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‘RHOM’ star Kiki Barth says she saw the Hochstein divorce coming

Speaking to TODAY.com, Barth teases some of the action to come in Season Five — including the drama she started herself.
Kiki Barth in season 3 of "The Real Housewives of Miami."
Kiki Barth in Season Five of "The Real Housewives of Miami."Peacock

For Kiki Barth, coming back to ‘The Real Housewives of Miami’ Season Five offered a deeper dive into the Miami heat … and from the sound of it, she’s only getting started.

After eight years off the air, ‘The Real Housewives of Miami’ returned to Peacock in 2021 for Season Four, bringing a new take on a franchise many viewers believe never should’ve ended the first time.

The entire Season Four cast returns for Season Five, including "RHOM" veterans Alexia Nepola, Larsa Pippen and Lisa Hochstein alongside new-to-the-fray wives Julia Lemigova, Guerdy Abraira and Dr. Nicole Martin. All friends of the cast return as well, including Barth and "RHOM" OGs Marysol Patton and Adriana de Moura. Season Five premiered Thursday, Dec. 8 on Peacock, with four episodes dropping for the premiere.

Peacock is owned by NBCUniversal, TODAY's parent company.

TODAY caught up with Barth to tease what’s to come during season five.

Barth believes she will be a housewife one day

As Season Four introduced audiences to Barth, a mother, model and philanthropist with quite the sense of humor. After skipping the Season Four reunion, fans were concerned about her future on the show, but Barth is back for another go of drama.

Barth tells TODAY.com, “I’m very grateful (for the fan support). And I’m very happy with the reaction I get from the people and how they wanted so much more of me. To get that amount of love from everyone was just like, wow, oh my god, this is amazing. But again, I’m Kiki — what else do you expect?”

Season Five offered Barth a chance to dive deeper into the drama. Barth says she is “very involved this season all over the place,” and notes that viewers will get to know a more “fun Kiki, and a more outspoken Kiki.”

To put it plainly, Barth says, “I start s---.”

With a Barth-filled Season Five on the horizon, would she ever want to pick up a Miami mojito as a full-time housewife? “That’s the entire goal at the end of the day,” Barth says.

“I’m very comfortable where I am. But only God knows if I ever get upgraded to a full time housewife, because I mean, why not? I will be a housewife one day. I’ll snatch somebody else’s mojito,” Barth says. 

Barth teases a ‘crazy, chaotic and amazing’ Season 5 

With Season Five right around the corner, Barth teased the drama ahead.

Barth tells TODAY.com, “This season is crazy, chaotic, and amazing at the same time. It’s going to be a roller coaster. I really feel like everybody’s straw is going to be on the floor."

As for what shocked Barth the most? Drama between some of the OGs of the show: Nepola, Patton, Pippen and de Moura. 

“There is a huge breakup between a couple of the OGs and it kind of shifts the whole dynamic of the group. It’s split into two. Even I’m so shocked, I feel like the audience is going to be so, so shocked because nobody expected anything like this to happen,” Barth says.

“It’s major. The whole group is split into two,” Barth continues.

Barth says she saw the Hochstein divorce coming

If you’re a fan of the housewives, odds are that you’ve heard news of the divorce of Lisa and Lenny Hochstein, who have appeared on "RHOM" since Season Two. 

In May 2022, Lenny filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences,” a move that Lisa said "blindsided" her in a statement, per People.

By the looks of the Season Five trailer, viewers will be getting a firsthand look at how the divorce went down, as the ladies were filming when it became public that the couple was beginning divorce proceedings. 

Barth had a first-look at the drama herself, telling TODAY.com that it wasn’t completely out of the blue. Barth says, “As sad as it is, as shocked we all are, I feel like we all were expecting this.”

Lisa Hochstein at a private party in Miami Beach, FL.
Lisa Hochstein at a private party on November 29, 2021 in Miami Beach, FL.Alberto E. Tamargo / Alamy Stock Photo

“Even watching from last season or the season before that, you can see how the marriage was shifting. I mean, you have to be really dumb not to see through it. I knew this was going to happen. Unfortunately, it’s a sad situation because there are kids involved, but we are there for Lisa,” Barth continues.

Barth tells TODAY.com that she thinks that Lisa knew her marriage was “going downhill.”

"I feel like she knew that stuff was gonna go down. She was just trying to play it along, but you cannot hide things like this. Eventually it’s gonna come out in the light. That’s exactly what happened," she says.

Barth explains why she told Pippen what Hochstein had said about her

One of the biggest conflicts in the first four episodes is that between once besties Pippen and Hochstein … a conflict Barth fueled.

Within the first twenty minutes of Episode One, Hochstein told Barth and Patton that Pippen’s building is “where all the hookers, the Onlyfans, the drug dealers, the pimps live,” which Barth in turn took back to Pippen. 

When Pippen saw Hochstein next, she said to Hochstein, “You know what’s very funny, I looked online one day and they were talking about how you guys rent your house to pay your mortgage.” Hochstein then denied that she has a mortgage, causing a rift between the pair. 

Barth says she told Pippen what Hochstein had because “I’m closer with Larsa, which is what a lot of people don’t understand.”

“It’s a real, authentic friendship. It didn’t just happen overnight. I just feel like with Lisa, the friendship is not stronger than what I have with Larsa. So I just felt like, as a friend, it was just my duty. I just wanted to make sure that Larsa knew that Lisa was talking s--- about her, and that’s exactly what I did. I don’t think what I did is anything bad,” Barth explains.

Barth plays ‘RHOM’ rapid fire

Barth answered rapid fire questions about Season Five. 

  • Who she is the closest with: Pippen, Patton, Nepola
  • Who she is the least close with: Lemigova & De Moura. “They’re kind of off in their own world,” Barth says.
  • Who is most likely to throw shade to your face: Nepola
  • Who is most likely to throw shade behind your back: Martin
  • Who reveals the most about their life this season: Hochstein
  • Who causes the most drama: De Moura. “I was like wow, Jesus Christ,” Barth says.
  • Who she has the most fun with: Pippen and Patton
  • Who surprises her the most: “I have to say myself, I push myself so hard this season,” Barth says.
  • Who the best team player on the cast: Pippen, Nepola, Patton, Barth. 
  • Who brings the most receipts: Pippen. “Larsa didn’t come to play this season. Everything this season was like chop, chop, chop. She will cut you, she’s leaving dead bodies on the floor,” Barth says.