Life is no longer a Beverly Beach for Dorit and Paul Kemsley on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. During season 14, Dorit Kemsley woke up and chose diamond-dusted violence and I couldn’t be happier. Don’t get me wrong, her impending potential divorce from her longtime “hubby” Paul Kemsley isn’t anything to cheer about. Dorit and PK are clearly torn up about the separation, which affects not only them but their two young children Jagger and Phoenix. What I can’t help but applaud is Dorit’s newly discovered bullshit intolerance that applies to everyone around her, from her fake friends (looking at you, Kyle Richards) to her hairstylist (this year’s weave is the elevated hairstyling DK has been needing for some time now). Naturally, Dorit’s treatment of her almost-ex is no exception, and her unfiltered commentary throughout season 14 about their relationship has ruffled the Brit’s feathers, to say the least. Is PK really a “full blown alcoholic?“ PK’s response to Dorit’s comments on RHOBH says a lot.
PK’s response to Dorit’s comments:
While PK admits he’s been sober for over twelve months because of alcoholism, he took major issue with the way Dorit called him a “fully blown alcoholic” and claimed that his alcoholism is the reason why they separated. PK told host Alex Baskin on an episode of Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast that Dorit has a “lack of understanding about sobriety” though it’s “not her fault.” Her words to Kathy Hilton in the season 14 RHOBH premiere left PK “shocked, disappointed, and upset” because “you’re either an alcoholic or you’re not.” From PK’s POV, his drinking provided “an element of responsibility in relation to the breakdown of [their] marriage, but that was just a component,” not the entire reason. PK elaborated that he believes “if you understand the disease” you know that “alcoholism is a symptom, it’s not a cause” so the deeper reasons he was drinking were the culprit of their marital trouble, not the drinking itself.
Why did Dorit and PK break up?
To be fair to Dorit, she also listed other concerns about why she was estranged from PK, like his aggressive social life and lack of sensitivity to her PTSD following the 2021 robbery of her mom by armed robbers. PK acknowledged some of Dorit’s concerns in a sit down with fellow newly single man about town, Mauricio Umansky, on camera. He told Mau that Dorit “used to be his shadow” throughout his adventures around London and LA, but that changed in recent years.
Dorit spoke about staying with PK through many hard years in their lives because of PK’s actions, such as dealing with PK’s gambling debt lawsuits and his 2021 driving under the influence incident. But on Hot Mic, PK took issue with Dorit implying those things caused their separation, saying her interpretation is “not exactly true. ” According to PK, his financial downfall happened “well before” he married Dorit and he has “recovered from all of the things” she listed as flaws.
I don’t want to morph into a Dorit apologist, but PK declared bankruptcy in 2012 and settled his notable lawsuit with the Bellagio Las Vegas in 2019 (he had met Dorit back in 2011). PK has also been reported by outlets like TMZ and Daily Mail to allegedly have recent tax issues (based on public records) to the tune of hundreds and thousands of dollars. PK has achieved a massive accomplishment by “recovering” from his disease of alcoholism. Still, that doesn’t mean Dorit is able to get over the impact his drinking (which culminated in being arrested for a DUI with a woman in his car in 2021) had on their relationship on the same timeline.
