Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Taylor Armstrong has endured unimaginable tragedies and highly publicized feuds throughout her 15 years of fame.
Taylor’s marriage to businessman Russell Armstrong crumbled on national television during RHOBH’s first two seasons, with Armstrong later dying by suicide in 2011. Taylor faced scrutiny in the aftermath of Russell’s suicide, both from her RHOBH costars and her late husband’s family.
After leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on a full-time basis in its third season, Taylor married attorney John Bluher and then suddenly found herself in the spotlight once again as the unlikely subject of a cat meme.
Keep scrolling for a look back at Taylor’s dramatic ups and downs, including her time on both The Real Housewives Ultimate Girl Trip and her historic stint on The Real Housewives of Orange County.
October 2010
When Bravo announced the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 1, the network promoted Taylor’s Oklahoma background and willingness to spend $50,00o on her then-4-year-old daughter Kennedy’s birthday party.
Taylor was listed as owning her own consulting firm when RHOBH premiered.
November 2010-February 2011
While Kyle Richards’ feud with costar Camille Grammer (and family drama with sister Kim Richards) was the driving force behind RHOBH season 1, those early episodes foreshadowed trouble to come for Taylor and husband Russell as various cast members shared their doubts about the couple.
Taylor Armstrong and Russell Armstrong. Getty Images
July 2011
Taylor filed for divorce from Russell after completing filming on RHOBH season 2 (but before the episodes aired on Bravo). Taylor cited verbal and physical abuse in court documents as the reason for her split from Russell.
“It was a difficult decision but I have decided to file for divorce from Russell,” she said in a statement at the time. “Although we have tried our best to work through our differences, I have come to the conclusion that it is in the best interests of our family that we separate.”
Taylor later told Entertainment Tonight that Russell had been physically abusive “maybe 20 times” during their marriage. She finally left Russell after he fractured bones in her face.
“When I finally showed him the MRI, he just put it down and started to cry,” she said. “I think it was him having to come to terms with the fact this had gone on far too long.”
Taylor further opened up about her abusive marriage during a 2025 episode of Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons, revealing that she’s still haunted by people asking why she stayed with Russell so long.
“It is a really hard question when I have people ask why I stayed [with him],” she said.
“It is so complicated and statistically most domestic violence victims return seven times before they find the courage to leave,” Taylor explained in the special. “I questioned myself a lot, asking, ‘Am I being abused?’”
August 2011
Taylor discovered Russell’s body at his rented home in Los Angeles after an apparent suicide. It was subsequently reported that Russell was more than $1 million dollars in debt by the time of his death.
“He didn’t have any extra assets. He was living month to month to support his lifestyle for Taylor,” Russell’s lawyer Ronald Richards told ABC News in 2011.
Taylor’s spokesperson reacted to the tragic news by saying, “Taylor Armstrong is devastated by the tragic events that have unfolded. She requests privacy at this time so that she may comfort her young daughter.”
Bravo said in its own statement: “All of us at Bravo are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of Russell Armstrong. Our sympathy and thoughts are with the Armstrong family at this difficult time.”
A coroner’s report later established that there were no signs of foul play.
September 2011
Despite the L.A. coroner’s determination, Russell’s sister Laurie Kelsoe posited the theory on NBC’s Today that her sibling may have been murdered.
“From the minute that I got the call, I knew that it was not suicide,” she told NBC. “I don’t know if it was something in the marriage, I don’t know if it was his business, or the show, I don’t know.”
During Kelsoe’s Today segment, reporter Miguel Almaguer mentioned that the Los Angeles Police Department had received no additional information that would warrant the case being reopened.
Taylor addressed her sister-in-law’s comments on Today in January 2012, when she insisted Kelsoe didn’t have “much knowledge of what went on” inside her marriage to Russell.
Adrienne Maloof, Taylor Armstrong, Camille Grammer on ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’ Isabella Vosmikova / © Bravo / Courtesy: Everett Collection
September 2011-February 2012
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills viewers watched the final months of Taylor and Russell’s marriage play out on camera.
