How Taylor Armstrong Really Feels About Her Former RHOBH Co-Stars
Taylor Armstrong is officially the first "Real Housewives" star to switch franchises. After spending three seasons on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" in the early 2010s, she left her full-time role and eventually parted ways with Bravo a few years later. In 2022, Armstrong made her return to reality television when she was cast on Season 2 of "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip." After filming wrapped, Armstrong reached a deal with production that would bring her back into the fold in a bigger way. In August of that year, People magazine confirmed that Armstrong was set to star in Season 17 of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." Armstrong wasn't given an orange straight away, but was cast in a "friend of" role for the season.
As Armstrong mixes and mingles with a new group of ladies, including Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador, you may be wondering how she feels about her former castmates. With Armstrong moving to Orange County, she doesn't get to hang out with her Beverly Hills pals as much, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't still consider many of them her friends. "The original six of us will always have a special bond. Probably more so for me because of all I was going through for those first few years of 'Housewives,'" she told Bravo's The Daily Dish in 2020. "We don't see each other obviously as much as I used to," she added. There is one person, however, that Armstrong is still pretty close with.
Taylor Armstrong and Kyle Richards are still friends
Taylor Armstrong and Kyle Richards built a strong friendship during their time on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and Armstrong still considers Richards a friend. "The most fun to be around on Beverly Hills is Kyle Richards. She and I were really good friends and still are. And we lived three streets away from one another, so we were together all the time," Armstrong told Bravo's The Daily Dish in June 2023. It seems as though Richards feels similarly. Back in 2013, she told E! News that she missed having Armstrong on the Beverly Hills franchise. "The original six girls I really feel a sisterhood with and Taylor's always been an incredible friend to me," she said, adding, "she's never been one to backstab and always supported all of us."
But while Armstrong and Richards seem to have a friendship that can stand the test of time, it is not enough to keep Armstrong tuning into "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" week after week. In fact, the mother of one has said that she no longer watches the franchise — and Richards is kinda sorta the reason.
Taylor Armstrong doesn't like watching her friends fight
On the August 8, 2022 episode of the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast, Taylor Armstrong admitted that she is no longer investing her time into the show she formerly starred on. "I do not watch the 'Housewives' shows and not because I don't think they're great, but it's truly, it's so hard for me to see my friends argue with one another because I know what those feelings are like and it almost brings up an anxiety for me, especially when Kyle and Lisa were still on the show," she said, referring to Richards and Lisa Vanderpump. Longtime fans of the show know that Richards and Vanderpump were once incredibly close, but a feud in 2019 effectively ended their friendship and things haven't been the same since.
When Armstrong was on "Watch What Happens Live" in June, host Andy Cohen asked her if she thought that Richards and Vanderpump would ever be able to get their friendship back on track. "No," Armstrong replied (per Bravo), adding, "That's not happening."