Jax Taylor has been busier than ever. Not only has the Vanderpump Rules alum taken after his former co-stars and opened his own bar, but he’s also navigating a hit new reality show, parenthood, and a surprising separation from his wife Brittany Cartwright. Now that The Valley is more than halfway through its debut season, Taylor has gotten to look back on the tougher moments in his relationship, some of which he attributed to his “terrible” delivery.
“I have a short temper. I have a short fuse. I say things [that] come out wrong. I don’t mean to be as mean as I sound. It’s just frustration,” Taylor explained to DECIDER. “That’s one of the things I have to work on – is my delivery, communication.”
His separation aside, Taylor has also gotten to reunite with his former Vanderpump Rules co-star Kristen Doute, who’s helped stir up quite a bit of drama amongst her fellow castmates. In last week’s episode, titled “The Invite Fight,” Jasmine Goode claimed Taylor and Doute were “very similar” to one another. Regarding the comparison, Taylor told us, “Similar as to what? Good TV? Yeah, we are,” adding, “I think we have some similarities, but I think we’re both really good at what we do.”
And despite Doute’s accusations in the most recent episode, Taylor promised that he was not the source of the rumors surrounding Michelle Lally‘s alleged emotional affair with a man other than her (now estranged) husband Jesse Lally. According to Taylor, Doute initially told him about the rumors when she was drinking — and he was only hesitant to bring the subject up on camera because Cartwright told him to let it go.
“How else would I know that? I don’t know Michelle well enough to know her personal life,” Taylor insisted. “It’s Kristen. She likes to deflect. She likes to back her way out of things. She just usually throws me into it, which is fine.”
So where do Taylor and Doute stand now in their friendship? Well, he revealed to us that she’s no longer blocked. “I know this is weird to say because we had relations one time [but] this is like a brother-sister type of relationship. One week I hate her, one week I love her,” he said.
Taylor recently stopped by DECIDER’s offices, where he opened up about the transition from Vanderpump Rules to The Valley, his current status with Cartwright and that spicy game night in last week’s episode. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: You’ve been gracing our TV screens for over a decade. How does filming The Valley differ from filming Vanderpump Rules?
JAX TAYLOR: It’s just a different chapter in our lives. Obviously, we’re getting a little bit older. I like to say adulting. I don’t know how much adulting we’re doing. We’re trying to do a different show to show the next chapter of our lives but as you guys can see the drama is still there. Just moving to the ‘burbs, going to Chili’s now instead of going to the hotspots in Hollywood. Daddy daycare. Being parents. Dealing with mental health. Dealing with postpartum. Dealing with separation, divorce. Just different things instead of going to the clubs and cheating on each other.
You’ve come so far.
Well, maybe. Just changed zip codes.
The trailer for the Vanderpump Rules Season 11 reunion dropped last week. Have you seen it? Do you think there’s a path forward for the cast?
I don’t really watch the show. [It’s] a great show. I just don’t watch. I didn’t watch when I was on it.
It’s like when actors say they can’t watch themselves in movies.
I just don’t like watching myself on TV. I don’t like it. I got in trouble. Even when I do Watch What Happens Live, they’re like, “Jax, do you not watch the show?” I just don’t like watching myself. I lived it. I have to watch it again?
But, you know, I’m happy for Tom Sandoval. [The] guy has gone through a lot. He’s going through a lot and I love the way he’s handling himself. [I’ve done] a lot of press with him recently. And just the way he’s answering questions and the way he’s rising above and kind of just poking fun at himself a little bit and just trying to carry on with his life. He went through hell. He really did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody go through such chaos over something – yes, it was cheating. It was bad. But gosh, there’s worse things in life and I just felt really, really bad but he’s handled himself really, really well. And I’m just happy for him. He’s doing well.
You were back on Vanderpump Rules quite a bit this season. Have you spoken to Lisa since you had that awkward sitdown with her a few episodes ago?
I reached out to her actually a couple days ago just to congratulate her on the opening of [her new restaurant] Wolf. We text back and forth a little bit here and there but no, I haven’t seen her yet. And I really want her to come to my bar.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, Cruz is absolutely adorable. I know you and Brittany shared some of the things he was going through with his speech on the show. How is he doing today?
He’s doing really well. He’s in school. He’s in soccer. He’s in swim. A lot of little boys kind of have a speech delay. He’s doing great, though. We just love him to death and he’s so cute and he’s just so lovable. He takes after his mother for sure.
We spoke to Janet a couple of weeks ago and she said you and Brittany seem to be getting along better now that you’ve taken some space. Do you agree with her?
Yeah. A lot of people just automatically assume – because my background is not the best – that there was infidelity and there was cheating. It’s communication and I have to take a lot of the blame. I’m going through a lot of personal things right now with mental health. I think it was a good move for us to take a little bit of time apart. We still see each other every day. She’s literally down the street. We take our son to school, to swim. The only thing that’s changed is she’s not sleeping at the house anymore. I don’t know where we stand from here. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But right now, just for both of our mental health, this is just something that we need to do. I just need to do a little bit of work on myself. I need to fix myself before I can be good for anybody. But that’s kind of where it’s at right now.
