The Drinking Hypocrisy on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Has Reached an Uncomfortable Crescendo

Do the Real Housewives have a collective drinking problem? It depends on who you talk to. To the public-facing Bravolebrities who partake in the wine-tossing and bad behavior, maybe not. But to many loyal viewers who are no longer interested in seeing mean drunks yell at one another in restaurants or middle-aged women fall into bushes, it's time to flick the lights on and end the party. 

Over the years we've not only witnessed successful women become blithering messes while cameras roll, but we've also seen that behavior spill over into real life. Shannon Beador and Gina Kirschenheiter of Orange County, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan of New York, Kim Richards and Brandi Glanville from Beverly Hills, and Marysol Patton of Miami have all been arrested on alcohol-related charges over the years. 

Recently, some Housewives have alleged that production pushes drinks on its cast members to fuel the drama. Considering all of the alcohol consumed on-screen, not to mention the shots and celebratory drinks that happen on the reunion shows and Watch What Happens Live, that isn't surprising. 

After all, many of the franchises' most iconic moments have come after the drinks have been poured — with or without the carcass. Who gave Heather Gay that black eye on Salt Lake City? Would Leah McSweeney's initial New York season have been as successful had she not run around the Hamptons in her underwear, throwing tiki torches? And how many parties would Bill and Jennifer Aydin actually be invited to on New Jersey if one of them didn't have to be propped up by the other mid-shindig?

Bad behavior makes for good on-screen drama, which is why personalities like Teresa Giudice and Jen Shah are so well known in that world. But when these storylines center on alcohol, it also sends a damaging message. After all, more and more women in America are drinking themselves to death.   

The issue has never been as prevalent as it has been on the current, 13th season of Beverly Hills. Kyle Richards, the last original cast member standing, is recently sober. Rather than support her on that journey, her co-stars have questioned her decision to stop drinking for six episodes now.  

If you look back at Richards' Housewives career, she's known to slide into the splits, margarita in-hand, and "sweep the floor with her coochie," as Garcelle Beauvais so eloquently put it in a recent confessional. Kyle has always been the fun one who stays up late and likes to push buttons, so it may seem weird for her to suddenly be waking up early in Vegas to hit the gym or to forego the cocktails for some sparkling water. 

Dig deeper and there's a lot more going on. Richards has had to navigate her sister Kim's substance abuse issues on this series and find a way to support her when things got dark. Last season her relationship with her other sister, Kathy Hilton, also deteriorated in a very public way. 

The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch in December

Add in life-altering off-screen events, such as the death of Richards' best friend Lorene Shea or the constant tabloid headlines about her marriage, and Kyle has had a hell of a year. Rather than celebrate her decision to focus on her mental health by adding exercise and eliminating alcohol, her co-stars are questioning it.

Her friends are no better. A very real fear for those who are trying to get sober is that friends will no longer think they're fun to be around. So did anyone not cringe when Dorit Kemsley said she missed the old Kyle? 

By Episode 5 the questions got to the point where Richards felt like she had to host a weed dinner party to show her friends that she could still let loose and have fun. Perhaps if she was in California, sober people would be more accepting of her life choices. 

It's a stark contrast to some of the more tasteful ways sobriety has entered the chat on other Housewives series. New Jersey's Margaret Josephs and Atlanta's Kandi Burruss are two long-standing examples of Housewives who can have fun and not drink. On the New York City revival, Jenna Lyons and Ubah Hassan never imbibe, and their co-stars don't even question it. 

Yet drinking and substance abuse have always been baked into Beverly Hills' essence. It's something that's consistently glamorized for story, from Kim Richards' tumultuous journey to Erika Jayne mixing booze with pills, admitting to blacking out, and yelling at Beauvais' kids. In the latter case, Kyle Richards, Kemsley, and Lisa Rinna laughed about it, citing Jayne as letting off steam. Fast forward to Season 13 however, and Richards and Kemsley are weaponizing alcohol to drag down Sutton Stracke. 

As Stracke and Beauvais question Richards' marriage and push her to "be real" on camera (a refrain Richards has thrown at many co-stars over the years), Richards and Kemsley openly accuse Stracke of having a drinking problem. The show's editing endorses this, of course, adding mentions of Stracke stashing specific grapefruit juice in her purse or showing her pour a generous serving of vodka before a tea with Richards. 

At this point, Strake and Richards are outing each other for all the wrong reasons, adding drama with zero substance. It's a shoddy way to create story, particularly for a series that has so many other glitzy venues to explore within its cast. 

Whether you're looking at sobriety or the weaponization of potential substance abuse, these particular narratives are icky, out of touch, and only contributing to the problem. These are women with families, careers, money and interesting relationships. Yes, they should be accountable for their actions, but no, they should not be labeled to create drama. There's plenty of compelling television out there, and this discourse is no longer among it.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.