Jax Taylor has ended his affiliation with his Los Angeles bar, Jax’s Studio City, following his departure from The Valley.
A spokesperson for Jax, 46, confirmed to Us Weekly that he made “a carefully considered and necessary step to prioritize his sobriety and mental health.” The news comes after Bravo fan accounts spotted Jax’s name being removed from the marquee signage at the Studio City establishment on Saturday, July 26. (TMZ was the first to report the news.)
Jax exclusively revealed to Us on July 16 that he would not return to The Valley for season 3. (Jax already filmed the second season of The Valley and is featured prominently in the show’s reunion trailer.)
“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,” he told Us. “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.”
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Jax later clarified that he considered his departure from The Valley to be a “pause” rather than a complete break with the Bravo reality series.
“Myself, my team [and] the producers got together [and] we decided to take a break from season 3. This is not goodbye. This is kind of just a pause on things,” Jax explained on his “In the Mind of Jax Taylor” podcast on Thursday, July 24. “The more I talked about it with everybody, it just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense [to] me.”
The Vanderpump Rules alum clarified that with “filming [starting] soon” on The Valley season 3, he didn’t think it was wise to “walk back into” drama with his estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright. (Brittany filed for divorce from Jax while they were filming The Valley season 2 in the summer of 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the cause of the split. The former couple share 4-year-old son Cruz.)
“We get past a lot of stuff after filming and then we have to relive it again,” he pointed out. “You know when the show comes on, so that kind of never allows the wound to technically heal because now the scab keeps getting ripped open.”
Brittany, 36 revealed on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Tuesday, July 22, that she only learned about Jax’s The Valley departure shortly before it was announced.
“I found out the night before and I was like, ‘That was a great decision by everyone,” she quipped.
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Jax’s longtime Vanderpump Rules costar Scheana Shay was also supportive of his break from The Valley, saying it was a “healthy decision” for him to focus on himself.
“I think he does need to focus on his mental health and his sobriety right now,” Scheana, 40, said on the “So Bad It’s Good” podcast on Wednesday, July 23. “Being in rehab, trying to film a TV show and having the FOMO [fear of missing out] and all of that. None of that was healthy for him.”
She concluded: “I think this is a very smart and mature decision of him to focus on his sobriety. I hope he continues on that path for not just himself, but for Cruz and for Brittany.”
The Valley airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.
