Taylor Armstrong

Taylor Armstrong (born Shana Lynette Hughes; June 10, 1971) is an American television personality. 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.

Taylor Armstrong
Armstrong in 2012
Born
Shana Lynette Hughes

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

    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.

    Biography

    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. She graduated in 1989.[3] She later changed her name to Taylor Ford and moved to Beverly Hills, California, after starting her own e-commerce business. She met her future husband, venture capitalist Russell Armstrong, at a local restaurant in Beverly Hills while waiting to be seated.[4] The two married less than a year later, and Armstrong gave birth to their only child, a daughter named Kennedy Caroline Armstrong, who was born in 2006.

    Armstrong first appeared in the public spotlight in 2010, as part of the cast of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.[5] During the series' run, Armstrong's appearance on the show was plagued by rumors of financial issues and domestic violence, and she later confirmed that she had been physically abused by Russell Armstrong and had to undergo reconstructive surgery for an orbital fracture after being hit by him.[5][6]

    In July 2011, after the filming of the second season of Real Housewives, she filed for divorce, citing verbal and physical abuse. The next month, her estranged abusive husband died by suicide; she found his body on August 15, 2011, dead from an apparent hanging, at a home he rented on Mulholland Drive following their separation.[7][5][8]

    Armstrong is married to John Bluher, an attorney, as of April 4, 2014, in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.[9]

    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 housewife to switch franchises.[10]

    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.[11]

    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 alleged 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.[12][13][14]

    Filmography

    Television
    Year Title Role Notes
    2008 The Hills Herself Episode: "When Lauren's Away..."
    2010–2016 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Herself Series Regular (Seasons 1–3)
    Guest (Seasons 4–6)
    2014 Couples Therapy Herself Season 4
    2022 The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Herself Season 2
    2023 The Real Housewives of Orange County Herself Friend of (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. 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.
    5. Yvonne Villarreal, "Taylor Armstrong's search for safety" Archived January 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. February 14, 2012.
    6. "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.
    7. "Taylor Armstrong, My Story". taylorarmstrong.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
    8. "RHOBH's Taylor Armstrong Reveals What Her Daughter Thinks of Dad Russell 8 Years After Suicide". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
    9. "Taylor Armstrong Marries John Bluher". People. April 4, 2014. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
    10. 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!
    11. "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.
    12. "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.
    13. 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.
    14. 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.
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