexia told Us Weekly.
“I just want it to be very known that my dad knows me very well, and I wouldn’t have wanted the hug in the moment, especially in a room full of other people.”
Alexia explained that Mauricio actually made a gesture toward her, but she intentionally signaled that she was okay.
“You can even see he reaches his hand out, and I give my thumbs up because I know if he hugged me, it would have been a much more emotional experience.”
According to Alexia, her father’s response wasn’t a sign of indifference. Instead, it reflected how well he understands her emotional needs.
She insisted that Mauricio “handled it exactly the way he knew I needed him to handle it.”
“I want people to give him a little more grace for that because he understands me,” she continued.
“Just talking about it and having him listen and not making it about himself is exactly the kind of reaction I would have appreciated. He listened, and that’s all I needed from both my mom and my dad. That was very healing for me.”
Mauricio previously addressed the emotional moment himself, telling Entertainment Weekly that learning about his daughter’s experience was incredibly painful.
He admitted that his initial instinct was to embrace Alexia but acknowledged that he had to respect how she wanted to process the conversation.
The experience also brought Alexia closer to her mother, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards.
Although Kyle wasn’t competing on Special Forces, Alexia eventually opened up to her about the assault as well.
And according to Alexia, finally sharing the experience with her mother lifted an emotional burden she hadn’t fully realized she was carrying.
“I definitely feel so much lighter since I’ve shared it with my mom [Kyle Richards] in particular. … It was a weight I didn’t know was pushing on my chest, and telling her was something I didn’t know how much I needed until it was done.”
Despite Kyle and Mauricio’s separation, the former couple have continued to prioritize their daughters and maintain a close family dynamic.
For Alexia, opening up about her experience was about more than what viewers saw on television. It allowed her to have conversations with her parents that she had avoided for years.
And while viewers may have interpreted Mauricio’s reaction differently, Alexia wants people to understand that there isn’t one correct way to comfort someone sharing a traumatic experience.
Sometimes, simply listening is exactly what that person needs.
Beyond the emotional breakthrough, Alexia also had another major reason to celebrate.
During Thursday’s season finale, she successfully completed the grueling Special Forces course alongside Candace Cameron Bure and Collin Gosselin.
The accomplishment was especially meaningful considering Mauricio had been forced to leave the competition earlier in the season due to an injury.
After pushing herself physically and emotionally throughout the experience, Alexia emerged as one of the show’s three winners.
And judging by her latest comments, the experience gave her something even more meaningful than a victory: the opportunity to open up to her family and begin healing from something she had carried privately for years.