Taylor Armstrong Says It’s Upsetting’ Watching Her Friends Fight on ‘RHOBH’

Taylor Armstrong admitted why she doesn’t watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

“I stopped watching mostly the Beverly Hills girls because I love them all so much and watching them fight,” Armstrong, 52, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center grand opening in West Hollywood on Thursday, April 25.

“I know what that anxiety feels like when you’re in that situation when you’re fighting with your friends on camera and it’s just so much pressure. And I was like, ‘I can’t watch this.’ It’s upsetting me watching them yell at each other.”

Armstrong was one of the original cast members of RHOBH before she departed the show in 2016, going on to join Real Housewives of Orange County instead. When asked why she left RHOBH in the first place, Armstrong shared that a television show that showcased women fighting with each other was counterintuitive to the work she was doing for women’s empowerment.

“I’m working on so many other projects. I’m really big in the women’s empowerment space, so working on Empowered Experts is a big project,” she told Us. “It’s going to take a lot of my time and it’s all courses and retreats and things for women, just kind of building each other up. Sometimes it’s a little difficult when watching my friends fight on TV and then turning around and being empowered. It doesn’t really fit sometimes.”

She added, “I’m doing scripted [television] now, so I’ve been having fun with that. And it’s great to play somebody else and not get yourself in trouble playing you.”

While Armstrong might not watch RHOBH, that doesn’t mean she’s not rooting for her friends — including Kyle Richards — from the sidelines. While Richards, 55, has not yet chosen whether she will return for season 14, Armstrong told Us that she doesn’t see an exit in the cards for her friend and former costar.

“I can’t imagine her not being on the show,” Taylor told Us on Thursday. “I also think it might be good for her just to take a year and be happy and not feel the pressure of the show on top of everything that’s going on in a relationship.”

She added, “It’s nice to step away and take a breather for a minute. I don’t know if she would know how though. She’s been doing it for so long.” Kyle stated in March that if she were to return for season 14, it would be a “last-minute” decision.

With reporting by Andrea Simpson