Should Jax Taylor Still Be on TV?
Jax Taylor played a crucial, irreplaceable role in the early seasons of Vanderpump Rules. The reality star, who is now appearing on the second season of The Valley, brought drama in spades. It seemed he had a hand in nearly every blow-up in the show’s first seasons. Taylor still plays a major role in this season of The Valley, but his scenes are dark and sometimes difficult to watch. Is it time for Bravo to move on without Taylor?
Fans are unhappy with Jax Taylor on this season of ‘The Valley’
Two episodes of The Valley’s second season have aired, and fans are already calling for Taylor to leave the show. Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have described his behavior as “toxic” and “diabolical.” On Reddit, people have questioned whether he still should have a platform.
“I get the argument that good reality TV is built around trashy people…but what we’ve seen from Jax thus far this season goes far beyond ‘trashy,’” wrote one person.
Others have noted that it is difficult to watch scenes between Taylor and his estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright. This season of the show follows them through their separation.
“It has gotten REALLY uncomfortable to watch,” another person wrote. “Out of one side of his mouth he talks about how bad he feels for acting out, and the other side he is saying she asked for it. It’s gross.”
Does Jax Taylor still belong on reality television?
Taylor’s frequent refrain on Vanderpump Rules — over the course of multiple seasons — was that he was working on being a better person. His redemption arc always seemed to be just beginning. He has admitted that this season of The Valley, years after his reality TV debut, shows him at his worst.
The season follows the implosion of his marriage and his decision to go to rehab. It also reveals Cartwright’s struggles. Since the season has aired, she has been open about the health problems the stress of her marriage caused.
“He, to me, was horrible,” she said, per Bravo “He would go out to people and talk about how amazing I was, like in public and stuff, but then he would come home that very same day and tear me to pieces. And then he would cool off for like thirty minutes, an hour. And then come back like nothing ever happened.”
She said she was even hospitalized because of stress.
“I would just hold it in, hold it in, hold it in. And it was like really wearing on me,” she said, noting, “I was breaking out in hives. I was throwing up all the time. I broke out in hives every day for an entire year. It was because I was holding in everything that he was doing to me. And believing the things that he was saying to me.”
Multiple cast members have spoken out about the demeaning way Taylor spoke to Cartwright, even in public. He threw furniture when he saw texts between Cartwright and another man. His bad behavior, once entertaining, now feels dangerous. Cartwright even admitted she didn’t feel safe in a room with Taylor without others around.
Though Taylor has admitted to making mistakes, he also continually turns around and excuses his actions. At this point, it doesn’t seem that Bravo should keep giving him such a large platform for his behavior.
He has concerns about his reputation after this season of ‘The Valley’
Taylor seems aware that this season of The Valley will not show him in a flattering light.
“The last thing in the world I want right now is for you guys to see what happened to me last year. But I gotta look at the silver lining, you know?” he told People, adding, “I hope to help out somebody that’s going through what I’m going through. I think men’s mental health is kind of looked over. I want to share my story.”
He insists that he is a different person than he was while filming.
“It’s going to be bad. It’s going to be really, really bad,” he said. “But you got to remember, this was shot a year ago. Everyone’s in a different place. Everything’s different now, different relationships, different dynamics.”
