BRAVO star Jax Taylor has announced his departure from the hit TV series The Valley, vowing to take the time to become the “best version” of himself.
Taylor‘s sudden exit comes months after he revealed that he had been addicted to cocaine on and off for more than two decades.
The troubled 46-year-old TV personality announced his exit from the Bravo show in a statement to US Weekly, saying he will seek to prioritize his sobriety and mental health.
“After an incredibly challenging year and may honest conversations with my tam and producers, I’ll be stepping away from the next season of The Valley,” Taylor wrote.
“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.”
Taylor shares his 4-year-old son with his estranged ex-wife and Bravo co-star Brittany Cartwright, 36.
TROUBLED STAR
The second season of The Valley, a spin-off of Vanderpump Rules, showcased Taylor’s alarming behavior to viewers, before, during, and after he checked into rehab for cocaine addiction.
While in rehab, Taylor rage texted Cartwright, and spied on her through their Los Angeles home’s cameras, monitoring and listening to her every move.
Taylor also admitted that he refused to pay the family’s mortgage and other bills for months despite a prior agreement.
Meanwhile, Cartwright accused her estranged ex of physical abuse, claiming he left her bruised after he threw a table at her during a fight over her texts with another man during their separation.
Taylor attempted to defend his actions during the domestic violence incident, saying, “I lost all control. I saw all red.
Vanderpump Rules star Jax Taylor reveals secret cocaine addiction he hid for over 20 years & claims he’s ‘83 days sober’
“I had an out-of-body experience. But show me a guy that wouldn’t handle the situation the way I handled it.”
Taylor went on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens in early July and publicly apologized for his abusive behavior.
“First of all, I want to apologize to everybody who’s watching this right now,” he said.
“It’s just, the stuff that was shown is pretty triggering to a lot of people and I’m watching it back, I watch the episodes now, which is a first.
“You watch it back and it’s just, like, I’m utterly embarrassed of my actions. Nobody should ever have to deal with the way I acted.
“Nobody should ever have to deal with, you know, verbal abuse from anybody. I’m really sorry that people had to see all that.”
Alex Baskin, the executive producer of The Valley, told Variety in June that he included the details about Taylor and Cartwright’s tumultuous relationship to “tell the full story.”
“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,” Baskin said.
“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.”
