Taylor Armstrong Is a 'Real Housewife' With a Complicated Past — Where Is She Now?

Revisiting Season 1 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is wild. It looks like a totally different show. Actually, scratch that, it is a totally different show. The earlier iteration of the hit reality show is steeped in drama. It's as if they had a crazy quota that needed to be filled each episode. The later seasons occasionally gift us with meme-worthy breakdowns, but they are nothing like the beginning.

Of the original cast members, only Kyle Richards is still on the show. Lisa Vanderpump is probably the most successful housewife, mostly because people can't get enough of the controversy that plagues Vanderpump Rules. One of the housewives has become a trailblazer of sorts after jumping from Beverly Hills to another show in the franchise. What is Taylor Armstrong up to now? Here's what we know.

In August 2022, People reported that Taylor was making the jump from RHOBH to The Real Housewives of Orange County. It had never been done before. Taylor joined Season 17 as a friend of the housewives, and shocked fans with the reveal that she is bisexual. After Jennifer Pendantri asked Taylor if she was bi, Taylor joked about sharing a bunk with her. She then opened up about a five year relationship with a woman that occurred prior to marrying her first husband.

Despite telling the outlet how excited she was about joining the cast of RHOC, primarily due to the fact that she would be able to relax this time around, Taylor left after only one season. Under an Instagram post featuring pictures from her time on the show, Taylor wrote in the caption, "Loved spending time with the ladies of RHOC and thankful I got to give the viewers an update on my life. I’ve made some real friendships that I cherish." She then wished everyone the best for Season 18.

Much of Taylor's Instagram is devoted to inspirational videos that she delivers with the kind of clarity that comes from surviving and reflecting. The reason why Taylor was looking forward to RHOC is that while she was on RHOBH, she was trapped in an abusive marriage.

She wasn't able to discuss until February 2012, six months after her first husband died.

In February 2012, Taylor released a tell-all book titled Hiding from Reality: My Story of Love, Loss, and Finding the Courage Within. Telling her story was made possible by the fact that six months prior, Taylor's first husband, Russell Armstrong, took his own life.

"If I didn’t think this would make a difference, I wouldn’t be doing it," she told the Los Angeles Times a week after its release. Russell was found dead in his Los Angeles house after hanging himself, reported ABC News.

In the book, Taylor told the story of a controlling marriage riddled with anger. According to her, Russell would do things like accuse her of having "rough sex" with other men and wouldn't believe she wasn't until after Taylor took a lie detector test.

There were also allegations of intense physical abuse that were corroborated by medical records provided to The Times. During one altercation, Taylor said Russell caused an orbital fracture that required reconstructive surgery.

When asked about snide comments made regarding her time on the show or spending Russell's money, Taylor said she felt protected by the cameras.

She assumed he wouldn't hurt her when they were rolling. After he died, Taylor discovered Russell was deep in debt. Despite what he put her through, she still missed him but was angry he left such a mess.

Taylor and Russell shared a daughter named Kennedy, who turned 19 years old in 2025.