Taylor Armstrong’s brief time on ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ has come to an end.
via People:
The reality star is exiting The Real Housewives of Orange County after just one season on the long-running Bravo series, she announced on Instagram Wednesday.
“Loved spending time with the ladies of #RHOC and thankful I got to give the viewers an update on my life,” Armstrong, 52, wrote in a statement, captioning a gallery of photos from her time on the show. “I’ve made some real friendships that I cherish. Wishing the ladies all the best for season 18.”
“P.S. Adding season 17 to my IMDb. ??,” she joked.
PEOPLE broke the news last August that Armstrong was joining RHOC. The mother of one, who was one the founding members of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when it premiered in 2010, made history with her RHOC casting as the first Housewife ever to make the jump across franchises.
Earlier this month, she was with RHOC costars Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Shannon Storms Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and Jennifer Pedranti for the show’s official panel at BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas. Asked there about which franchise she preferred, Armstrong made it clear that while her roots were in Beverly Hills, she was having too much fun in Orange County to want to leave.
She made an impact in season 17, butting heads with Dubrow over remarks the Let’s Talk with Heather Dubrow host made about a role in a movie Armstrong had been cast in. Though the drama surfaced a few times throughout the episodes, the two repaired their relationship by reunion’s end.
Armstrong’s return to the Housewives universe came after appearing on season 2 of Peacock’s The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Ex-Wives Club. She starred in the series alongside Judge as well as her one-time RHOBH costar Brandi Glanville, former Real Housewives of New York City Housewives Dorinda Medley and Jill Zarin, Real Housewives of Atlanta alums Phaedra Parks and Eva Marcille, and RHOC legend Vicki Gunvalson.
Prior to that, Armstrong was on RHOBH as a full-time Housewife for its first three seasons. She has appeared as a guest many times since.
Ahead of RHOBH’s season 2 premiere, Armstrong made headlines when she filed for divorce from her husband of six years, Russell, citing physical and verbal abuse. Russell died by suicide on Aug. 15, 2011, exactly a month after their split was announced.
Since then, Armstrong has become an outspoken advocate for survivors of domestic violence, speaking about the topic in engagements across the country. She married attorney John Bluhe, 64, in 2014. They live in Orange County now with Kennedy, Armstrong’s 17-year-old daughter from her marriage to Russell.
Meanwhile, pickup letters for season 18 of RHOC went out on Tuesday, a source close to production told PEOPLE Wednesday. All of the season 17 cast save for Armstrong are expected to return, with filming set to begin in January. No premiere date has been announced yet.
We wouldn’t be surprised of ‘RHOC’ was being considered for a reboot in the near future.
