Despite the recent tragedy surrounding the series, Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills is still premiering on Monday with a special, re-edited episode to acknowledge the death of star Taylor Armstrong's estranged husband Russell Armstrong. The fate of the series was hanging in the air for a while after his death was made public; Armstrong was found dead by apparent suicide in a friend's L.A. home last August, and those close to him are blaming the media attention he received as a catalyst in his death. But Bravo ultimately made the decision to air the series as scheduled.
This decision doesn't sit too well with Russell's mother, John Ann Hotchkiss, who released a statement to HLN's Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell following the news that the show would still go on. "When I was informed of this, I thought, 'I hope Bravo will take the high road and keep it tasteful,'" The statement read. "Let's not murder my son twice."
The President of Bravo Media, Frances Berwick, is, however, assuring that the network is re-editing episodes, and that they have "partnered with the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) to raise awareness about suicide prevention."
[Via Us Magazine]
