The Valley cameras are back up and rolling. ET can exclusively confirm that Bravo has resumed filming its upcoming Vanderpump Rules spinoff to capture the aftermath of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s decision to separate.
The couple’s marital woes came to light earlier this month, long after production of The Valley wrapped last year. The additional footage will air at the end of the show’s debut season, which is set to premiere March 19.
Bravo has been known to resume filming when offseason drama unfolds. Fans saw as much on season 10 of VPR, when news of Tom Sandoval’s affair with Rachel Leviss broke. Then, on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kyle Richardsand Mauricio Umansky’s separation played out on season 13, with cameras returning to film the family when the split news became public.
Brittany announced her separation from Jax on their podcast, When Reality Hits, explaining, “Me and Jax are going through stuff… We’re going through parenting stuff that is hard.” The pair, who tied the knot in 2019, are parents to Cruz, who will turn 3 next month.
“I wanted to be transparent with you guys. Yes, marriages — in general — are very hard and I’ve had a particularly rough year in mine this last year,” she said in part. “Jax and I are taking time apart, and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health.”
“I won’t get into too many details right now, because this is still very hard to talk about and I’m taking things one day at a time,” Brittany continued. “I don’t know what the future holds, but right now, my focus is on being the best mom for Cruz. I love you guys, pray for us and everything will be just fine.”
While the pair remains separated for the time being, thanks in large part to “communication” problems, according to Jax, the bar owner told Page Six that divorce isn’t on the horizon.
Amid the pair’s separation, speculation swirled that the reality stars were purposefully making news to drum up publicity for The Valley, but a source told360aproko that isn’t the case.
“Jax and Brittany have been having relationship issues for a long time. They are trying to figure things out and need space from each other in order to do so. They want to do what’s best for their family,” the source said. “They aren’t in a place where they would fake a break up for attention or press. They are genuinely going through a hard time.”
VPR star Lala Kent agreed, joking on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, “They don’t need any help with [publicity]. They are all a hot mess.”
Jax and Brittany are set to star on The Valley alongside Kristen Doute and her boyfriend, Luke Broderick, Danny and Nia Booko, Jesse and Michelle Lally, and Jason and Janet Caperna. Zack Wickham and Jasmine Goode will appear as friends.
