‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ Adds ‘Beverly Hills’ Alum

A certain Real Housewives alum is trading in her diamond for an orange. PEOPLE reported that Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Taylor Armstrong has been cast on the Real Housewives of Orange County. This marks the first time in Real Housewives history to jump across franchises. 

Armstrong is reportedly joining the cast of RHOC for its upcoming 17th season. When she makes her debut on RHOC, this will make her the first Real Housewife to jump from one series to another. Even though she is set to appear on the next season of the Bravo series, Armstrong will not be a full-time cast member on RHOC, per Variety. This means that she is likely set to assume a “friend of” role on the show. 

Armstrong currently lives in Orange County with her husband, John Buhler, and her daughter, Kennedy, 16. She previously appeared on the first three seasons of RHOBH and has been a guest star on subsequent seasons. During her time on RHOBH, Armstrong went through her fair share of hardships. In advance of Season 2 of RHOBH, she filed for divorce from her husband, Russell, with whom she shares her daughter, citing physical and verbal abuse. A month after announcing the split, Russell died by suicide. 

Years after appearing on RHOBH as a full-time cast member, Armstrong made her return to the franchise in Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Ex-Wives Club. The second season of the Peacock show starred other Real Housewives alumni including Tamra Judge, Vicki Gunvalson, Dorinda Medley, Jill Zarin, Brandi Glanville, Phaedra Parks, and Eva Marcille. The next season of RHOC will see Armstrong and Judge reunited, as it was recently confirmed that the latter was making her return to the show after two years. 

Judge confirmed her return to RHOC on July 20 by appearing on Watch What Happens Live with an orange in hand. In addition to Judge and Armstrong, the 17th season of RHOC will feature Heather Dubrow, Shannon Storms Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Emily Simpson. It was recently announced that both Noella Bergener and Jennifer Armstrong were leaving the series after appearing on Season 16. Bergener took to social media to confirm the news, writing, “After a wild season of ups and downs, I will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County. Thank you to all of the fans for all of the love and support during quite possibly the hardest year of my life. I am looking forward to brighter skies ahead, and can’t wait to share what’s next.”