Former “Vanderpump Rules” star Jax Taylor isn’t afraid to hold back his thoughts about his estranged friend Tom Sandoval’s recent cheating scandal.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Taylor and his wife Brittany Cartwright revealed their thoughts on the cheating scandal involving Sandoval, Ariana Madix and their co-star Raquel Leviss.
Taylor was the first to admit he doesn’t “really even have a leg to stand on” when it comes to chastising others for cheating, referencing his number of scandals while on the show, including cheating on his now-wife with one of the waitresses at SUR.
“I just feel bad for Ariana, and I think she’s gonna thrive from this,” Taylor said. “She looks great. I saw her after the reunion, like an hour after. She looks wonderful. I think everybody’s gonna move on. I think it’s just kind of crazy right now, but yeah, they’ll move on. What he did is crappy. Terrible.”
Jax Taylor explained he feels bad for Ariana Madix after she found out Tom Sandoval had been cheating on her, but says he thinks she will thrive. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
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There were many aspects of Sandoval and Leviss’ actions that rubbed Taylor the wrong way, saying, “I have a problem with how long this has been going on,” further explaining that “this wasn’t just a hookup.”
Cartwright was quick to point out cheating is never okay no matter the circumstances, if it was done once or on multiple occasions; however, she agreed that what Sandoval and Leviss did was wrong.
“I feel for [Ariana] so bad, and it got blown up so much, so I feel for that too, because going through something like that is already hard enough, and then having to go through it so publicly just adds a whole other level to it,” Cartwright said.
News broke on March 3, Sandoval and his girlfriend of nine years, Madix, had broken up after she found inappropriate text messages between him and Leviss, leading her to find out they had been having an affair for several months. A source told People magazine, “She put up with a lot over the years, but she won’t sit back and be disrespected this way.”
Fans of the Bravo show saw Leviss’ actions as a major betrayal because Madix was one of the few cast members who consistently went out of her way to make Leviss feel included and always considered her a good friend.
Madix reportedly broke up with Sandoval after she found inappropriate text messages on his phone between him and Leviss. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images)
“The lack of empathy and how long it was going on, under your own roof, that part, that’s cringe,” Taylor added. “I think a lot of the stuff that he’s doing just went to his head. He thought he was untouchable and well, just found out you’re not.”
Cartwright quipped Taylor’s description of Sandoval sounded a lot like Taylor when he was younger. While on “Vanderpump Rules,” Taylor admitted to cheating on more than a few of his girlfriends, including Cartwright before they got married. Cartwright forgave him, however, and says he has changed, adding that hopefully Sandoval can learn from his mistakes like Taylor has.
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“This is a hard one to come back from,” Taylor added. “There’s a difference between screwing up and then actually going behind your back and falling in love with somebody. It’s just a whole… It’s messy, it’s messy. I wouldn’t want to be in any part of it, but we’re here for Ariana, and that’s it.”
Taylor said he thinks Sandoval will have a hard time bouncing back from the scandal. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The couple was on Bravo’s “What What Happens Live” earlier in March, where Taylor admitted he wasn’t surprised when he heard about the affair, saying, “I’ve called this since day one.” Cartwright on the other hand said she was “shocked, especially since it was someone so close.”
While on “Watch What Happens Live,” Taylor admitted he wasn’t surprised when he found out Sandoval had cheated on Madix, saying he has been there when he’s allegedly cheated on her in the past. (Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)
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“I think Ariana is a very strong independent woman,” Taylor said. “I think it’s come to the point where he can’t control her, and he can control Raquel. She’s easily manipulated, and she’s very codependent, so he can do that. He can’t do that with Ariana, so I think he’s kind of moving that way.”