Lala Kent got a call from Brittany Cartwright about her comments praising Jax Taylor after his cocaine addiction revelation.
During the Tuesday, March 19, episode of the “Give Them Lala” podcast, Kent, 34, reflected on how her reaction to Taylor’s sobriety didn’t land well with his estranged wife, saying, “I said on [Amazon Live] that I’m extremely proud of him. Of course that’s what everyone picked up and it did throw Brittany off. I got a phone call shortly after and she was not happy with me.”
Kent noted that she understood where Cartwright, 36, was coming from. “If back in the day she said that about my ex [Randall Emmett], I would feel nothing but rage,” Kent admitted. “So I just want to somewhat try to explain myself a bit. And this is not an excuse because she had a very valid point. I would have had someone’s head on a platter if the roles were reversed.”
While reflecting on her own six years of sobriety, Kent said it was important for her to support others in recovery.
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“I’m now somewhat on the other side of this experience. I try to tell people when they’re in it, ‘This is not your forever. This too shall pass.’ I would be lying if I said you come out of a situation like this a completely different person. But you do come out of it much stronger and the bad stuff doesn’t affect you as much as it did in the moment,” she shared. “If I could go back and tell myself when I was in that situation one thing, I would have told myself to handle situations a little bit differently than I did. But you can’t deny emotions that you’re feeling in a moment.”
Kent’s show of support for Taylor, 45, came after he revealed earlier this year that he has been addicted to cocaine for over two decades. Taylor acknowledged that his substance abuse issues contributed to his divorce. Cartwright, however, recently questioned whether Taylor was doing his best to change.
“This is horrible, he has not changed. He’s trying to act in public like he’s this mental health advocate and this and that and he’s so much better, and he’s giving all these excuses and doing all these victim mentality things,” she said on her “When Reality Hits” podcast this month. “And I was like, ‘It’s not fair. I am being yelled at, and this is a struggle in my everyday life.’ I was like, ‘Something has to be done.’”
From Kent’s perspective, it has been important to uplift Taylor as he takes steps toward self-improvement.
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“I was trying to explain that to Brittany and we’re all good. The thing that I love about my friendship with Brittany is that it is nothing but honesty. We have had it out with each other but we always come back around and at the end of our conversation she said, ‘I’m sorry that I called and reacted this way. I just had to say something,’” Kent continued on Tuesday. “I said, ‘We do not have a true friendship if you cannot call me and talk about how you’re feeling — even if it’s explosive. Call me and explode and talk to me about the problem. Don’t call somebody else and start talking behind my back.’”
Kent also clarified that she was still choosing Cartwright over Taylor amid their ongoing divorce, adding, “I know what Jax has done to Brittany. I know firsthand [even though] it is not my story to share — that is Brittany’s story to share. I blocked that man for a reason. I know that a lot of things will come out on The Valley.”
Taylor hinted at his problems with Cartwright being addressed on season 2 of Bravo’s hit reality series. He praised his estranged wife for trying to get him help “for years” — despite his reluctance to receive the assistance.
“This is in no way, shape or form her fault at all. She should not be getting any kind of flack for this whatsoever. She’s an amazing mother. She’s an amazing person and she’s a human being and she was pushed. She was pushed to her limits and I don’t blame her,” he shared during the Thursday, March 13, episode of his “In The Mind of a Man” podcast. “And there was other things that went on [in the] relationship too, that had nothing to do with drinking and alcohol that she’s still upset about.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