We’re rooting for whatever makes you both happy.
I love her to death. She’s the mother of my child. And who knows? I just got a lot of personal stuff that I have to deal with.
When you’re watching the tougher scenes between you and Brittany play out on The Valley, are there any situations where you wish you handled things differently?
Every time I watch myself back I always wish I handled it differently. My delivery is awful. I have a terrible delivery – not just with my wife [but] with my friends, my family. I’m terrible. I have a short temper. I have a short fuse. I say things [that] come out wrong. I don’t mean to be as mean as I sound. It’s just frustration. And that’s one of the things I have to work on – is my delivery, communication.
Couples’ game night in tonight’s episode proved to be pretty spicy! Did you expect that confession from Danny and Nia regarding their rooftop escapade? Were you surprised that Janet and Jason were the winners?
Well, Brittany wasn’t there. I think we would have won. Yes, Brittany and I are going through our complications, but we knew each other pretty well so I think we would have won. Yeah, I guess [I was] a little surprised [about Danny and Nia]. I don’t see Nia that way. I don’t see Danny that way. Danny kind of reminds me of Tom Schwartz. I just don’t think of him like that.
I mean, [Janet and Jason] were the only couple really left because Jesse and Michelle don’t even like each other. I didn’t have Brittany. Zack was there. Jasmine was there – she didn’t have her significant other. So they were really the only ones left.
In tonight’s episode, Kristen outs you for being the source of the Michelle and Jesse rumors. What can you say about the part you allegedly played in that game of telephone?
First of all, I know Michelle, but I don’t know her that well. So it’s impossible for me to know that kind of information. They hang out together. She would never tell me something like that. So this was something that Kristen told me. When I came home at night, she was drinking and she told me something and even Luke said she says things she doesn’t remember when she drinks.
The problem was that she told me this and Brittany told me not to bring it up. So when I said, “Oh, God. Is this on camera?” it’s because Brittany told me not to bring it up again. She said, “Just let it go.” I couldn’t figure out how to talk about this conversation without getting back into it even though I didn’t want to bring it up again because Brittany told me not to.
How else would I know that? I don’t know Michelle well enough to know her personal life. So how else would I get that information when Kristen and Michelle hang out all the time? I’ve hung out with Michelle personally maybe two times. So how would I know that? It’d be impossible. It’s Kristen. She likes to deflect. She likes to back her way out of things. She just usually throws me into it, which is fine. It’s fine. But that’s impossible. I couldn’t know that information.
Jasmine says you and Kristen are very similar. Would you agree with that comparison or do you take offense?
Similar as to what? Good TV? Yeah, we are. I guess we have some similarities. I’ll just leave it at that. Yeah, I think we have some similarities, but I think we’re both really good at what we do.
Do you still have Kristen blocked?
Kristen’s not blocked anymore. I go through my phases with Kristen. I know this is weird to say because we had relations one time [but] this is like a brother-sister type of relationship. One week I hate her, one week I love her. Because we’re so similar, we butt heads a lot. So yeah, one week I blocked her but she’s not blocked right now. And Luke’s not blocked either.
You reveal that you and Brittany once did the deed in Times Square. What other tourist attractions do you think would make for good sexy times? What tips would you give couples looking to hook up in public and not get caught?
That was the beginning stages of our relationship and that’s when it’s fun (laughs). Now looking back at that I was like, “Oh my gosh, what did I do?” But yeah, what advice do I give? I’m probably the worst person to give advice. But I guess keep it spicy, do stuff like that. Go on trips.
That was just a funny little thing you revealed.
Yeah. It was the beginning stages. Like any relationship, in the beginning it’s always fun. And then years [go by and] it dies down.
Were you expecting Zack to have such an emotional response when you broke the news that he and Kristen weren’t invited to Janet and Jason’s babymoon?
Yeah, I was a little shocked that he was crying. I felt bad having to break the bad news. I was the messenger in that. They always send me in, which I don’t really care because I have thick skin. Like I said, they all are so worried about what everybody thinks. Everybody’s kind of new on the show. So they’re all tiptoeing around and walking on eggshells. But me, I’ve been around for a long time so I don’t really care what anybody thinks. So I’m like, “Yeah, I’ll give the bad news.”
I knew Kristen would be upset, but Zack – he is a crier, I guess. But I didn’t think he was gonna take it that bad. I felt bad. They should have come. They would have made it more interesting.
What else can you tease about the rest of the season?
The babymoon. It’s a lot of fun and I think everyone’s gonna like it. Like I said, there’s gonna be some surprises. Kristen and Zack may or may not show up. We had a good time. I think people are gonna have some different reactions to certain characters. They’re gonna have some different thoughts after watching the finale. I think they’re really gonna like it. There’s a lot that happens on that babymoon. There’s a lot that goes down.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Valley airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
