Crystal Kung Minkoff first joined the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2021 and has since starred as a prominent cast member for three seasons. As the first Asian-American housewife, Crystal felt immense pressure to represent her community. Along her Bravo journey, the mother of two has tried her best to get along with the 90210 women, but more often than not, it feels like Crystal doesn’t fit in with her castmates.
RHOBH Season 13 has shown Crystal starting to voice her opinions more and even stand up for herself. The new and improved Crystal is winning fans over, but she is still having a hard time winning over the women of Beverly Hills, who often look to her to be the professional victim. If they just gave her a chance, the entire dynamic could change.
Crystal the Millennial
Compared to her Boomer counterparts, Crystal is light-years ahead in her way of thinking. During part one of the Season 12 reunion, Crystal addressed the “dramatic Millennial” comment made by Kyle Richards, noting, “I think these girls don’t necessarily hang out with younger girls. They’re so narrow-minded. They can’t think outside of their own experience…When you get a parking ticket, it’s a violation. I don’t think it’s sexual that you didn’t pay your meter, but it’s a violation. That’s what the term means!” RHOBH fans will recall Crystal was scrutinized over her use of the word violated after she was walked in on.
Crystal doubled down, stating, “I guess it’s like you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. I worked so hard to try to make people understand. And I think that’s my lesson: I can’t change someone’s politics, right? Because you can’t change mine. So at some point, it’s like, this is where I stand: Very liberal. You’re not gonna make me a Trumper, no matter what you say. So I think that’s where I have to be. This is how I feel. If you don’t want to take it, go suck it. Is that a Millennial thing? Suck my balls; I don’t care.”
I doubt the women liked being called old or a Trumper, even if they were. The generational differences between Crystal and the other women on RHOBH are significant. It’s a major roadblock keeping Crystal from being fully embraced by her co-stars. It should be noted that Annemarie Wiley is also a Millennial, but because Season 13 is her first, she hasn’t gotten as many opportunities for conflict as Crystal.
Crystal the Child Bride
Everyone balks when they hear of a 20-year age difference between a bride and groom, but most of us have the wherewithal to keep our opinions to ourselves. The ladies took issue with Crystal after Annemarie Wiley claimed she was told that the group was uneducated, with Dorit Kemsley feeling personally victimized. The Beverly Beach owner quipped, “You’re nowhere near more educated than the rest of us. And by the way, child bride, while you were busy getting married at 12, the rest of us were building businesses, graduating college, doing things—you know—to educate ourselves.”
Crystal didn’t bat an eyelash as she took to social media to give out marriage advice, which read, “Set aside quality time together. Express love and appreciation. Manage conflict constructively” and “Buy, don’t borrow diamond necklaces for your wife.”
The last bit was a clear dig and referenced how Dorit’s husband set up a Pretty Woman-themed surprise dinner and presented his wife with a $5 million diamond necklace, telling her, “Don’t get too excited about this because it’s on loan.” I can’t imagine Dorit was a fan of blatant attacks, and it surely won’t help Crystal win over the group.
Times Are Changing
I really like Crystal as an RHOBH housewife. I want to know more about her life and family. Her brother and his career and Crystal’s own career are fascinating. I feel as if Crystal was given the token Millennial crown, and even though she clearly has way more opinions to offer, the other women have written her off for some reason. I don’t think the older 90210 housewives are thrilled with being forced to face the fact that the times they are “a changing.”
But a new, fresh perspective like Crystal’s should really be welcomed. They don’t have to agree all the time. And even though some Millennial counterparts are mocked for their entitlement, I don’t ever see Crystal acting in that manner. Crystal is a different generation but seems to embrace the old and the new extremely well. Maybe the ladies are just jealous?
TELL US – DO YOU THINK CRYSTAL WILL EVER BE FRIENDS WITH THE LADIES OF BEVERLY HILLS?
