The Valleyseason 2’s premieredidn’t pull its punches when it came to Jax Taylor’s difficult behavior, and as a viewer, I was surprised and delighted to see that the show didn’t attempt to brush his actions under the rug like they’ve done in the past. Throughout his run onVanderpump Rules,Jax was known for his poor behavior with the rest of the cast. To be honest, calling it “poor” is putting it mildly. Jax cheated, fought, and lied regularly throughout his time on the series from the beginning, and expected viewers to let him get away with it.
While I’ve been an avidVanderpump Rulesfan from early on, I was skeptical aboutThe Valleyseason 1when it got started. I knew Kristen Doute could hold down a reality TV show with her eyes closed and her hands tied behind her back, butJax is a whole different level of disruptive. Unafraid to lie for the sake of drama and quite often found living in his own delusions, Jax has been difficult for years, and his marriage to Brittany Cartwright along with the birth of their son, Cruz Cauchi, didn’t manage to soften him like I expected.
Thankfully, the first season ofThe Valleywent in on the way Jax behaved in moments, though they didn’t show the full scope of what was happening in his marriage to Brittany. Even so, I found myself drawn into the drama, hopeful that they’d show the magnitude of his blatant lies and overall difficult behavior. AsThe Valleyseason 2came into view with Brittany having left Jax and his drug addiction coming to light, I was nervous the show would push to give him a redemption arc. Thankfully, the show has started off strong, showing Jax’s true colors on-screen.
The Valley is working hard to reassure viewers that the show’s point of view doesn’t align with Jax’s.
Jax Is A Longtime Villain
Although Jax has been part of theVanderpump Rulesuniverse since the start,his villain arc hasn’t been the most straightforward. Throughout his time on the original show, it was always clear that Jax wasn’t someone that others could necessarily trust, but he wasn’t always the villain of the series. In early seasons, when Jax andnewVanderpump Villacast member Stassi Schroederwere in their on-again off-again relationship, his behavior was consistently spotty. While he was interested in staying with Stassi, he didn’t seem able to actually commit to her, and constantly made sweeping declarations with no other follow-through.
Once his relationship with Stassi stalled out,Jax’s villainy came to a more consistent boil. Caught in webs of lies consistently, Jax became more of a one-dimensional villain than ever. His inability to keep up with his lies at times made him crash out memorably, and his relationship with Brittany made him look even worse than his time with Stassi, as her innocent demeanor mixed with his penchant for dishonesty made him seem even worse. After the couple were fired fromVanderpump Rules,they took afew years before returning toThe Valley,where Jax’s difficult personality became even worse.
Jax’s Been Open About His Addiction Issues
He Recently Came Out As An Addict
Although it’s a more recent development,Jax has been more open about his addictionissues than ever before leading up toThe Valleyseason 2. Sharing that in the past he’s been addicted to cocaine, Jax opened up about his substance abuse on a Bravo podcast leading up to the premiere of the second season, which will apparently consistently show him acting erratically. Throughout Jax’s time on bothVanderpumpandThe Valley,many have questioned if he’s had substance abuse problems, but he’s never actually owned up to thembefore. Jax is coming clean, but it may be too late.
WithJax opening up about his issueswith substance abuse recently, it’s been interesting to go back and look at his behavior in a new light. While most have been aware that Jax has had issues in the past because of his erratic and strange behavior, but things have gotten bleak in recent years. Knowing that Jax’s behavior hadn’t improved after getting married, leaving reality TV, and having a child was concerning. Even so, it was clear that he’d managed to regulate in some ways prior toThe Valley.With reality TV back in his life, things quickly got worse.
The Valley Quickly Dove Into Jax’s Problems
They Showed Him Admitting To Violence
Although I was worried aboutBravo’sThe Valleyseason 2 taking it easy where Jax was concerned, seeing him in the premiere episode of the season was a harrowing experience. While I wasn’t comfortable by any means, it was reassuring to know that the show wouldn’t be pumping the brakes when it came to Jax’s behavior. Within the first minutes of the season, we learn that Jax and Brittany had a fight that quicklybrought Jax to a place of violence because he found out that Brittany was hooking up with a friendof his during their open separation period.
So thoroughly enraged after going through Brittany’s texts without permission,Jax flipped a coffee table in their home that hit his estranged wife while his son was in the next room. Although Jax has done some heinous things in the past, I think this might be one of the worst he’s ever admitted to on camera. His behavior is undefendable, even though he does everything he possibly can to defend it. Making it clear that he doesn’t understand he’s in the wrong,The Valleyis working hardto reassure viewers that the show’s point of view doesn’t align with Jax’s.
I Hope The Show Continues Its Brutal Honesty
Jax Should Tell The Truth For Once
AsThe Valleyseason 2 continues, Jax himself has said that the show is going to get worse for him specifically, according toDeadline.While Jax was open about the fact that he regretted his behavior, he also tried to justify that other men would’ve done similar things, which isn’t exactly the type of defense he should be clinging to. The way Jax has behaved throughout his reality TV career shouldn’t be somethingThe Valleycelebrates, andseeing that the show is choosing to air him out rather than attempt to protect him is a step in the right direction.