Taylor was memorably confronted by cast members Lisa Vanderpump and Camille Grammer during a contentious gathering at Vanderpump’s home. Grammer alleged that Taylor previously confided in her RHOBH castmates about Russell’s abuse but asked them not to bring it up on camera.
Addressing the abuse rumors, Grammer memorably told Armstrong, “We don’t say it, but now we said it.”
Once Russell died, the RHOBH cast, minus Taylor, were called back to film a scene on August 29, 2011, where they addressed the tragic news.
Meanwhile, Taylor released her memoir, Hiding From Reality: My Story of Love, Loss, and Finding the Courage Within in February 2012, leading to combative scenes at RHOBH’s season 2 reunion.
Brandi Glanville took particular issue with Taylor for releasing a memoir “a hot minute” after Russell’s death.
“Three women die every single day from domestic violence, you want me to wait another month so 100 more women will be dead? How about 6 months and 600 more women are dead?” Taylor shot back. “It’s about women that are dying every single day.”
Throughout the season, RHOBH viewers watched as Taylor sought to settle her late husband’s outstanding debts, including forfeiting her wedding ring.
September 2013
Taylor exited The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a main cast member but would appear as a “friend of” in season 4. She made numerous guest appearances throughout subsequent seasons.
She told “Life After Bravo” in 2020 that it was the right time to leave RHOBH because she “needed to take some time away” from Los Angeles in order to focus on raising daughter Kennedy.
“It was a little bit frightening for a while ’cause I couldn’t go anywhere and I had my little girl and I wanted to take her away for a while and not have her exposed to people constantly yelling and asking me questions about what had happened,” she explained.
Taylor Armstrong and husband John Bluher. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
April 2014
Taylor tied the knot with second husband, Bluher, at the Bel Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades, California, on April 4, 2014, in front of a star-studded guest list that included her former RHOBH costars Richards, Vanderpump and Faye Resnick.
She was walked down the aisle by her then-7-year-old daughter Kennedy while wearing a strapless, form-fitting dress by Chagoury Couture.
May 2019
Taylor found an unexpected resurgence in visibility when she was featured in a now-iconic meme created by a Twitter user on May 1, 2019. The meme juxtaposed a dramatic moment of Taylor arguing with Grammer in RHOBH season 2 with a cat sitting at a dinner table.
Arguably, Taylor became more famous for her association with this meme than for her time on reality TV. The star rolled with her viral success by offering to recreate the cat meme on her Cameo channel.
“It’s just funny to me. That life feels like someone else’s life, at this point,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in a 2023 interview. “[The meme] doesn’t bother me at all.”
Taylor Armstrong and Jennifer Pedranti on ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County.’ Randy Shropshire / ©Bravo / Courtesy: Everett Collection
June 2022
Taylor returned to reality TV for the second season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, where she once again had it out with Glanville over past tensions. Taylor confronted Glanville for making hurtful comments in the aftermath of Russell’s death.
She told Us Weekly at the time that there were “ups and downs” throughout filming, as well as some unexpected catharsis.
“In some respects, we have a bit of a family feeling with one another, so it’s almost like fighting with your sister,” she said.
August 2022
Bravo made history by announcing that Taylor would be the first Housewife to switch franchises when she became a “friend of” the cast on The Real Housewives of Orange County season 17.
Taylor made the most of her one season on RHOC by feuding with costar Heather Dubrow over an acting role. Unfortunately, her onscreen tension with Dubrow wasn’t enough to secure her a second season in Orange County.
November 2023
Taylor confirmed speculation that she was not asked back for RHOC season 18 and would once again be leaving the Bravoverse.
“Loved spending time with the ladies of #RHOC and thankful I got to give the viewers an update on my life,” she wrote via Instagram. “I’ve made some real friendships that I cherish. Wishing the ladies all the best for season 18.”
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