BRAVO could be held responsible for villain Jax Taylor's horrific behavior on The Valley in any legal proceedings, The U.S. Sun can report.
Jax, 45, has left Bravo fans in disgust over his admitted "abuse" toward estranged wife Brittany Cartwright, 36, before, during and after his rehab stint for mental health issues and cocaine addiction.
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While he was in a treatment center, Vanderpump Rules alum Jax often rage texted Brittany, and watched and listened to her every move through cameras in their Los Angeles home.
He also admitted to refusing to pay the family's mortgage and other bills for months despite a prior agreement.
Brittany has also claimed Jax left her bruised after he threw a table at her during a fight over her texts with another man during their separation. (Jax defended his actions during the fight, claiming: "I lost all control. I saw red. I had an out-of-body experience. But show me a guy that wouldn’t handle the situation the way I handled it.")
Despite his documented bad behavior and fans' demands for Jax to be fired, a source told The U.S. Sun that there are not currently any discussions to axe him from The Valley.
Top L.A. attorney Jamie E. Wright told The U.S. Sun that the network is "playing with fire" by keeping Jax employed.
"Bravo is playing with fire, let's call it that," the expert said.
"They continue to roll cameras while witnessing a pattern of increasing, documented abuse, manipulation, and psychological warfare.
"When does amusement become a liability? You're not only recording chaos when your network shows footage of a man who confesses to hurling furniture at his child's mother, setting up illegal surveillance equipment, and delaying mortgage payments out of resentment.
"Additionally, Bravo becomes more vulnerable the longer they ignore the situation. Legally speaking, Bravo might be held partially accountable if it is established that they were aware of the abuse, witnessed it happening in real time, and took no action to stop it.
"When they're actively making money off of a man's breakdown, and possibly escalating that breakdown for ratings, they can't use the justification 'we're just the platform.""
The Valley's Jax Taylor is 'terrified' of fans seeing his 'unforgivable' behavior this season amid divorce and addiction
Wright claimed failing to fire Jax is "risky" and "tone deaf."
"So, should Bravo fire Jax again? That's a litigation prevention strategy, not just a public relations decision.
"This isn't a tabloid rumor or an isolated error. This man has openly acknowledged that he has threatened his wife during treatment, engaged in illegal surveillance, and emotionally and financially abused her.
"Not to mention that Bravo has already fired him for making discriminatory remarks."
Jax was fired from Vanderpump Rules in 2020 after he accused ex-fling Faith Stowers of criminal activity in a resurfaced tweet.
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?
On Watch What Happens Live earlier this month, Jax apologized for his behavior.
“First of all, I want to apologize to everybody who’s watching this right now,” said Jax, who now claims to be sober.
“It’s just, the stuff that was shown is pretty triggering to a lot of people and I’m watching it back, I watch the episodes now, which is a first. You watch it back and it’s just, like, I’m utterly embarrassed of my actions.”
“Nobody should ever have to deal with the way I acted. Nobody should ever have to deal with, you know, verbal abuse from anybody. I’m really sorry that people had to see all that.”
He ultimately scrapped his nationwide podcast tours after multiple venues canceled his dates following an outcry from The Valley fans.
After reconciling with Jax multiple times during their ten-year relationship, Brittany has vowed to never, ever get back together with him, and their divorce is ongoing.
"I think that I’m definitely showing a different side of me that people aren’t used to," she recently said of filming the current season last summer.
"I think I’m showing a lot of growth and strength, and I’m in a much better place now than I was when I was filming this."
