Who’s the No. 1 guy in the group now? Jax Taylor predicted that something would come between Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix years before his infidelity prompted their split.
Taylor, 43, gave his unfiltered thoughts about the now-exes in a resurfaced interview from 2020. When asked for his take on their relationship, the Michigan native teased, “There is no relationship.”
Joking that he had to “be careful” about what he said on camera, the Vanderpump Rules alum continued: “Again, I have no ill will toward either of them. I just see them as roommates. Glorified roommates who hook up occasionally.”
Taylor, who married Brittany Cartwright in 2019, confessed that he didn’t see Sandoval, 39, and Madix, 37, ever walking down the aisle. “They’re never gonna get married. They’re never gonna have children,” he said. “I think Tom wants to have kids. I think Tom wants to get married. … I think in the next couple years, something’s gonna happen.”
The Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky alum felt confident in his prediction. “I’ve rarely, rarely, rarely ever been wrong on this show,” he added. “I can’t even think of a time I’ve ever been wrong. I don’t think it’s gonna last that much longer. … Sorry. I don’t.”
Bravo fans are revisiting Taylor’s comments after Sandoval and Madix pulled the plug on their nine-year romance. Us Weekly confirmed the couple’s breakup — and Sandoval’s affair with Raquel Leviss — on Friday, March 3.
“They were having problems for a while,” a source exclusively told Us of the reality TV personalities, adding that the issues “only came to a breaking point” in the days leading up to their split.
Madix has yet to publicly address the breakup and cheating scandal, but she was spotted “rallying” with pal Scheana Shay at a Tove Lo concert in Los Angeles on Friday. Katie Maloney and former costar Kristen Doute, who previously dated Sandoval from 2007 to 2013, also visited the Florida native in the wake of the controversy.
“I stan Ariana. This is in real-time. I love you so much,” Doute, 40, gushed in an Instagram Story video on Friday. “I love you more than anything. You’re my girl.”
The musician, for his part, carried on with his Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras concert in Anaheim, California, on Friday hours after his affair made headlines. “Have you ever been one of the most hated people in America?” he asked the crowd, according to an eyewitness.
Sandoval issued an apology one day later, but he noticeably left Madix out of his statement. “Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave [Tom] Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation … Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions,” he wrote via Instagram. “This was a very personal thing.”
Yelp temporarily paused reviews for Sandoval and Schwartz’s restaurants amid the drama — but the former bartender told fans to redirect their attention. “Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families. Just like TomTom, I’m a small part of a much bigger thing,” he continued. “Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong. … I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.”
While Taylor hasn’t been part of the Vanderpump Rules cast since 2020, he didn’t hesitate to chime in on Sandoval’s infidelity as more details emerged. “I told you all,” he tweeted on Friday.
He later reiterated that he wasn’t surprised by his former costars’ breakup, writing, “I’ve called a lot of things on that show that people never believed… everything I say always ends being true.. #pumprules.”
