The Real Housewives of Orange County Star Taylor Armstrong Comes Out as Bisexual

Taylor Armstrong, an original cast member of Bravo's hit series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, shared that she is bisexual and that she once had a five-year relationship with a woman.

Armstrong came out on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, in which she stars in as a friend of the other housewives.

In the episode, she and the other ladies embark on a girls trip to a Montana ranch, and at one point cast member Jennifer Pendantri asks Armstrong, "Are you [bisexual]?"

"Now are you nervous about me being in the bunkhouse with you?” Armstrong joked back. She then revealed that she had been dating a woman for five years before marrying her late first husband, Russell Armstrong, in 2004.

"Most people are surprised to find out that I'm bisexual probably just because of stereotypes,” Armstrong shared on camera. “I mean it's not something I broadcast, but I'm open to all people who have great souls that you can love."

Of her five-year relationship with a woman, she mused, "Hell, I know marriages that don’t last that long."

In July 2011, Armstrong filed for divorce against her first husband, who she said was verbally and physically abusive. The next month, he died by suicide in his Los Angeles home. She remarried in 2014.

Armstrong has said that her initial rise to stardom on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was plagued by domestic abuse and other issues behind the scenes.

"When I was on Beverly Hills," Armstrong told People in 2022, "I had a friend of mine call me [during] season 1 and said, 'I don't know who that girl is on that show, but it's not you. Like, I've known you for 20 years, and you seem nothing like yourself.'"

If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned that someone you know may be, resources are available to help. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 is for people of all ages and identities. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.