In a move that’s sure to shake up Bravo’s The Valley, reality star Jax Taylor has announced his departure from the show following its second season. The Vanderpump Rules alum is stepping away to prioritize something far more personal, his sobriety.
“After an incredibly challenging year and many honest conversations with my team and producers, I’ll be stepping away from the next season of The Valley,” Taylor revealed in a heartfelt statement shared by Bravo’s The Daily Dish. “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.”
Jax Taylor’s battle with sobriety was front and center in Season 2. The season began with Taylor checking himself into a rehab facility, openly confronting his struggles with substance use. Even while off-camera in treatment, he remained entangled in the show’s drama, texting co-stars and keeping tabs on estranged wife Brittany Cartwright through their home security system.
Despite his absence early on, Taylor eventually returned to filming, where tensions with Cartwright continued to dominate the storyline. Ahead of the season’s premiere, Jax Taylor acknowledged just how dark things had gotten for him, reflecting on how far he’s come since the beginning of filming.
Taylor initially opened up about his sobriety journey earlier this year on the Hot Mic podcast hosted by The Valley executive producer Alex Baskin. Baskin, who has defended the decision to include Taylor’s personal and marital struggles on the show, says transparency was key.
“Our job is to tell the full story,” Baskin told Variety. “If we didn’t tell the story in its completeness, then we would be covering up something that really happened and denying Brittany the chance to share what she had been through. I don’t think that’s really ‘platforming an abuser’ as much as that is platforming the story — which includes Brittany’s experience as well as Jax’s.”
Baskin emphasized that the goal is to portray reality “responsibly and fairly, in a way that is entertaining and real,” even when the content becomes “dark.”
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