In a new series, Highlights from USA TODAYcelebrities share what fuels their lives.
Crystal Kung Minkoff is perhaps best known for her “ugly leather pants,” which her “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” co-star Sutton Stracke yelled at her for.
But you won’t find her in them most days. In fact, she’s in her pajamas during a critical fashion moment for some famous parents: leaving school with their kids.
“It’s really embarrassing, but I don’t really care,” Kung Minkoff says during an often laugh-filled video call from her library in Los Angeles. “The teachers, when they open the door, I’m in flannel pajamas with dogs on them and they say ‘it’s Crystal.’
She joined The Real Housewives in 2021 during Season 11 of Beverly Hills in 2021 as the first full-time Asian American cast member. Now that the reality star is settling in for her third season with her diamond, she’s not holding back.
Kung Minkoff talks to USA TODAY about all the diet habits, wellness routines and tips for a healthy marriage.
The story continues below the video.
‘RHOBH’ star Krystal Kung Minkoff on marriage, morning
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member shares her morning must-haves and marriage advice.
Crystal Kung Minkoff’s love for Costco croissants
She wakes up at 6:30 a.m. every day and is out by 7:30 a.m. with her children Max, 11, and Zoe, 9. Her husband, Rob Minkoff, 61, director of Disney’s animated classic “The Lion King,” he was never a morning person until they had kids. Now he’s also up and early, making the coffee. Specifically: drip coffee, with lots of coconut milk – Kung Minkoff co-founded the company Real Coco, at the end of the edges—plus a sprinkle of caramel sweetener.Just one cup a day, she insists, despite her friends’ all-day caffeinated habits.
Kung Minkoff usually skips breakfast – she’s not hungry! – but there will be a croissant until 10 a.m. And maybe not the kind you’d expect from The Real Housewife.
“I buy Costco croissants, like the 12-pack for $6,” she says. “And I eat one almost every day.” Her lunches range from Chinese chicken salad to sushi and pasta.
Off Camera, ‘I Never Wear Makeup’
But a perfect day for Minkoff? “Waking up groggy and getting the kids to school on time. This is a great start. And to not have so much on my plate,” she says. Definitely all her emails are ready too.
“I consider myself a proud, lazy person,” she says. “So if I could just lie in bed all day, I would.”
That said: She likes to play tennis and golf and keep a spiky house. Golf and family dinner are her ideal.
When it comes to wellness, she keeps it simple. Lots of face wash and sunscreen, frequent use of MDSUN Skin Care. You might be used to seeing her wearing makeup on TV. Don’t expect it otherwise.
“If I don’t have to be on camera, I will never, ever, ever wear makeup,” she says.
She hikes with her friends several times a week at Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and works with a trainer. “But I’m so busy, I actually live in the Hills so it’s nice, I just walk my dog here,” she says.
‘Don’t tell my kids’ about her social media habits
Kung Minkoff spends a lot of time—perhaps too much—on social media. More than her colleagues for sure.
“Girls keep telling me, ‘Get out.’ Don’t read it. It’s bad for you.” I was going down terrible rabbit holes,” she says.
More from our conversation: Crystal Kung Minkoff talks “up-and-down” about her eating disorder
Krystal Kung Minkoff’s husband has an obsession with these ‘ugly leather pants’
Her secrets to a happy and healthy marriage? The pair share that ideal, basic combination of similar but different interests.
“We can get together and have a million things to talk about, and then we can go into our own spaces and also have a million things to talk about,” she says.
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“It’s hard work. I’ve been together for 20 years, but you get back together if you respect each other. You keep reminding yourself why you love the person and respect them.”
Maybe one of the reasons she loves him? His firm love for those “ugly leather pants.”
“My husband won’t let me wear them because he’s very protective of them,” she says. “He says, ‘Don’t ruin them.’ So he randomly checks like, “Do you have your pants?” They’re folded. He thinks they should be in the Smithsonian or something. He’s so obsessed.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
