There's little we love more than bingeing all of the Real Housewives franchise—if we get to have a snoop into the lives, homes, and super juicy tea of the rich and famous, we're not complaining. And, we love it even more when there's someone new on the block—and in California, the newest housewife is still causing a stir.
Everyone has been asking, "Who is Crystal Minkoff?" after season 11 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills hit TVs. Like Eboni K. Williams, who became the first Black-American housewife on The Real Housewives of New York, Minkoff has made franchise history as the first Asian-American cast member of the RHOBH.
Read on for everything that you ever wanted to know about the reality TV newbie.
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Who is Crystal Minkoff? Meet the latest RHOBH cast member
Crystal Kung Minkoff joined RHOBH for season 11, which debuted on May 19, 2021, and ran until November 3 2021. Outside of the show, Minkoff is pretty accomplished—she's the founder of Real Coco, a plant-based beverage company. Plus, she's an athlete and loves a game of tennis and hitting the ski slopes. But her most skilled sport is throwing a good party, if you ask Bravo sources.
She is married to Rob Minkoff, the film director behind the likes of The Haunted Mansion, The Lion King and The Stuart Little series. What could be better for the Beverly Hills ladies than a little bit of Disney magic? The couple met in 2003 and were wed four years later, and they have two children together, Max and Zoe.
What is Crystal Minkoff's heritage?
The California native, who was born to first-generation Chinese immigrant parents, has been a strong supporter of the AAPI community during its recent uptick in hate crimes. She frequently takes to Instagram to show support for her heritage, as above.
And, as she revealed in the latest Housewives season, Minkoff is a 76th generational descendant of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Pretty neat, huh?
Crystal Minkoff's brother and "manny"
In China, Jeffrey Kung, Crystal's brother, is a huge pop sensation. But when he's hanging out in California with his sister, he is the "manny" to Crystal's two children.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he's been staying in Beverly Hills, and we catch a few glimpses of him during the latest Housewives season.
Real Coco Water: all about Crystal's brand
The farm-to-bottle brand that Crystal Minkoff and her brother founded alongside Brian Bardos includes products such as organic coconut milk, organic French vanilla coconut coffee creamer, and toasted coconut chips in a wide variety of flavors, including chocolate and caramel.
The brand touts its sustainable sourcing, minimal processing and eco-friendly packaging.
How old is Crystal Minkoff?
The Bravo newbie is now 39 years old, according to her Instagram profile.
She celebrated her birthday recently in fact, in the middle of February, posting a video of her bash on her social media.
In the post, she thanked her closest gal pals for making her day special. Minkoff wrote: "Have you ever had a day where life confirms you are exactly where you are meant to be? Today, my girlfriends helped me celebrate my birthday and it was everything I could have wished for."
What is Crystal Kung Minkoff's net worth?
Although Crystal Kung Minkoff's net worth hasn't been officially confirmed, sources suspect the number lingers roughly around $16 million (£12 million).
It's likely the Kung/Minkoff family have a pretty large fortune, given both Crystal's success and her husband Rob's huge movie achievements.
Crystal Minkoff house envy
Minkoff describes the gorgeous home that she and her husband built from the ground up as a "labor of love," according to a Bravo Insider clip.
The impressive home clocks in at nearly 9,000 square feet and features a rather gorgeous backyard, not to forget the Instaworthy pool, fire pit, BBQ area and play area for the kids. Fortunately for us, the home can be toured on Bravo's website.
Is Crystal Minkoff related to Rebecca Minkoff?
No surprise if this question came to mind, as many people have likely wondered if Crystal is related to the fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff. This seems like a similar case to Dalton Gomez and Selena Gomez, in that two notable people simply have the same last name. So far, there's been no official word that Crystal Minkoff or her husband Rob is related to Rebecca Minkoff, a fashion designer famous for her accessible-luxury handbags.
Crystal Minkoff RHOBH friends—and enemies
During the latest RHOBH season, Minkoff got on well with almost all of the ladies of Beverly Hills, getting especially close to fellow cast members Dorit Kemsley and Erika Jayne.
Things weren't quite as rosy with housewife Sutton Stracke, however. A feud began between the two during season 11—which we go into more detail on later...
The 12th season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently filming, and will likely hit screens late 2022 or early 2023.
Sutton Stracke and Crystal Minkoff feud
Things got messy between these two during season 11. While touching on the subject of racial stereotyping, the cast members butted heads during a Lake Tahoe vacation. Sutton has regretted the way the two argued during their getaway, insisting that it is not a reflection of her character and she will do more to let other voices be heard, according to People.
Things also took a turn when Sutton accidentally walked in on Crystal naked, and the Bravo newbie insisted she was being violated.
The pair continued to argue over the incident throughout the season, but had managed to patch things up by the reunion episodes, agreeing to disagree with how they both felt about the incident.
When you need a break from Beverly Hills, why not catch up on the miniseries The Real Housewives All Stars. This Housewives spinoff in Turks and Caicos features cast members across multiple franchises as cameras observe them in a Big-Brother-esque, 24/7 environment for eight days straight. It aired in November last year, and is available to watch on Bravo and Hayu in the UK.
Perhaps we can catch Crystal on this spinoff in the future!
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