When Brittany Cartwright said fans would see how bad things got between her and Jax Taylor during their separation on the new season of The Valley, she wasn’t kidding! We’re only one episode in, and the situation is extremely nasty… and violent.
Season 2’s premiere on Tuesday picked up nine months after the couple broke up. Jax and Brittany had been toying around with the idea of her coming back to their home and working on their marriage… but then they got into an altercation before filming even started, destroying any hope of reconciliation. Jax recalled to friend and co-star Jesse Lally:
“So Brittany and I were kind of messing with the idea of her coming back home. She was texting me, saying, ‘Hey, I really want to work on our marriage.’ I’m like, ‘Okay.’”
Although Brittany and Jax agreed they were “allowed to date other people” during their separation, he didn’t like that she got with his best friend Julian Sensley — or that they remained in touch just when the Vanderpump Rules alums decided to give their marriage another shot. The former model said he looked at her iPad one day and found out Brittany was still talking to Julian. Not innocent conversations, either. She even sent him “a sexy video.”
Related: Brittany Cartwright & Jax Taylor’s Son Cruz Diagnosed With Autism
Jax came across the texts on the iPad their 4-year-old son Cruz uses, and “all hell broke loose” when Brittany got home. Jax lost it so bad, he flipped a table — and injured Brittany in the process! She recalled to Michelle Saniei (Jesse’s ex-wife):
“He flipped the coffee table and it, like, hit my knee. It turned black immediately. I’m like, ‘Oh my god! Oh my god!’ Screaming and crying. It was terrifying.”
So scary…
She said Jax repeatedly accused her of “cheating” on him — though again, they were allowed to see other people during the separation. Plus, it wasn’t like he didn’t date other people! As Brittany put it:
“He’s been hooking up with girls. He’s been publicly parading himself around with girls.”
What a hypocrite. Meanwhile, the only thing Jax could do was own up to the disturbing moment. He told Jesse:
“Yeah, I went full f**king unhinged rage and– bad, it was bad. Got like that angry before, but that’s the worst it’s ever gotten. Cruz’s in the other room. Thank God, he didn’t see anything. … I don’t want him to see how I’m treating his mother.”
Well, Cruz may not have seen, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hear the fight from the other room. If the little one didn’t, he’ll hear about it one day… from his own parents talking about it on camera. When the time comes, Jax will need to do some serious explaining and apologize for how disgusting he behaved at that moment. There’s no excuse for this kind of treatment of Brittany — or how he continues to treat her this season. Because if you thought the fighting was over before filming began… you don’t know Jax.
During a cold open for the season, viewers got a peek at another upcoming explosive fight between the exes over the same issue. Jax is seen screaming at the former SUR waitress:
“What have you been doing the last 5 months?!”
To which she fires back:
“I hooked up with somebody while I was separated. I’m filing right away. I’m taking Cruz, getting full custody and I’m putting a restraining order against you.”
Brittany then accuses him of “running around with little sluts” before continuing:
“You need to go get help for yourself and for our son. He cannot grow up and become a person like you.”
It looks like that intense conversation is what drove Jax to seek mental health treatment for the first time, during which he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD. From there, he later entered rehab for a decades-long cocaine addiction and is now sober-ish. The bartender underwent some major life changes over the past few months. Let’s hope part of the transformation included his attitude and behavior, especially toward Britt. Maybe we’ll even see some growth later in the season…
Watch the full premiere, with the intense moments coming fast and furious (below):