Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Cast Opens Up About Suicide

Three weeks ago Russell Armstrong commited suicide and that death sent ripples through the cast of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and now the ladies are opening up about the estranged husband of show star Taylor Armstrong.

Reality TV stars Adrienne Maloof, Kyle Richards and Lisa Vanderpump, along with executive producer Douglas Ross sat down for a candid interview with Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie and revealed details about Armstrong’s suicide and the effects it left on everyone around him.

When asked about Taylor and her 5-year-old daughter Kennedy, Maloof told Guthrie that she had spoken with Taylor about her husband’s passing at the wake and “as is to be expected, she was very beside herself, obviously going through such a tragic … and I think her concern is her little girl now.”

Talk then turned to the show and it’s dealings with the couple. Producers had chosen to focus the premiere episode on the couple’s deteriorating relationship before the suicide, a view that has since change. According to Ross:

“We, along with the network, took a hard look at the show and we decided to do some adjustments where appropriate in light of the circumstances. Our goal has always been to make an honest and accurate story about the ladies and what goes on in their life. We want to be and always are respectful and responsible, and in this case, trying to be very appropriate.”

Ross also revealed that some of Russell’s scenes had been cut from the upcoming season, although he would still appear since ” it is important to know that Taylor’s story is told throughout the season.”

When asking if it was wrong to keep Russell around for season two Richards responded by revealing:

“He also signed up for this season one, and came back for season two. When we started this show they cast six strong women and they didn’t really know anything about our stories. … We certainly didn’t know the troubles that he had.”

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season two premieres at 9 p.m. tonight premieres tonight at 9 p.m. and then the Housewives cast will host an after-show session in which they will be commenting on the suicide.