She’s keeping her cool.
Crystal Kung Minkoff is proud of the support she’s shown for the alleged victims of embattled castmate Erika Jayne.
“It’s super cool [to support the victims]. I’m the coolest,” the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star exclusively told Page Six at Sutton Stracke’s “Cashmere & Caviar” party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Tuesday.
“Here’s the thing. It’s hard for me to lean into something or go after someone if I’m not quite sure,” she continued. “But in this situation, defending victims is very easy. So it doesn’t bother me, you know what I mean?”
In the trailer for “RHOBH” Season 12, Jayne and Kung Minkoff get into an heated argument over the “Pretty Mess” author’s alleged involvement in estranged husband Tom Girardi’s embezzlement scandal.
“You want to be on the side of the victims because you think it’s cool,” Jayne screams at Kung Minkoff, referring to the families — including widows and orphans — represented by Girardi in the Lion Air Flight 610 case.
“I don’t give a f–k about anybody else but me!” the “XXPEN$IVE” singer then exclaims, as Stracke and Kyle Richards look on with stunned expressions.
Kung Minkoff said that Jayne’s outburst felt like a sequel to their brief quarrel during the Season 11 reunion last year. Kung Minkoff asked Jayne if she was angry at Girardi for his alleged wrongdoings, causing an incensed Jayne to viciously spew back, “Am I not angry enough for you?”
Kung Minkoff — who attended Stracke’s fashion event alongside Garcelle Beauvais in support of SUTTON’s new cashmere line — told Page Six that she was “really taken aback” by Jayne’s reunion display.
“Because I’ve always given her the benefit of the doubt, if I question one thing, it feels bigger,” she explained. “But last year was hard when she yelled at me at the reunion.”
Despite their discord this season, Kung Minkoff teased that she and Jayne — who have kept in touch since production wrapped — were able to forge an unexpected friendship.
“Erika was actually very helpful for me this season. She helped me a lot when I was going through my conflicts with others in the cast,” said the Real Coco founder, who believes Jayne regrets blowing up at her.
“I didn’t like any of that that she was saying in that moment. I don’t think anyone did. And I don’t even think Erika did. Everyone has their own regrets,” she elaborated. “The night she was yelling at me and the girls, she wanted to take that back.”
Asked how she maintains a relationship with Jayne in present time while also advocating for the victims of Girardi’s alleged misdeeds, Kung Minkoff admitted, “That’s a good question.”
“All I will say is that my current friendship with Erika does not affect how I feel about the victims and what they’ve been through. That’s always No. 1 for me,” she said, adding that she appreciates Jayne’s willingness to engage in uncomfortable conversations about the topic both on- and off-camera.
“I think that when you’re friends with someone, you’re really willing to be honest with them. I expect my friends to hold me accountable if I’m doing something wrong. And Erika, for the most part, is down to hash things out.”
Jayne filed for divorce from Girardi in November 2020 after 21 years of marriage. One month later, the estranged couple was sued by Edelson PC for allegedly embezzling settlement funds meant for the victims of Lion Air Flight 610.
Jayne — who denied the charges against her — was dismissed from the fraud lawsuit in January, but she is now facing a $50 million racketeering lawsuit and a $2.1 million “aiding and abetting” lawsuit.
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Season 12 premieres Wednesday, May 11, at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.