Season two of Bravo’s The Valley airs next Tuesday, July 22. And the network just confirmed one of the show’s biggest stars won’t be back for season three.
Jax Taylor, who Andy Cohen once called, “one of the biggest reality stars” ever announced this week that he is “stepping away from the next season of The Valley.”
In the statement shared with Variety, he continued: “Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting. Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself – especially for our son, Cruz”
The reality TV star first joined Bravo in January 2013 when he was cast in season one of Vanderpump Rules. Jax quickly became a fan favorite, known for his chaos and for how he was willing to share his entire life on the show.
While on the show Jax met his now estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright. The two met at the Gold Spike bar in Las Vegas while he was starring in the third season of Vanderpump Rules. At the time, Brittany worked as a waitress at Hooters back in her home state of Kentucky.
Fans of Vanderpump met Brittany in season four of the show, and two seasons later, she became a full time cast member. Despite the drama regularly documented on the show, Jax and Brittany remained together. The two starred in the Vanderpump spinoff series Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky.
© InstagramAfter years of dating on and off, the two got engaged in June 2018.
“I was anti-marriage,” Jax told PEOPLE in July 2019. “I was never, never, ever going to get married. It was not in the cards for me. Then I met Brittany, and everything changed.”
After a yearlong engagement, Jax and Brittany married in a 240 person ceremony in Kentucky. Their Vanderpump co-stars celebrated them, with several cast members, including Ariana Madix, serving as bridesmaids.
© InstagramJust before the couple decided to leave Vanderpump Rules, they announced they were pregnant. “We had been trying for around five months, and we just can’t wait to grow our family,” Brittany told PEOPLE, adding: “I cried, I laughed, we were just so happy!”
In April 2021, Jax and Brittany welcomed their son Cruz. But amid the happy photos, there was tension brewing. Both Jax and Brittany returned to reality television last year in another Vanderpump spinoff, season one of The Valley. During season one, the show followed the couple as they tried to rekindle a romantic spark after raising their son.
But, before the second season aired, Brittany filed for divorce from Jax. In the season premiere, Brittany and Jax are reeling from an altercation.
“He flipped the coffee table, and it hit my knee. It turned black immediately,” Brittany alleged. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ I’m like, screaming, crying. It was terrifying.”
Soon after, Jax left to spend 30 days in an in-patient treatment facility for mental health, revealing that he has substance issues with cocaine. As the season progressed, Brittany accused Jax of stalking her. While filming, she received a text from Jax saying, “I can hear everything: Childish behavior.”
© InstagramFans of The Valley called for Jax’s firing. Writer, Louis Staples, agreed with that sentiment in an essay for The Cut.
“I understand why Bravo wanted to follow his story this season, but moving forward, there comes a point where paying someone hundreds of thousands of dollars to repeat the same abusive behavior patterns stops being defensible — or even entertaining,” Louis said.
Bravo has yet to make a comment on Jax’s decision to leave the show.
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