‘Real Housewives’ Address Suicide Of Taylor Armstrong’s Husband In Season Premiere

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” expressed shock and some measure of guilt over the suicide of cast member Taylor Armstrong’s husband in the show’s season premiere Monday night.

Russell Armstrong hung himself Aug. 15, after filming for the show’s second season was complete. Difficulties in the Armstrongs’ marriage were a storyline in Season 1 and cast members said Russell Armstrong’s death came after a separation.

“I think a lot of us have some guilt about not seeing this coming,” Kyle Richards said.

“For me it’s very hard to move forward because it is such a tragic situation and so many people have been left hurt by it. But as difficult as that is, life goes on. It has to.”

The cast gathered at Adrienne Maloof’s home on Aug. 29 to film a short prologue addressing the suicide for the season premiere on the Bravo network. The ensuing episode and the remainder of the season are being edited by series producers, presumably to take some of the focus off the couple’s marital problems.

Taylor Armstrong did not appear in the prologue, but was involved in one of the show’s most contentious moments after telling the group at a dinner party that she and her husband were in therapy.

“We’re working on things,” Taylor Armstrong said. “We’re knee deep into so much psychotherapy that I’m sick of myself. So it’s been really helpful for each of us to take a look at our own lives and what we brought into the relationship and how it’s affecting our time together.”

Ken Todd, husband of cast member Lisa Vanderpump, said he felt undergoing therapy was a sign of weakness, upsetting Taylor Armstrong, who called his comments “rude.”

Russell Armstrong left no suicide note, but cast members speculated financial difficulties may have led to his suicide. They said Taylor Armstrong might not have been aware of the couple’s troubles.

“The Real Housewives” series of shows thrives on gossip and internal strife among cast members and the Armstrongs’ marriage was a frequent topic. Cast members noted in the show’s prologue that they often only heard one side of the story, with some regretting they didn’t have his perspective on events.

“I think we were all told the same thing and we were only reacting to what we’ve been told,” Camille Grammer said. “And what we we’ve been doing — I think we were all doing it — was we were just trying to protect our friend.”