No, Taylor Armstrong and Kyle Richards were never dating.
Armstrong set the record straight via X on Wednesday, April 3, after a satirical post began circulating suggesting that she and her former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar dated for five months in 2016.
“This is complete bulls–t,” Armstrong, 52, posted via X. “Kyle is like family to me and always has been! I never said this, thought this or experienced this. Lies, lies, lies!!!”
The story came from Dorinda Deadly, an account that touts itself as “the ultimate fusion of US and UK Reality TV and Pop Culture.” The post in question, which went live on Wednesday, read: “Taylor Armstrong confirms to GQ that she dated Kyle Richards for about five months in 2016. She says the two are friends now: ‘She’s family no matter what.’”
If you think that language sounds familiar, no, you’re not going crazy. The post was almost a word-for-word parody of a Pop Crave post that confirmed the same news about actress Hunter Schafer and singer Rosalía.
Dorinda Deadly followed its parody tweet with a link to the original from Pop Crave on Thursday, April 4, to ease the confusion, but not before a number of followers earnestly replied to what they thought was real news.
“Not surprising,” replied one follower. “My only question is how long did her and Teddi [Mellencamp] last before figuring out they were better as platonic friends?”
RHOBH fans also noted that even if readers were unfamiliar with the source material, the timeline doesn’t add up. Armstrong married John Bluher in 2014, so she wouldn’t have been looking to date at the time. Richards, 55, was also married to Mauricio Umansky, with the two not separating until 2023.
Armstrong has been supportive of both Richards and Umansky since their separation. In September 2023, she wished the best for the pair on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“You know how much I love Kyle and I want Kyle to be happy and I love them both so much and I know they’re always going to love each other,” she said on the show. “I want everyone to be happy. I’m so neutral on that whole issue.”
Richards and Umansky have recently pressed pause on marriage counseling, but Richards insists the pair still get along fine.
“We’re just taking a break from that,” Richards said during an Amazon Live session on Monday, April 1. “But we get along very well and we’re really good friends.”
And so are Richards and Armstrong. Nothing more.
