Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright exited Vanderpump Rules in 2020, but their former castmates are still invested in their relationship.
When Brittany revealed in February that she was “taking time apart” from Jax and had moved out of their family home, their former costars had thoughts.
Ariana Madix declared she was “Team Brittany” during a March appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, but some of the other Bravo stars hinted at trouble between Jax and Brittany months prior.
“There’s still stories about him running around town,” Katie Maloney told Scheana Shay and Lala Kent during the March 12 episode of VPR. Scheana noted, “Oh, I’ve heard,” and Lala added, “No, it’s beyond.”
While the episode was filmed last year, rumors of Jax’s alleged infidelity continued to swirl after Brittany announced their separation. Jax, however, denied the claims during Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules After Show, which aired on March 12.
“Katie loves to f–king just start s–t. That’s what she does,” Jax claimed, alleging that the rumors were completely false. “She sits at home, she plays on her phone, reads something on Reddit or some bullsh–t gossip thing and she’ll tell Scheana, tell Lala, and she’ll start the rumor train.”
Brittany confirmed during the After Show that she investigated the rumors that Jax had gotten cozy with another woman while working in Atlantic City. After finding all the photos from that night she “figured it out” and determined he was just someone he was “doing a job with.”
Scroll down to see which Vanderpump Rules stars past and present have weighed in on Jax and Brittany’s marital issues:
Lala Kent
“I mean, she’s one of my dearest friends, so I obviously knew that things were not great,” Lala said on the March 5 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “I told her, ‘I support you,’ but I always say, ‘Leave him.’”
Kristen Doute
Kristen decided to “acknowledge the giant elephant on social media and the room” during the March 6 episode of her “Sex Love and What Else Matters” podcast. She insisted that Jax and Brittany’s separation was “not a f–king … this is not for The Valley.”
Kristen — who stars alongside the couple on the Vanderpump Rules spinoff, The Valley — added: “For the love of God, you guys, these are our best friends, my best friends. They are going through something right now.”
She explained, “We have known about it. That’s just a choice that Jax and Britt made for themselves, their marriage, their relationship, their family.” Kristen pointed out that as a reality TV star some people “are waiting for you to make a mistake,” noting, “When things don’t go swimmingly it’s really hard to have people second guess your motives.”
Tom Schwartz
“It’s 100 percent real,” Schwartz said of Jax and Brittany’s break during an appearance on Tom Sandoval’s “Everybody Loves Tom” podcast, which aired on March 7.
He continued: “I’m really tight with Brittany and Jax. And I know I don’t want to cross a boundary here because I want to respect their privacy because they’re going to talk about that on their own terms.”
Schwartz added, “But no, it’s not a PR stunt. I see why people do jump to that conclusion because so much of reality TV is kind of soft-scripted.”
Scheana Shay
“I hate to end on a sober note,” Scheana said during the March 8 episode of her “Scheananigans” podcast before discussing the topic. “I do just want to say that marriage is hard. I never want to see friends going through hard times.”
She continued: “I support Brittany. I know that she is doing what’s best for her and her family. I know she is good right now. Her kid is good and that is really what matters. You never want to see a marriage not work out. Just want to send the Cartwright family love. We are here for you guys.”
Ariana Madix
“I’ve texted with Brittany a little bit. I just wanted her to know that I love her and I support her,” Ariana told Andy Cohen during WWHL on March 12. “I told her if she ever wants to come out to New York, she’s got a place to stay with me. I just love her so much and she’s only ever been the best, so I’m Team Brittany as always.”
Katie Maloney
After discussing rumors about Jax’s alleged cheating scandal during the March 12 episode of Vanderpump Rules, Katie explained that her comments stemmed from seeing a “blind item” on social media that seemed pegged to Jax.
She recalled sending the item to Lala because she was confident it was talking about Jax stepping out on Brittany. “[Lala] asked me, ‘Is this true?’ I was like, ‘Personally, I f–king think so,’” Katie confessed during the March 12 After Show. “But what do I know?”
Katie didn’t expand on what the blind item was or whether she still believes Jax cheated on Brittany. However, Jax responded by telling her to “shut up,” claiming Katie “loves to find misery or make misery and then just stir the pot.”
Katie sounded off on Jax and Brittany’s drama again during the March 19 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “I want the best for Brittany,” Katie explained. “Eventually … all of us [get] really fed up after some time, so good for her.”
