Krystal Kung Minkoff was humiliated when her “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” classmates answered questions about her struggles with an eating disorder in an episode that aired last month.
“I felt embarrassed. Like all of a sudden the show didn’t exist, and I just felt embarrassed,” Minkoff, who revealed his battles with bulimia and body dysmorphia on the show, told the Daily Beast In an interview published on Thursday.
Minkoff continued, “Being on the show feels embarrassment, the idea of being filmed. And then, you know, as a kid, I was made fun of for being chubby. That’s what it felt like.”
During a recent episode “RHOBH”, Erica Girardi suggested Minkoff to take a laxative to help with the weight loss and at one point told Minkoff not to eat the chicken tenders that were being offered at a holiday party.
“It was very uncomfortable for me. Because when he mentioned the laxative, I actually explained that my best friend was suffering from it. And I found out later and he didn’t know it was an eating disorder, Minkoff told the Daily Beast. “She always knew about me … and then I found out she was doing it. And I was like, you know this is a problem. So I explained that story.”
Minkoff said that the questions his classmates were asking on the show were extremely stimulating to him, such as when Girardi asked, “What happens when you purge?” and continued to recommend treatment to Minkoff.
And on another episode, Kyle Richards asked Minkoff if she bent over and “thrown it”, to which Minkoff responded with obvious discomfort. However, Richards said she was allowed to ask because she had experienced an eating disorder of her own in the past.
“I told him, this is starting to sound a little too graphic to me,” Minkoff said, noting his reaction was not included in the episode.
After the episode aired, Minkoff thanked viewers who arrived with kindness and support.
“I want to thank all of you who have sent me messages of support over the past few days,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram in July. “Many of you have shared your personal ED stories and I want you to know that I look up to each and every one of you and I am so proud of your bravery.”
She continued, “Recovering from an eating disorder is not linear. We all need to approach and process in our own time. Please be kind to yourself and others suffering.”
