Season 2 of The Valley is well underway, though many of the show’s viewers are still trying to wrap their heads around the many toxic dynamics within the Bravo series, including former Vanderpump Rules stars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, whose divorce is currently playing out on the show.
In a Variety story that dropped this week, executive producer Alex Baskin opened up about the moment Brittany told production that Jax had done “something unacceptable”– an incident that Brittany later recounted to viewers in the Season 2 premiere.
As fans know, the season kicked off with Brittany revealing that her soon-to-be ex-husband had gotten so angry during one of their arguments that he threw a coffee table, which allegedly hit Brittany in the knee and left a bruise. Brittany also shared that Jax had punched holes in the wall of their once-shared home during this alleged argument, as well as screamed at her while their four-year-old son Cruz was in the next room.
Jax, who went public about his decades-long cocaine addiction prior to the Season 2 premiere, went on to seek treatment at an inpatient rehab facility on the show, though even while inside the facility, he continued to “rage text” his estranged wife and admitted to spying on her through cameras placed throughout their home, as well as allegedly listening to her conversations through some sort of recording device that Brittany did not previously know about.
While Jax has since returned to the Bravo series, Alex told Variety that hearing Brittany describe the “unacceptable” incident that occurred beforehand was “really scary,” and that he wishes audiences would recognize Brittany’s “growth” and “assertiveness” in sharing her story.
“This is all Brittany’s real life,” he added.
Alex also noted that the show is trying to navigate how to tell Jax and Brittany’s story– as well as those of the rest of the cast– in a way that is responsible and fair, but also “entertaining and real.”
“But that doesn’t put a gloss on what is really happening,” he insisted. “This subject matter is dark!”
Alex admitted that he wasn’t surprised when Brittany confronted Jax (before rehab) about his addiction issues, claiming that it’s “her story” and she was expressing what she had been experiencing.
“She felt like the problem was he had been enabled for too long,” Alex said. “And she’s like, ‘F**k that. I’m not doing that. I’m going to say it out loud.’ She was done. She was going to say everything.”
Fans watched Brittany continue to say “everything” on this week’s episode of ‘The Valley’ when she exposed Jax for using a burner Instagram account under the name “Frank Dremon.” Brittany revealed that Jax uses the online alias to leave positive comments about himself on social media and to troll his adversaries. She broke the news to cast mate Janet Caperna (and viewers) while laughing at her estranged ex’s cringey behavior.
“Oh my god, did I tell you I found another comment that he did to himself on his burner account?” Brittany asked Janet, as reported by TooFab. “So, it’s underneath the [post] that’s like, ‘Jax Taylor Ready to Be the No. 1 Guy in the Group,’ and [Jax] wrote, ‘He’s a legend,’ about himself and then somebody wrote back and said, ‘In his own mind.’
“It’s so cringey, I love it!” Brittany added, before Bravo took the liberty of sharing some other Frank Dremon comments with viewers.
Shockingly, Brittany copped to knowing about Jax’s Frank Dremon burner account “for a very long time,” telling viewers that Jax told her about it at some point, but that she believed he had since forgotten about it. Further proving that point, Brittany revealed on Tuesday’s episode that Jax had allegedly DM’d her from the Frank Dremon account amid their split, asking that she answer his calls.
“I am so second-hand embarrassed for him right now,” Janet told Brittany.
As viewers know, Jax and Brittany aren’t the only feuding exes on ‘The Valley’ this season. Despite splitting at the end of Season 1, former spouses Jesse Lally and Michelle Saniei continue to throw insults and allegations at one another, with Jesse in particular hitting below the belt during an episode that aired earlier this season.
“I mean, obviously I regret calling Michelle a hooker,” Jesse told Variety. “I’m trying to raise a little girl. Like, do you know what a guy like me from Boston would do if somebody called my daughter a whore? Whatever is to blame for that, it’s just irresponsible and shameful.”
Jesse later told the outlet that, while the cast is aiming to make a great show, they are still, “real families with real careers and children.” He also said he believes the show will eventually “get back” to where it was, predicting that, “there’s some light at the end of this dark tunnel.”
Until then, another “dark” storyline that’s playing out in the current season involves Danny Booko, who is being accused by some of his cast mates of having a drinking problem.
The rumors of Danny’s alleged “Danny Darko” alter-ego seemingly began after Danny exhibited inappropriate behavior towards cast member Jasmine Goode and her fiancée, Melissa Marie, at a Halloween party that happened off camera in between Season 1 and 2.
While Danny told viewers that he apologized to Jasmine and Melissa off camera and was under the impression that he had made amends with the couple, he went on to apologize to them again on-camera this season, though he and wife Nia Sanchez continue to face criticism on the show about Danny’s drinking from other cast members– namely Jax, Janet and Janet’s husband, Jason Caperna.
