Taylor Armstrong

Last updated

Taylor Armstrong
Taylor Armstrong (8182062659).jpg
Armstrong in 2012
Born
Shana Lynette Hughes

(1971-06-10) June 10, 1971 (age 54)
Independence, Kansas, U.S.
Other namesShana Taylor, Shana Ford, Taylor Ford
OccupationTelevision personality
Years active2008–present
Television The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Orange County
Couples Therapy
Spouses
Russell Armstrong
​
​
(m. 2005;died 2011)​
John Bluher
​
(m. 2014)​
Children1

Taylor Armstrong (born Shana Lynette Hughes; June 10, 1971) is an American television personality and advocate. She is known as an original cast member of the Bravo reality series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills . In 2022, it was announced that she would join The Real Housewives of Orange County , making her the first American housewife to transfer franchises.

Contents

After starring in the show's first three seasons from 2010 until 2013, Armstrong continued to make guest appearances on the Beverly Hills installment between 2013 and 2016. In June 2022, Armstrong starred in the second season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip .

Early life

Armstrong was born Shana Lynette Hughes in Independence, Kansas, on June 10, 1971. [1] [2] Her family later left Kansas for Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Armstrong attended Union High School and was a cheerleader, later graduating in 1989. [3]

Career

Upon her relocation to California, she changed her name to Taylor Ford and started her own e-commerce business.

In 2010, Armstrong was approached by television producers who were interested in having her star of their upcoming reality show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills , through her friendship with Adrienne Maloof. [4] She would appear in a main capacity for the show's first three seasons before departing in 2013. [5]

In February 2012, Armstrong published her memoir with Gallery Books entitled Hiding from Reality: My Story of Love, Loss, and Finding the Courage Within. [6] The memoir, which recounts childhood trauma, marital domestic abuse, and the aftermath of her husband's death, later became a New York Times Best Seller. [7]

After the death of her husband in 2011, Armstrong has became an advocate for domestic abuse, giving speeches at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence convention, Pennsylvania State University, and Northwestern University. [8] [9] [10]

In 2014, Armstrong joined the cast of the fourth season of VH1's Couples Therapy, alongside her husband, John. [11]

In June 2022, Armstrong starred in season two of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip , which premiered on Peacock. Filming was completed in September 2021 at Dorinda Medley's Blue Stone Manor in The Berkshires. On August 1, 2022, it was announced that Armstrong would be joining The Real Housewives of Orange County as a "friend of the housewives" for the seventeenth season, making her the first American housewife to switch franchises. [12] On November 29, 2023, it was revealed that Armstrong would not be returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County, after only one season. [13]

Internet meme

In 2019, a screen-capture of Armstrong on the second season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was used in an Internet meme called "woman yelling at a cat". The meme depicts an upset Armstrong during a heated discussion about her husband's abuse juxtaposed with a photograph of a cat named Smudge. Armstrong reacted positively to the meme. She also talked about her relationship with her ex-husband. [14] [15] [16]

Personal life

Taylor met venture capitalist and lawyer Russell Armstrong at a local restaurant in Beverly Hills while waiting to be seated. [17] The two married less than a year later, and in 2006, Armstrong gave birth to their only child; a daughter named Kennedy Caroline Armstrong.

During the filming of the second season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Armstrong's marriage was plagued by rumors of financial issues and domestic violence. She later confirmed that she had been physically abused by Russell and had to undergo reconstructive surgery for an orbital fracture after being hit by him. [4] [18]

In July 2011, after filming for the second season concluded, Taylor filed for divorce, citing verbal and physical abuse. The following month in August, Russell Armstrong committed suicide by hanging. Armstrong found his body herself on August 15, 2011, at a home he rented on Mulholland Drive following their separation. [19] [4] [20]

Armstrong married John Bluher, an attorney, on April 4, 2014, in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. [21]

Armstrong came out as bisexual on an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County on June 28, 2023, and mentioned in that episode that she had been in a five-year relationship with a woman before she was married to Russell. [22]

Filmography

YearTitleNotes
2008 The Hills Cameo; Episode: "When Lauren's Away..."
2010–2016 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Series regular (Seasons 1–3)

Guest (Seasons 4–6)

2014 Couples Therapy Main cast (Season 4)
2022 The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Main cast (Season 2)
2023 The Real Housewives of Orange County Recurring cast (Season 17)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Taylor Armstrong Biography". Us Weekly . Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ Poole, Tiffany M. (April 6, 2012). "Beverly Hills 'Housewife' Taylor Armstrong returns to Oklahoma". The Oklahoman . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ Sherrow, Rita (August 16, 2011). "Husband of Tulsa native and 'Real Housewives' star dies". Tulsa World . Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Yvonne Villarreal, "Taylor Armstrong's search for safety". Los Angeles Times . February 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Taylor Armstrong being fired from 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' report says". Fox News . February 15, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Wick, Krista (December 6, 2011). "Taylor Armstrong Reveals Cover to Memoir". Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved March 10, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ Chestang, Raphael (February 16, 2012). "Taylor Armstrong's Book Makes Bestseller Lists". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved March 10, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ Chestang, Raphael. "Real Housewife Crusades Against Domestic Violence". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  9. ↑ Rueger, Olivia (October 22, 2018). "Taylor Armstrong: "Hiding From Reality"". Valley Magazine.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ city; Huizenga, Regan (November 14, 2025). "Taylor Armstrong speaks at inaugural 'In Her Voice' event". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  11. ↑ "'Couples Therapy' Returns In January 2014 With Taylor Armstrong, Farrah Abraham & Others". www.vh1.com. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ Quinn, Dave (August 1, 2022). "Taylor Armstrong Joins Real Housewives of Orange County, Becoming First Housewife to Move Franchises". People . United States: Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Taylor Armstrong will be back on Bravo again, this time as cast member on The Real Housewives of Orange County!
  13. ↑ Quinn, Dave (November 29, 2023). "Taylor Armstrong Exits RHOC After 1 Season as a Friend: 'Wishing the Ladies All the Best'". People . Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ "RHOBH Alum Taylor Armstrong Reacts to Being Turned into a Meme". Bravo TV Official Site. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  15. ↑ Amanda Mitchell (November 8, 2019). "What is The Cat Meme, and Why Is That Woman Yelling?". Oprah Magazine. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  16. ↑ Soen, Hayley (November 11, 2019). "The story behind the woman yelling at the cat meme is actually pretty dark". The Tab UK. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  17. ↑ Dawson, Steve (September 12, 2017). "What Happened to Taylor Armstrong – What's The Real Housewives Star Doing Now?". Gazette Review. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Taylor Armstrong Denies Russell's Sister's Claims That Abuse Never Happened On 'Watch What Happens Live'". The Huffington Post . February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Taylor Armstrong, My Story". taylorarmstrong.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  20. ↑ "RHOBH's Taylor Armstrong Reveals What Her Daughter Thinks of Dad Russell 8 Years After Suicide". People . Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Taylor Armstrong Marries John Bluher". People . April 4, 2014. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Taylor Armstrong Opens Up About Being Bisexual, Including Her 5-Year Relationship with a Woman". Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
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