Jen Armstrong is opening up about her departure from the Real Housewives of Orange County.
The doctor became a one-season wonder when Bravo kicked her to the curb ahead of season 17 of RHOC. She recently chatted with David Yontef on his Behind the Velvet Rope podcast, where she dished about her RHOC exit as well as her time on the show.
“Probably the first feeling was relief. Cause it’s just like, I mean, I think they’re starting to film like now. Surprisingly, the COVID people actually reached out to me to test today to start filming. I think that this may have been more of a last-minute decision,” Jen said of not being asked back for season 17.
“I couldn’t even imagine starting to film right now. I just moved into a new house,” she continued.
“Relief was my first feeling. And then, of course, you’re sad, right?” she admitted. “Because it’s exciting, you do new things, and you’re like nobody wants to be dumped, right. You want to do the dumping.”
Jen claims she was in talks to return as a friend of the Housewives, noting that she didn’t believe she could balance her career and being a full-time cast member.
“I was going to have that conversation with the producer and talk about being, coming back as a friend role because I don’t know if I could keep up that much production again for another year,” she explained. “Filming five days a week and working five days a week, it was a lot.”
She adds that she didn’t love the editing of her on the show.
As for fellow newbie, Noella Bergener, who also got fired, Jen said that she “sucked the oxygen out of the room.” Jen also claims that Noella was often “acting” during scenes to spice things up.
“I found it exhausting. And then I think we all just gave up at the end,” she said.
When it comes to Tamra Judge’s rumored return, Jen said: “It was hard to watch Tamra; I don’t like that behavior. I don’t even know what I would do if I was like cast with her.”
RHOC is set to return for season 17 in late 2022 or early 2023.
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