Crystal Kung Minkoff’s Eating Disorder Battle: Everything She’s Said, Her Reaction to Erika Jayne’s Comments

Credit: Mark Von Holden/Shutterstock

Crystal Kung Minkoff's Eating Disorder Battle: Everything She's Said, Her Reaction to Erika Jayne's Comments

Sharing her story. Crystal Kung Minkoff has been open about her battle with bulimia since she joined the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast in 2021 for season 11. “I’m a recovering bulimic and I say recovering because I don’t know what it’s like to be any other thing,” the 39-year-old reality TV personality revealed to her RHOBH costars during a June 2021 episode. She explained to Lisa Rinna, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, Kathy Hilton and Kyle Richards that she’d been struggling with the eating disorder since she was 11 years old. The Real Coco cofounder told the group she was no longer “suffering on the daily.” Later in the episode, Crystal revealed in a confessional that it all began when she watched an instructional video about eating disorders in school. Although the movie was meant to highlight the dangers of bulimia, the Bravolebrity picked “up tools from it,” inadvertently sparking her disordered eating. [jwplayer uJxUKSSl-zhNYySv2] “I just want the girls to know how hyperaware I am of my weight and sort of the struggles I go through,” she explained. The California native continued to speak candidly about her struggles on season 12, which premiered in May 2022. In a July episode, Erika Jayne’s comments about Crystal’s eating disorder at Diana Jenkins’ Christmas party sparked backlash. “I always think, ‘Take laxatives to get rid of it,’” Erika said, adding that she’d rather “poop it out” than induce vomiting. In a confessional, Rob Minkoff’s wife said, “Is she trying to be helpful, or has she just had a couple too many drinks?” During the RHOBH After Show, the “XXPEN$IVE” singer said that she didn’t understand why Crystal hadn’t sought professional help for her bulimia. “When I was going through my mental health stuff, I reached out to a psychiatrist to help me. I reached out and got treated. I couldn’t understand why Crystal, when I asked her this, she said, ‘No,’” Erika explained. She continued, “If something was occupying that much of my life — if she’s struggling this hard with an eating disorder, telling us about it, going on — honey, you have the means, you’re educated, you have the access, why not seek professional help?” she said. During her own After Show interview, the descendant of Confucius countered that she had in fact been to treatment. “I’ve talked to people in the past, I currently talk to someone. It’s an ongoing thing,” Crystal said. Scroll through to see everything Crystal has said about her battle with bulimia over the years: If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) website or call their hotline at (888)-375-7767 to get help.

Credit: Mark Von Holden/Shutterstock

Crystal Kung Minkoff's Eating Disorder Battle: Everything She's Said, Her Reaction to Erika Jayne's Comments

Sharing her story. Crystal Kung Minkoff has been open about her battle with bulimia since she joined the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast in 2021 for season 11. “I’m a recovering bulimic and I say recovering because I don’t know what it’s like to be any other thing,” the 39-year-old reality TV personality revealed to her RHOBH costars during a June 2021 episode. She explained to Lisa Rinna, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, Kathy Hilton and Kyle Richards that she’d been struggling with the eating disorder since she was 11 years old. The Real Coco cofounder told the group she was no longer “suffering on the daily.” Later in the episode, Crystal revealed in a confessional that it all began when she watched an instructional video about eating disorders in school. Although the movie was meant to highlight the dangers of bulimia, the Bravolebrity picked “up tools from it,” inadvertently sparking her disordered eating. [jwplayer uJxUKSSl-zhNYySv2] “I just want the girls to know how hyperaware I am of my weight and sort of the struggles I go through,” she explained. The California native continued to speak candidly about her struggles on season 12, which premiered in May 2022. In a July episode, Erika Jayne’s comments about Crystal’s eating disorder at Diana Jenkins’ Christmas party sparked backlash. “I always think, ‘Take laxatives to get rid of it,’” Erika said, adding that she’d rather “poop it out” than induce vomiting. In a confessional, Rob Minkoff’s wife said, “Is she trying to be helpful, or has she just had a couple too many drinks?” During the RHOBH After Show, the “XXPEN$IVE” singer said that she didn’t understand why Crystal hadn’t sought professional help for her bulimia. “When I was going through my mental health stuff, I reached out to a psychiatrist to help me. I reached out and got treated. I couldn’t understand why Crystal, when I asked her this, she said, ‘No,’” Erika explained. She continued, “If something was occupying that much of my life — if she’s struggling this hard with an eating disorder, telling us about it, going on — honey, you have the means, you’re educated, you have the access, why not seek professional help?” she said. During her own After Show interview, the descendant of Confucius countered that she had in fact been to treatment. “I’ve talked to people in the past, I currently talk to someone. It’s an ongoing thing,” Crystal said. Scroll through to see everything Crystal has said about her battle with bulimia over the years: If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) website or call their hotline at (888)-375-7767 to get help.

