Tom Schwartz knows season 2 of The Valley will be a rough representation of Jax Taylor.
“He has bared his soul to me. Some of it on TV — but some of it not. But he has expressed to me that these are some of the lowest moments of his entire life,” Schwartz, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, April 10, at the red carpet premiere for The Valley season 2. “He has felt lost.”
Schwartz clarified that he was “not trying to evoke sympathy” for Taylor, 45.
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“He has been a menace with [his estranged wife] Brittany [Cartwright]. But I’m a friend and I love him. I don’t want to abandon him when he needs me the most,” he continued. “I have healthy boundaries. I’m there when he needs me. I’m not going to leave him hanging when he needs me the most.”
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Schwartz continued: “He doesn’t listen. I have to be careful not to try to invoke too much sympathy for Jax. But he doesn’t have a great support system — maybe it’s his fault. Maybe some of it’s not. But I’m not gonna abandon him.”
While reflecting on his friendship with Taylor, Schwartz praised him for his ongoing sobriety, adding, “He’s putting in the work, and he is 133 days sober. He doesn’t drink anymore. No drugs and no funny business. On the surface, he’s doing all the right things. But I think, ultimately, we have to let Brittany be the judge.”
Schwartz and Taylor were friends before Bravo viewers were introduced to them on Vanderpump Rules in 2013. Since then, both Schwartz and Taylor have faced many ups and downs in the public eye. Taylor, specifically, has been weathering substance abuse issues, including abusing cocaine, for more than two decades.
“I’ve been in and out of using cocaine for awhile. I wouldn’t use it every single day. There would be months I would take off,” he explained to Us in a March cover story. “And then I would do it like a week here, maybe two times a month or three times a month. It got really bad though. When the divorce started [with my estranged wife Brittany Cartwright], I felt like I was doing it recreationally.”
Taylor highlighted his commitment to working on himself. “I had all these other issues because I’m masking loneliness,” he said. “I’m masking the texting women by doing drugs and drinking alcohol. I have all these other issues. So it’s a slow process, which is hard for me because I always look for the quick fix. This is one of those things in life that it’s not a quick fix. You have to work at it. I’m not used to that.”
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He concluded: “This is not gonna work that way. That’s not how addiction, sickness and mental health works. People are like, ‘Jax, you’ve done a lot of freaking damage. Like a lot. And this is just not going to go away anymore. People have had enough.’”
Schwartz, for his part, is focused on his future as well. After Vanderpump Rules went through a cast overhaul, Schwartz made guest appearances on the sophomore season of the show’s spinoff, The Valley.
“Honestly, I’m so grateful to still be part of the Bravo family. I love working with everybody behind the scenes. It felt kind of seamless. I didn’t really feel like I was joining another show,” he shared with Us. “It felt like an organic transition because I’m friends with everybody. Kristen [Doute] was my first roommate. I lived with her and she’s like a sister to me. We’ve known each other 15 years. I’m tight with everybody. So it feels very natural. It doesn’t feel forced or contrived or awkward. It just feels like hanging out with my friends — except there’s cameras capturing the message.”
The Valley season 2 premieres on Bravo Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
Us Weekly
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