It’s hard to believe, but there once was a time when Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum Crystal Kung Minkoff and Still Flipping Out star Jeff Lewis weren’t friends. After Lewis dissed her during BravoCon 2023, Kung Minkoff clapped back at the SiriusXM radio host on several red carpets. Naturally, Lewis invited Kung Minkoff to squashed their beef on Jeff Lewis Live. “I thought I was walking in to say my piece, battle it out a little bit, come to a place of understanding and then move on,” said Kung Minkoff. Thoroughly charmed by Kung Minkoff, Lewis invited her back on the show. Minkoff observed: “We were able to have new type of conversation together. That’s when I knew a real friendship could be possible.”

Now Kung Minkoff is one of Lewis’ beloved “Chumps”—an eclectic community of friends who appear regularly on Jeff Lewis Live and related events. “I remember at first I was like, ‘Wow, this is a motley crew of random people. I don’t know if I fit in,’” said Kung Minkoff. Though, her fears were quickly assuaged as she appeared in more and more episodes. She reports: “The Chumps are a quirky bunch and I’m a very Chinese, strait-laced person, but I have so much love for so many of them.” It’s also clear how much Lewis values his chumps, playing them $500 an appearance. “It’s unusual for people to pay their guests on these shows,” said Kung Minkoff. “Jeff is an incredibly generous person.”

Perhaps being a regular on Jeff Lewis Live gave Kung Minkoff the courage to start her own podcast, Humble Brag with Crystal and Cynthia, with Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Cynthia Bailey. Recently, the women released their 100th episode.“Cyn and I both say that this podcast is the best thing we could have done,” said Kung Minkoff. “You get to sit and chat with your girlfriend, talk about your life, and tens of thousands of people come and listen and join in with you.” In the next 100 episodes, Kung Minkoff wants their loyal listeners to become an even bigger part of the show. “I think that they have a lot to say too.”

Kung Minkoff hopped on a Zoom with Decider to talk about Still Flipping Out, reveal why brands love Lewis so much, and more.

DECIDER: After watching Still Flipping Out, I’ve determined that it is a very good thing to be one of Jeff Lewis’ chumps.

CRYSTAL KUNG MINKOFF: [Laughs] It’s actually great. I don’t know if you know the history of Jeff and me, but we didn’t start off so well. Now, I’m so happy. I love Jeff. I have so much respect for him. He’s a little crazy, but you know we all need a little bit of crazy in our lives.

Do you remember the moment when you two knew that you were going to move on from your initial conflict?

He called me and apologized for his comments and asked me to come on the show. I thought I was walking in to say my piece, battle it out a little bit, come to a place of understanding and then move on and never go back. I left there thinking, “okay, we’re good, but that’s it.”

He called me a week or two later and said, “It was really great having you, and I would love for you to come back.” When I came back on show, I saw a different side of him. We were able to have new type of conversation together. That’s when I knew a real friendship could be possible. I’m really glad he reached back out to me.

I was shocked at how much Jeff Lewis takes care of and values his Chumps. The fact that he spends about 500K a year paying the Chumps for their time truly shocked me. Did it shock you?

I don’t think I knew he sent me money until the third time I did his show. It’s unusual for people to do that, to pay their guests on these shows. Jeff is an incredibly generous person. I also think it’s really smart because he treats us like we’re part of the team as opposed to just guests. We are part of this amazing community, and the closer we all get together as a group, the better the show is. I have a bunch of new friends that I never thought I would have.

I remember at first, I thought: “Wow, this is motley crew of random people. I don’t know if I fit in.” My husband Rob was like, “These are more my people.” The Chumps are a quirky bunch, and I’m a very Chinese, strait-laced person, but I have so much love for so many of them. Jeff has really created an incredible community of friends.

The relationship Jeff has with his Chumps is very reciprocal. You have gotten Jeff so many brand deals! Given that he is so provocative, why do you think brands are drawn to Jeff?

What draws consumers to him is his complete inability to be unauthentic. He is an incredibly authentic person. He says how he feels; he wears his heart on leave. You really know who he is on a day-to-day basis, and brands really love that. There is so much inauthenticity out there now. People’s social media can be really fake. With Jeff, you know exactly what you’re getting. He’s not afraid to make fun of himself either. He calls himself old. He’s like, “My skin is falling off the bones.” [Laughs] A lot of people wouldn’t do that. He says what we’re all thinking out loud and that’s a quality that people really appreciate.

As a fan of Joey Zauzig, I was really sad to see him in such a tailspin, lashing out at people who truly care about him, like yourself, during that difficult episode of Still Flipping Out. Has he reached out to you to try and mend your friendship?

I’m also a fan of Joey’s and that’s what broke my heart. He started coming after people because he felt nobody was on his side. That was wild to me because so many people support him. In fact, I’ve been one of his biggest supporters. That’s why I told him he was blind during that particular argument because he just couldn’t see that. I really saw him as a little brother, so I really was hurt. Those feelings were very genuine.

Though, I really love Joey, and we’re definitely in a better place now. He worked hard to mend our friendship and be apologetic without any excuses. And that’s rare. The show was hard for him to watch back. When you watch his TikTok reactions, you can see that he’s taking in his past behavior . He has learned a lot from seeing himself. I can respect that.

One of the breakout stars of Still Flipping Out is Jeff’s housekeeper, Aurora. I have to ask: Have Aurora and Lucy, your beloved housekeeper, ever met?

[Laughs] Unfortunately no, but that’s a hysterical thought. Oh, I can see them really doing some damage together.

I think you’ve got to make that happen.

I don’t know if I should [laughs]. That could be dangerous!

Humblebrag Podcast, which you do with Cynthia Bailey, just recently celebrated 100 episodes! How did it feel to achieve this milestone, and what plans do you have for the next 100 episodes?

Thank you so much! Cyn and I both always say that this podcast is the best thing we could have done. It’s the most fun job we’ve ever had. You get to sit and chat with your girlfriend, talk about your life, and tens of thousands of people come and listen and join in with you. The first hundred episodes were almost an experiment. We didn’t have any real plans. There are so many more stories we can share, but I think the next hundred episodes will be more of our listeners sharing their stories. I think that they have a lot to say too.

We also really love interviewing our friends. They always say “yes” to doing our show because they know it’s a safe space. When you’re a housewife, you feel constantly exposed, but you don’t get to share necessarily everything. You show parts of your life, but not the rest. Our show is about the rest. It’s about letting our friends tell their stories in their way. It’s been really a special experience.

Everyone knows Cynthia is going to be on the next season of The Traitors! How do you think she will fare?

I think she’s just going to bulldoze everybody and win the whole thing on her own [laughs]. No, I really don’t think that. I genuinely don’t know how she is going to do on The Traitors. She can’t tell me anything. Though, I really believe in Cynthia. She’s always the dark horse in the competition shows she does. She says, “I don’t really have any skills, and I’m not really competitive, but I somehow last towards the end.”

We’ve been talking about our doing The Traitors for so long. So, I feel like it’s like a win for me as well [laughs]. When she got the offer, we were both crying and screaming. I know she’s going to do great. If she’s a Traitor, watching her lie will be very funny to me, because I know her so well. She’s an actress, though. She can hold it together.