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In Recovery

Crystal’s husband was surprised to learn that she’d told her fellow Real Housewives she was a “recovering bulimic” in a June 2021 episode.

“I had always felt like the chubby one — wanting to be blonde, blue-eyed and skinny. I totally wanted to be American, and what that meant to me as a child was white,” she told the Haunted Mansion director.

Credit: Courtesy of Crystal Kung Minkoff/Instagram

Some Days Feel 'Like an Everest'

The businesswoman opened up to her Instagram followers about her ongoing recovery.

“This week, I’ve been really struggling with my ED and body image. Eating disorders can be tricky because they make you feel like you’re in complete control when in reality you’re spiraling out of it,” she captioned a December 2021 selfie.

The RHOBH cast member added, “Some days can feel like a little bump in the road and others like an Everest.”

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Showing Solidarity

The Forbidden Kingdom assistant director shared a message of support for anyone fighting a similar battle to her. “Sending love to anyone who is suffering from an eating disorder or supporting someone who is struggling. Keep fighting,” she wrote via Instagram in July 2022.

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Opening Up About the Origins

Crystal shared more of her story with Kyle and Diana in a July 2022 episode of RHOBH. “My eating disorder started when I was 11. I remember every school picture I was in the back middle, always,” she said. “It's one thing being the tallest kid in class, but also looking different as a minority just makes it even that much more apparent."

The media personality added, “I f--ing feel like s--t all the time. I'm just exhausted. I want to eat a meal and be okay with it."

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Her Reaction to Erika's Comments

After Erika suggested she try laxatives and refrain from eating a chicken tender at Diana’s Christmas party, Crystal told The Daily Beast how the comments made her feel.

“I felt embarrassed. Like suddenly the show didn’t exist, and I just felt embarrassed. There’s a feeling of embarrassment being on the show, the idea of being filmed. And then, you know, I got made fun of, as a child, for being chubby. That’s how it felt,” she said.

The reality star further elaborated on why she didn’t appreciate the laxatives comment.

“When she mentioned the laxative, I actually explained that my best friend suffered from that. And I’d discovered that later and she didn't know it was an eating disorder,” Crystal explained. “She had always known about mine … and then I found out she was doing that, and I was like, ‘You know, that’s a problem.’ So, I explained that story.”

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Airing on ‘RHOBH’

“It’s crazy that it’s called a story line,” Crystal told Us at Tessa and Barron Hilton’s intimate baby shower in Malibu, where each guest was invited via a custom-designed Evite. “It was never supposed to be. I mean, like I never thought of myself as a story line general. I'm just going to be myself and live my life, so when people say it’s a story line, I’m like, ‘Well, it’s part of my story.’ I'm an open book because I don't feel shame about it, but it is odd now that people know. I’ve never hidden it, like, my best friends know, my husband knows, so it’s not like I hid it from them. It just wasn’t this need to share with the world, so I have mixed feelings. I don’t regret it, but if it helps someone, it’s worth it.”

Crystal added that she informed Erika that her comments about laxatives could also be classified as an eating disorder.

“It didn't make it to air, but I told her at that moment that my best friend who always knew about my eating disorder ended up telling me that she did laxatives, and I shared with her that it was an eating disorder on its own,” she recalled. “It was very conversational for her, and I just wanted to share that perspective with her.”

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The Ozempic Trend

Crystal admitted in April 2023 that she's considered trying the weight loss drug Ozempic, which her costar Kyle has previously denied using. "It’s not a good place for me, personally for my recovery," Crystal told Page Six at the time. "I’ve never judged or looked down on anyone that finds different avenues for [weight loss]. I would be lying if [I said] I haven’t thought about it. And then I have to check myself if that’s right for my recovery, and I’m in a very specific situation.”