Brittany Cartwright knew those rumors about Jax Taylor cheating weren’t true — after doing a little digging.
During the Vanderpump Rules After Show on Tuesday, March 12, Cartwright, 35, and Taylor, 44, individually addressed speculation that he was unfaithful. The cast of The Valley and Vanderpump Rules joined the couple in paired off interviews to share their perspective on the drama as well.
“I had a job in Atlantic City. The lady who hires me, she takes pictures with everybody. Any kind of celebrity that comes in takes photos with the person who runs it. That is normal,” Taylor clarified about the social media photo that kickstarted false rumors of infidelity.
Cartwright, meanwhile, recalled doing her own detective work. “We went and found all the photos and figured it out,” she explained. “It was a girl he was doing a job with, and it was the bar owner’s wife or whatever. And the husband was there too.”
The pair weighed in after the rumors were initially brought up on a recent episode of Vanderpump Rules. Scheana Shay started the conversation when she pointed out how far Taylor and Cartwright have come since his season 6 cheating scandal with Faith Stowers.
“Look at Jax and Brittany. They were married and had a baby,” Shay, 38, said before Katie Maloney pulled a face. “I could not believe that when they did.”
Maloney, 37, pointed out “there’s still stories” about Taylor “running around town.” Shay added she “heard” the same information, which Lala Kent referred to as “beyond” surprising.
On the aftershow, Taylor blamed Maloney for spreading the rumors around to begin with, saying, “Katie loves to f—king just start shit. That’s what she does. She plays at home and she sees something on her phone on Reddit, and she will start the rumor mill. That’s what she does. She’s spreading all kinds of s—t. … Can you remind me what it was again, though?”
Maloney, however, clarified that she just sent a blind item around.
“It is not specific to me or being sent to me. I am not the one creating these rumors. Literally anyone can see it, and thousands have seen it,” she shared. “When you see blind items about people that you know, you are going to send them to people that you know.”
While talking to Ariana Madix about the speculation, Maloney said she personally thought Taylor could have been unfaithful.
Before making their debut on The Valley, Bravo viewers previously saw Taylor and Cartwright weather ups and downs on Vanderpump Rules. They started dating on screen before documenting their 2019 nuptials for the show.
One year later, they announced their departure from Vanderpump Rules. They went on to expand their family with son Cruz, whom they welcomed in 2021. As fans prepare to check in with the twosome on The Valley, Taylor and Cartwright announced that they are “taking time apart” from their marriage.
“So many of you guys have been asking me about Jax and I and our relationship. I just think it is important to be real and honest with you guys because we have shared so much of our life with you guys,” Brittany said on a February 29 episode of their “When Reality Hits” podcast. “I don’t want it to seem like I am lying or anything like that. So I think it is important for me to say this.”
She continued: “With all the speculation online and stories running rampant, I wanted to be transparent with you. Yes, marriages are very hard, and I had a particularly rough year. Jax and I are taking time apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health. I won’t get into too many details right now because this is still really hard to talk about.”
Bravo later released the official trailer for The Valley where cast members speculated about “rumors” that Taylor was unfaithful. A source, however, previously told Us Weekly that cheating is not the reason the pair separated.
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Peacock the next day. The Valley premieres on Bravo on Tuesday, March 19, at 9 p.m. ET.
