Jax Taylor departed Vanderpump Rules with a reputation that became bigger than the man. He had recently cheated on his then-girlfriend Brittany Cartwright. The former #1 guy in the group had a string of many indiscretions over the years with multiple partners. And the rages! Who can forget the tearing apart of the white T-shirt?
Since leaving reality TV in 2020, he and Brittany started a family. They welcomed son Cruz in April 2021, and are part owners of Jax’s Studio City which recently opened.
Besides an ongoing feud with former co-star Stassi Schroeder, it seems that there’s been some growth from the former Pump Rules star. And Jax is ready to showcase a different side of himself on the VPR spinoff, The Valley.
Jax “is just good at” reality TV, but is he The Valley’s villain?
Jax recently appeared on the Trading Secrets podcast to discuss his triumphant return to Bravo. He also dished on what fans can expect from him in the new series.
“I was always kind of the scapegoat on [Vanderpump Rules]. I overshadowed everybody else’s flaws, so no matter what they all did, it would always come back on me for some reason, and I was always the one that they could just go to and be like, ‘Oh, we’ll just blame it all on Jax. Let’s go after Jax,'” he said of his bad boy reputation.
“So, it took a toll on me for a while, no matter what anybody else did, no matter — they all did the same exact things that I did, believe it or not. Nobody realizes that.”
Jax revealed that he “missed” reality TV, and a recent stint on E!’s House of Villains was just the start.
“You know, I’m not good at a lot of things, [but] being on reality TV is one of them. I enjoy it. I’m just good at it,” the VPR alum claimed.
Fatherhood has changed Jax for the better
Fatherhood was “the real kicker” for Jax, and challenged him to be the best version of himself.
“I want to humble myself a little bit,” the father of one explained. “I want to take a different perspective, I want to come at it a different way now. The old guy doesn’t exist anymore. The old Jax is not around. I got a new guy here that I want to put back on TV [who] I think that people will enjoy.”
“Now, I cannot eff up,” Jax added. “I will never make any poor decisions again because I have a son.”
He continued: “I wanted to change my life around. I think people see me — that I am a good father, that I am a good person, that I just made a mistake. You know, I was hanging around the wrong people. People make mistakes, you know, but everybody likes a good comeback story, and that’s what I wanted.”
“Like I said, I’m a different person than I used to be. I took a piece of humble pie … I’m a little appreciative of things. I’m happy to be where I’m at right now [and] I’m back to where I want to be.”
It sounds like The Valley is a redemption project of sorts. Jax spoke of wanting to present “a better person than what I was before.” But he added the “villain is always going to be there.”
“I have to work very, very hard in life to keep that guy quiet. That’s just the way it is, that’s the way it’s always been,” he explained. “It’s easier for me to cut corners than it is to make the right choices, but I have to work hard at that. But, I’m aware of that, and I’m OK with that. But, I do things a lot different now.”
Jax listed the advances he’s made in life with, “good relationships, not only with my friends, with my family, with businesses.”
The Valley is set to premiere in the spring of 2024.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JAX’S COMMENTS? DO YOU EXPECT ANY DIFFERENCE FROM HIM ON THE VALLEY?
