Taylor Armstrong has had a rollercoaster of a time in The Real Housewives franchise. First, she was an OG cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside the likes of Lisa Vanderpump and Kim and Kyle Richards, during which Armstrong had to deal with the shocking death of her estranged husband Russell by suicide as well as the reality show's usual deluge of drama.
After a brief hiatus from the brand, she returned to TV screens in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Season 2 in 2022 before making Bravo history a year later by being the first Housewife to switch shows in the franchise, joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County as a "Friend Of" for its 17th season.
And it was an eventful season for Armstrong, as the reality star notably came out as bisexual during a June 2023 episode of RHOC along with feuding with costar Heath Dubrow. Now, it looks like her tenure on the series is sadly one and done.
On Wednesday, November 29, just over a month after Season 17 concluded, Armstrong announced via Instagram that she would not be joining cast members Tamra Judge, Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Jennifer Pedranti for RHOC's 18th edition.
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. Wishing the ladies all the best for season 18.
Along with a carousel of photos featuring Armstrong with the rest of the Orange County ladies, she included a cheeky addendum to her goodbye post, referencing her ongoing beef with Dubrow about her acting career.
P.S. Adding season 17 to my IMDb.
Several of Armstrong's OC cohorts commented their support on the post, including Tamra Judge, who quit The Real Housewives of the OC after season 15 before returning to the cast for the 17th iteration, and former Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp.
Similarly, many fans of the Bravo series were upset to see Armstrong go, especially after only one season on the show. One fan outright called it an "injustice" that Taylor was departing the series in lieu of other castmates and hoped that the early exit was because Armstrong was ultimately returning to the Beverly Hills show. On X (formerly known as Twitter), one fan responded to Armstong's announcement with this comment:
Then you must be going back to RHOBH?? Cuz this is an injustice. The way they’ve kept Gina and Emily on there. I’ve yet to hear any iconic quotes from them.
Another quoted Julia Roberts' infamous Pretty Woman line with a well-chosen gif, telling Bravo they were making a "big mistake, huge!" in not having the reality star back next season. The fan on X wrote:
Wait why didn’t they bring u back?? @bravotv everyone loved her on the show
And another simply thanked the TV personality for all of the "iconic memories" she gave viewers over the years.
Thanks for the iconic memories @TaylorArmstrong 🍊💎 #RHOC #RHOBH pic.twitter.com/xoDvhjednjNovember 29, 2023
However, other Bravo diehards weren't as sad to see Armstrong go, claiming she "didn't bring anything" to Orange County's 17th season and her ongoing drama with Heather was "over rated."
She didn't bring anything to the show, 1 over rated drama with Heather she started to try get a permanent spot and it clearly didn't work.November 30, 2023
Though Bravo has not commented, People confirmed that pickup letters for season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County went out on Tuesday and, aside from Taylor Armstrong, everyone else has been invited back for next season, with filming starting in January. No premiere date has been set yet.