Danny told Variety that he heard Jax had been talking to people about bringing up the Halloween party indiscretion once filming began for Season 2 and when he confronted his friend about this, Danny claims that Jax “blew up” at him.
“ … he was like, ‘You guys got off easy in the first season, and the second season I’m coming after you and putting a target on your back! You and Nia are fake!’” Danny claimed, later adding that Jax apologized at the Season 2 reunion, which was filmed in May.
Danny told the outlet that he still feels betrayed by Janet and Jason, as he believes they played up the drinking drama at his expense. Danny added that he really cared about the pair and believed that they were his friends; however, he found their behavior in Season 2 to be “malicious” and “vindictive.”
“Whether they’re doing it for the show or a storyline or attention or whatever, it’s just like: You don’t do that. This is real life,” he said.
Going into Season 3 of ‘The Valley,’ Alex claims that “no one is guaranteed a job indefinitely,” though he maintains that allowing Jax to be on TV doesn’t mean that either the show or Bravo are giving an abuser a platform.
“Our job is to tell the full story,” he said. “If we didn’t tell the story in its completeness, then we would be covering up something that really happened, and denying Brittany the chance to share what she had been through … I don’t think that’s really ‘platforming an abuser’ as much as that is platforming the story– which includes Brittany’s experience as well as Jax’s.”
New episodes of ‘The Valley’ air Tuesdays on Bravo.
RELATED STORY: Former ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Stars Katie Maloney & Dayna Kathan Talk Fake Storylines, Forced Friendships & a Future Without Reality TV
(Photos: Bravo; Instagram)
10 Responses
I can’t stand Jasmine. I couldn’t be more over victimization in general.
Brittany should also be congratulated on finally finding a dress (the green one) that fits over those ridiculous fake boobs.
You know what’s really unfair, that baby having to grow up at the whim of his hedonistic parents.
His dad is a hopeless douche. Nothing will change that. His mom is stupid but she’s not a bad person.
Maybe if you put the drugs and booze down for two seconds, that baby could have had a decent life.
I keep watching The Valley in hopes that it will get better, but it just doesn’t. Just when I think Jax and Jesse take the cake for being disgusting and vile, here comes JANET. THEE WORST! She throws around the words “S.A.” like it’s nothing. She needs to watch her mouth and stop being so loosey goosey with those words! toward Danny. She doesn’t stop to think that HER asking Scheana if she’s “taken it up the BUTT” can be considered VERBAL S.A. by her own standards! Not to mention there’s a snippet in one of the episodes where Jasmine is standing behind Danny and literally HUMPS him from the back! THAT isn’t considered “S.A.” by Janet?? Jax and Jesse are so wrapped up in themselves they don’t see how their actions are affecting their CHILDREN. Brittany continues to engage with Jax, continues to “deal” with him. Jax loves to say that his son “was in the other room”. The boy may be non-verbal but he isn’t DEAF and he isn’t DUMB. He can HEAR and he KNOWS what’s going on. No wonder he balls up and doesn’t want to be NEAR Jax! Jesse calls his daughters mother a whore and a hooker and readily admits on camera he just wants to cause her pain and anguish at any cost. Not ONE second of thought that his daughter will grow up and look back on all this or her friends will tell her, tease her, show her. Take a clue from what’s happening to the Teen Mom kids all these years later! If these fools want to ruin their own lives, fine. But they need to KEEP THEIR KIDS OFF CAMERA. There are so few people on this show who are even watchable anymore. Even writing this, it’s finally sunk in to ME that I need to just abandon this junk. It won’t get renewed and these idiots won’t continue to be rewarded with another season, if people don’t watch.
Jax is still a victim and a liar. He has consistently said after being picked up from rehab that he was there for his “rage and anger”. No mention of the fact that he is a coke addict and has been for years. I also think it’s typical Jax to be saying he was in therapy 7 hours a day, 7 days a week for his rage as he continued to rage text Brittany. And let’s be real…he wasn’t doing therapy 7 hours a day for 7 days. Like Zach said on the last episode it was a resort. Probably the one that Rachel from VPR went to.
1000%!! Jax starts every sentence with “I” and ends it with “ME”!
I do not think jax is fixed by any means.
He does have serious anger issues. I do hope he is following up and getting help for that. But you can clearly see he came out of rehab with some real anger. Still, I don’t know if it’s drugs or other things, but he is also a compulsive liar. He needs help for that too. The fact that he left her so far behind financially, knowing that she is raising their son is insane
Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where the person just can’t be “fixed”. He will never accept his part in his own situation and he’ll continue to try to hold on to his old single life even though he’s knocking on 50’s door. He’s done. There’s no changing or fixing anything for him. He’s on the slide downhill.