Kelly Ripa slams Kyle Richards critics amid Mauricio split: ‘Grow up’

Kelly Ripa has Kyle Richards‘ back.

The talk show host slammed critics of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” for judging how the reality star is handling her separation from estranged husband Mauricio Umansky.

“It’s been rough,” Richards, 54, told Ripa, 53, and Mark Consuelos during an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark” on Friday. “This is unchartered territory for me. It’s been difficult. Fortunately, it was amicable. It’s hard. My main concern is our daughters, who’ve been amazing, my four best friends. It is hard.”

Richards went on to note that dealing with such a very public issue has caused fans to “feel like they want to know all the answers.”

She added: “[They] create their own story because we haven’t explained everything.”

Even more, some bystanders have even told her that their “hopes and dreams are crushed” and believe that “true love doesn’t exist” because of their broken marriage.

Ripa quickly interjected at that point, noting: “Let me just say this on your behalf. Grow up. It’s not about you.”

Richards and Umansky, 53, announced in July that they were separated after 27 years of marriage.

Despite their break, Richards supported Umansky and his pro partner, Emma Slater, at his “Dancing With the Stars” Season 32 debut in September. However, she deleted a photo of the dance pair from her Instagram after they were photographed holding hands in Beverly Hills.

Umansky and Slater spoke about about romance rumors hours after Richards admitted she was “hurt” by their actions — during “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”

“We do want to address this story, this whole thing that’s going out and about, about whether Emma and I are dating,” Mauricio said in an Instagram Story on Thursday. “About whether we went out on a date. For full clarity, we are not dating.”

He added: “We are really good friends. We’ve been dancing together for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day.”

Slater chimed in that the “DWTS” experience can be “intense.”

“Like you really form a very very special bond. And I think we’re similar personalities, so we’ve got a super supportive relationship. We’re definitely there for each other,” she explained. “And it’s beautiful, that’s a great thing.”