Reality shows have become a staple of television programming over the past few years. They range from survival-of-the-fittest to toddler beauty pageants, and they’re far from waning in popularity. The Real Housewives franchise, for one, has been the crown jewel in Bravo’s lineup for quite some time, spawning spinoffs, profitable endorsement deals, and many a talk show segment. Its stars battle it out for ratings on screen, but continue their feuds and over-the-top theatrics off camera as well. These escapades have been making headlines for some time, but it’s the most recent scandal that’s captured the public’s attention in a tragic exposure of the truth behind the magic of reality television.

Russell Armstrong, husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Taylor Armstrong, committed suicide in mid-August. He was found to have been in financial ruin, and slowly but surely, details of his horrific abuse of Taylor leaked out. It’s no secret that reality television is edited for dramatic effect, but it’s a problem when the edits obstruct crimes from being brought to light. Just how much should the public be allowed to see when tragedy strikes?

Many celebrity gossip sites have stated multiple times that Taylor told other cast members and, potentially, television executives, about the abuse she endured at her husband’s hands. This abuse supposedly went on for most of their six-year marriage, and was well documented by Taylor herself, through photographs and conversations with friends. The apparent brush-off of the abuse by those involved in Real Housewives is equally terrible. Yes, one can argue for letting families deal with their drama behind closed doors, but that should be reserved for arguments about overspending and cheating spouses. Physical and verbal abuse is very serious. There’s no excuse for anyone to avoid reporting extensive spousal abuse; Taylor made multiple trips to the hospital due to injuries she sustained from her husband. While her doctor had a hand in failing to take action, there’s little chance that those filming the show didn’t know enough about the situation to report it. Cameras commonly film the goings-on of cast members, and even if they never captured the physical abuse taking place, it’s unlikely they never saw the consequences of it.

The handling of Armstrong’s suicide is another ethical nightmare. Details of his suicide are all over the media and Taylor herself has leaked images of his abuse to the press. Profitable interviews are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The worst part of all of this is that Russell and Taylor have a young daughter, who’s going to have to deal with this media coverage during one of the worst periods in her life. Despite how awful Armstrong may have been, he was still a girl’s father, and the handling of his suicide and its fallout is going to hurt her, in the short run and when it comes back to haunt her when she grows up. 

Reality television isn’t going anywhere soon, and most of it is completely harmless. But if this story serves to teach us anything, it’s that cast members are still real people with real problems. The ethics around reality television mostly take a back seat to profitable drama, but a line needs to be drawn somewhere, and soon.