Taylor Armstrong, 51, is in the midst of filming season 17 of The Real Housewives of Orange County, after making the jump from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and solidifying herself as the first ‘Real Housewife’ to switch franchises. And when Taylor flew across the country for BravoCon 2022 in NYC, HollywoodLife chatted with Taylor about her experience so far filming with a different group of ladies on RHOC.
“It was just exciting that Bravo has given me the opportunity to show the new side of my life versus all that I was going through when I was on Beverly Hills was so traumatic,” Taylor told us EXCLUSIVELY on Oct. 15. “And now I just get to be exactly who I am,” she added. “And just enjoy the experience and not be afraid to say something wrong or do something wrong. And so you’re gonna enjoy it.”
Taylor went through major life struggles while she was on RHOBH. She was being abused by her husband Russell Armstrong, the father of her daughter Kennedy. Russell died by suicide after season 2 wrapped filming. Taylor left the show after season 3 and got married to her attorney John Bluher in 2014 and they now live in Orange County.
In her chat with HL, Taylor mentioned how different it’s been filming RHOC well into the franchise’s run, after being there for the beginning of RHOBH with Lisa Vanderpump, Kyle Richards, Camille Grammer, Adrienne Maloof, and Kim Richards.
“You know what the interesting thing about the OC is? Because I was an OG for Beverly Hills, going onto a cast that has history has been interesting. I’m kind of catching up on the news,” she explained. “Because they have years of stuff that they’re still kind of hashing out, and so I’m just trying to figure out like, who’s in the right, who’s in the wrong, and everybody has their own side. So I think that’s been the interesting thing about switching. So you’re gonna see some history with these ladies coming out this season.”
Taylor secured her return to ‘Real Housewives’ after starring on season 2 of Ultimate Girls Trip with several ex-Housewives including Tamra Judge, who is also back for season 17 of RHOC. Taylor told us that while she’s pals with Tamra and also knew Heather Dubrow, she’s been most pleasantly surprised by Emily Simpson.
Had so much fun joining the #RHOC panel with these awesome ladies and can’t wait for you to see Season 17. 💋 #BravoCon pic.twitter.com/B15JSaIKcL
— Taylor Armstrong (@TaylorArmstrong) October 17, 2022
“The biggest surprise for me has been getting to know Emily. She’s really fun,” Taylor told us. “And she speaks her mind. She’s very straightforward. You know where you stand with her. And we just had a lot of fun together.”
Taylor also teased that the RHOC season 17 cast has experienced “emotional moments together” so far as they continue filming. “I feel like as a cast we’re really bonding. And they’ve been very welcoming for me coming into their flock of ladies,” she said. “So I think you’re gonna see some emotion.”