After six seasons, Vanderpump Rules is one of Bravo’s most watched reality shows, and it’s no wonder why. With a cast of hot and sexy 20-somethings all working at the same posh West Hollywood bar, Sur, what could possibly go wrong? Add booze, hook-ups, and weekly drama to the mix and audiences are captivated, tuning in each week to see who’s boyfriend slept with who and which server was fired from Pump.
One cast member who’s been on the show for all six seasons is Jax Taylor. Jax is the kind of guy that you just love to hate. Strikingly good-looking, charismatic, charming, he’s the quintessential playboy/bad boy. That is until his most recent relationship with Kentucky sweetheart Brittany Cartwright. This prim and proper southern bell has virtually transformed the old Jax Taylor into a somewhat stand-up and potentially monogamous companion.
But what about those not-so-proud moments in Jax Taylor’s past? His poor decisions have laid the groundwork for epic TV. Let’s reflect on some of his greatest, and not so greatest, moments.
Cheating on Stassi
Before it was Jax and Brittany, it was Jax and Stassi. Stassi Schroeder, another Vanderpump Rules original, had Taylor wrapped around her finger. Or so she thought. The couple started dating following a drunken hook-up in Vegas (shocking) before Jax even worked at Sur. The duo was virtually inseparable for the next 18 months but following another drunken display by Jax (are we seeing a trend here?) Stassi broke it off with him for “good”. This all occurred during season 1 of the show.
But fans were disgusted during season 2 when Jax confirmed Stassi’s lingering suspicions that he had in fact cheated on his longtime girlfriend with a woman in Las Vegas. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the girl was claiming to be pregnant with Taylor’s baby. What made an already horrifying situation even worse was that Jax lied about the incident to everyone imaginable for months on end. Why not just fess up, if you’re going to eventually, anyway? No one can truly understand Jax Taylor’s behavior, but we can all agree that our hearts broke for Stassi when Jax finally admitted to the dirty deed.
Getting Arrested
Even though good girl Brittany has changed Jax Taylor for the better, he did make one monumentally stupid mistake during the beginning of their relationship. During a group trip to Hawaii, Taylor almost misses his flight home after getting arrested for stealing a pair of sunglasses. Are we surprised that Taylor attributes too much alcohol to his poor decision? Not really. After a night of drinking, the reality star plucked the sunglasses from a small street vendor near his hotel.
We aren’t sure what was worse, the shameful call he made to Brittany, asking to be bailed out, or his somewhat nonchalant confession to Lisa Vanderpump, owner of Sur, when he was unable to show up for the work, explaining, “Yeah, I was in jail.” Jax pled guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 364 days probation. The star also had to pay over $1,500 in fines and fees. Taylor took full responsibility for his actions, or so he says, apologizing publicly and claiming it was a “stupid mistake” – yes Jax, we agree.
Getting Girls’ Names Tattooed on His Body
Mistakes can be fixed but tattoos are permanent. Apparently, for Jax Taylor, there’s no difference. The serial dater and cheater just couldn’t help himself when it came to tattooing his girlfriends, and in some cases, ex-girlfriend’s, names on his body.
It all started when Jax tattooed Stassi’s name on the inside of his bicep after they broke up and after he admitted to cheating on her multiple times. Taylor said he did it in the hopes of winning her back, but Stassi and the rest of the world found it to be a rather bizarre and borderline pathetic act. And Jax didn’t stop there when it came to adding ink to his body as a declaration of his “love”. Girlfriend Carmen, another Sur server who oddly resembled Stassi, was the next of Jax’s girlfriends to be memorialized. But don’t worry fans, Taylor covered Stassi’s name with a black rose before adding the next. Unfortunately, the ink didn’t have time to dry before Jax and Carmen split.
It was recently reported that Jax and Brittany got matching tattoos. Jax, have you ever heard of buying a girl flowers?
Sleeping with Kristen Doute
Sure, cheating is wrong no matter how you cut it, but somehow, cheating with your girlfriend’s best friend who also happens to be one of your best friend’s girlfriends is a touch worse. Leave it to Jax Taylor to hit the trifecta and not only cheat on Stassi, but do it with Kristen Doute, Stassi’s good friend and his own friend, Tom Sandoval’s, then girlfriend. But no accusation against Jax would be complete without months of denial, both from him and from Doute, who was also trying to salvage her own relationship.
In true Jax fashion, he finally admitted to his wrongdoings. When Stassi got a hold of this information she was disgusted, but even more than that, she was furious with Kristen and sought revenge. Feeling indebted to Stassi in some sick, twisted way, Jax agreed to help Stassi set up her former-friend and confront her about the cheating claims in front of the entire gang. This night led to the slap heard round the world when Stassi slapped Kristen across the face. In the end, Doute admitted to sleeping with Jax on two separate occasions, after which Tom actually stood by her side while directing his outrage at Jax. Anyone else feeling like these friends are just a little too close sometimes?
He’s a Liar (or is he?)
The words “Jax Taylor” and “liar” just go hand in hand. In fact, Taylor himself has admitted to being a pathological liar and often times, not knowing how to stop. There’s no way to cover all of Jax’s lies over the last six seasons, but some of his stories have resulted in more catastrophic downfalls than others.
We’ve already covered Jax’s lies when it comes to cheating. The playboy follows a certain pattern of behaviors. First, he makes a poor choice and cheats on his girlfriend. Then, he lies about it for months on end, tearing friendships apart and convincing his partner that they’re crazy, only to admit to the deed later on. But Jax also lied about making advances at newest cast member in season 4, Lala Kent, causing an awkward encounter between him, Lala, and Brittany. He also denies any homophobic tendencies related to a former friend and roommate during his younger, modeling days.
But what’s interesting about Jax Taylor is that there are those rare occasions when his “lies” are actually gateways to the truth. For whatever reason, Taylor seems to have the inside track on the cast’s dirty little secrets, from accusations that Tom Schwartz cheated on girlfriend, Katie Maloney, in Vegas to more accusations that Tom Sandoval cheated on ex-girlfriend Kristen Doute with now-girlfriend Ariana Madix. On more than one occasion, Taylor has taken it upon himself to let “the truth” out, much to the dismay of his friends who then turn on Taylor. Jax claims his friends attack him because he’s “an easy target” and they prefer to focus on him rather than examine their own lives. Whether or not this is true is subject to debate.
We Just Can’t Stop Watching
It’s true, Jax Taylor is like a car accident. We can’t turn away but we can’t look directly at him either. His behavior is sometimes erratic, always puzzling, and somewhat juvenile as he approaches his 39th birthday. So will this serial dater, confirmed liar, and playboy finally grow up and maybe even pop the question to longtime girlfriend Cartwright? Looks like we’ll have to stay tuned to find out.
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