Former ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Jax Taylor Reveals Regrets From the Show: ‘I Wasn’t as Nice as I Should Have Been’

What would Vanderpump Rules be without OG cast member Jax Taylor? Maybe it would be a bit calmer, slightly nicer, but probably not as intriguing. He may be gone, but he’s not forgotten. After years of drama, Taylor has settled down with his wife — Pump Rules co-star Brittany Cartwright — and their toddler son Cruz. The couple has been reflecting on their reality TV journey and beyond in their new podcast When Reality Hits. And Taylor recently shared his regrets regarding Vanderpump Rules.

He almost didn’t appear on the show

Jax Taylor was one of the original Vanderpump Rules cast members, along with Stassi Schroeder, Scheana Shay, Katie Maloney, Tom Sandoval, Kristen Doute, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump. 

Before the show debuted, Taylor was “just trying to figure out how to pay … rent” and was on the verge of leaving town. He had been living in California and working as a model for years, but his parents wanted him to return home to Florida and “get a real job,” he explained on When Reality Hits.

He began bartending at Vanderpump’s restaurant Sur to make some money. He said it didn’t feel like a real job because all his friends worked there and they were having fun, but he was getting ready to leave.

Then Lisa Vanderpump approached the staff about shooting a pilot for what would become Vanderpump Rules. Taylor stayed for the episode and was surprised when Bravo picked up the show. That solidified his decision to remain in California. “The rest is history,” he said.

What does Jax Taylor regret from his time on ‘Vanderpump Rules’?

It didn’t take long for the Bravo show about the lives of the young and beautiful Sur employees to become popular. 

“It was an amazing run,” Taylor said. “In the beginning, gosh, it was fast. We were shooting 26 episodes, and it was just crazy — you know, disposable income. I was just all over the place. I was just having fun.”

He added that the years he was on Pump Rules went by in a blur. “I took a lot of it for granted, I gotta say. If we do go back into this industry, I’m going to change my ways for sure.”

Taylor said he would like to do better. He claimed he would be more grateful for his opportunities and would humble himself.

“I was just a little bit too greedy when I was on the show. I wasn’t as nice as I should have been,” he told his wife on When Reality Hits, who agreed wholeheartedly. 

Why was Jax Taylor fired from ‘Vanderpump Rules’?

Jax Taylor had some awful moments during his eight seasons on Vanderpump Rules. 

There was the time he cheated on his then-girlfriend Stassi Schroeder with her best friend Kristen Doute. He was also unfaithful to his now-wife Brittany Cartwright with Faith Stowers, another former Vanderpump Rules cast member. And then he accused Stowers of a crime she had nothing to do with. 

In addition, Taylor was arrested during a filmed trip to Hawaii for stealing a pair of sunglasses. A controversial figure, he was regularly involved in on-camera arguments and fistfights.

However, Taylor said he was reformed after his father died in 2017. He professed his commitment to Cartwright, and the couple tied the knot.

But in season 8, he began behaving erratically again.

The final nail in the coffin was when he argued with Lisa Vanderpump that Pump Rules was his show. 

Bravo fired him after that.