Crystal Kung Minkoff Reveals Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Her Pop Star Brother Jeffrey Kung
The RHOBH cast member reveals what it's like to have a brother who is her business partner and a pop star in China.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Crystal Kung Minkoff shared that while she grew up in Los Angeles, a career in front of the camera and a life of fame didn't really cross her mind.
"Never. Never occurred to me. It was not, like, on our radar. I grew up in a very traditional Chinese household. My brother was gonna work in finance and I was gonna be a surgeon, and that was sort of our path. So then he becomes a pop star, and then I end up here. So, I don’t even know what happened, where we went off the rails. But we are definitely the, in a great way, the black sheep of our sort of extended family. They always laugh, like, 'What happened to you guys,' you know?" Crystal joked in an interview with Bravo Insider in 2021.
Who is Crystal Kung Minkoff's brother, Jeffrey Kung?
But something along the way changed for the Kung siblings. She's now a cast member on RHOBH, and her brother, Jeffrey Kung, is a pop star in China. When Crystal spoke to The Daily Dish, also in 2021, she opened up a bit more about how Jeffrey rose to pop prominence.
"When I say, it’s such a basic life, I know. When I think about that, I’m like, maybe it’s not that basic, but it’s really his life, you know? My brother went to Michigan [for school] and then studied abroad in China, which is what I did. I went to [University of California, Irvine] and then studied abroad," she recalled, "And then he called us one day, and I was still in high school. He’s a year-and-a-half older, and he’s like, 'Oh, I got a record deal.' We’re like, 'For what? You’re going to business school.' And he’s like, 'I don’t know. It happened.' And and then next thing we know, he does a demo, does an album, and wins MTV Best New Artist Asia. And it just didn’t stop from there, and it’s been, god, 20 years now."
Details on Jeffrey Kung's Career as a Pop Star and Coconut Water Brand with Crystal
Crystal shared that, in fact, his career as a pop star across the globe works perfectly as they collaborate on their coconut beverage brand, Real Coco.
"But it’s funny. It’s like, even though that all happened, it’s still sort of out of sight, out of mind, because he lives in China and we’re here. That’s his life, and when this opportunity came up [for Real Coco], we started our coconut water company in Asia ‘cause we source everything from Southeast Asia, it just made sense," she said. "So, he ran all the logistics of it, and I helped develop all the products. I create the new products, and it was just sort of a fun project on the side that sort of became a much bigger thing. My brother and I and my best friend, the three of us, we're so close, and so it was such a fun thing to do that keeps us constantly connected."
Crystal also shared with The Daily Dish how her family reacted to her decision to break into the world of reality TV. "They’re excited. I don’t know if many have seen. My family’s pretty traditional Chinese, so I don’t know if it’s, like, on their radar. But because my brother has been doing what he’s doing, they sort of are familiar — especially [with me] being with [husband] Rob [Minkoff] and him being in the business. But my mom is super excited. And she’s fantastic. She’s probably the first supporter of me doing it when I was reluctant," she said. "They’re all excited. My brother’s really excited. Obviously, it’s just like an extension of what he does, so he’s like, 'It’s a no-brainer to say yes.' I’m like, OK, it’s a no-brainer for you. But, you know? It’s new for me."
During an appearance on Amplify Our Voices several years ago, Crystal opened up more about the importance of representation in the media and on TV. "I think that screen time for the AAPI talent is less than one percent of top cable programming. So when you have such a narrow media representation, and it starts to feed these biases for Americans who are tuning in. It's harmful; it's a harmful stereotype that undermines Asians as real Americans," she said. "So television has the opportunity to really expand stories about the API community to eliminate all those narratives that fuel bias and violence."
She shared during that Amplify Our Voices conversation that she wants to use her platform to spread awareness about these important social issues and inspire others to take action to show her kids how important it is. She is now looking forward to getting the chance to take viewers inside her life at home on RHOBH, as well to share her Chinese heritage with fans.
"I think I’m probably most excited to share my Chinese culture and background and traditions. And, my husband’s Jewish, and so our kids are [Chinese and Jewish], and that’s equally important. They have such a beautiful culture that should also be shared in a bigger way. So, I’m excited for people to see what kind of a mixed family looks like. I’m excited for that," she told The Daily Dish.
Now that Crystal is sharing her life and heritage with the world by adding the role of Real Housewife to her busy schedule, she revealed how she manages to do it all. "Look, you find time when you’re passionate about all those things. And I know it sounds weird to be passionate about being a mom, but I love doing all that stuff with my kids. So, it’s not difficult," she said. "You find time when you are having fun, for sure."
More on Jeffrey Kung's appearances on RHOBH
Since Crystal's debut on RHOBH, Jeffrey popped up on the show to hang out with his sister. He even appeared on the current Season 13 of RHOBH (in an episode that aired on Oct. 31) and during that sit-down with Crystal and Rob, he shed some light on his romantic life as he opened up dating.
"What a fun experience doing a confessional together. I only wish our dad was alive to see it," he later shared about sitting down next to his sister for a confessional in the Season 13 episode of RHOBH.
Originally published Jun 2, 2021.
