April 30, 2025 • 35 mins
RAPAPORT'S REALITY EP 55 - Jax Taylor (The Valley/The Mind of Jax Taylor Podcast)
Welcome to episode 55 of Rapaport's Reality! Starring Kebe & Michael Rapaport. This is the reality television podcast that the whole reality world has been waiting for. The Rapaport's are here with Jax Taylor (The Valley/The Mind of Jax Taylor Podcast) to discuss:
Being one of the best reality stars forever
Being more conscious now than when he started on VPR
Handling when episodes come out
The darkness of The Valley
Relating to Jax & his emotional issues
Where his head is at right now
His relationship now with Brittany
This episode is not to be missed!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
All right, Rapaport's Reality.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
My name is Michael Rapport, my wife, co host, the
star of the show.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
She couldn't be here.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
We have an interview, a special, super duper interview with
the number one guy, the number one guy, star of
the Valley season two, star of vander Pump Rules, Reality
TV royalty icon Jacks Taylor. Jax Taylor is with me again.
(00:35):
Keeby couldn't make this episode. Jax Taylor is with me
Rapaport's Reality, talking about all things going on in his world,
the highs, the lows, the history, the craziness, episode two,
which was probably the darkest episode of reality TV on
Bravo in the history of Bravo. It's a great interview
coming up next with Jax Taylor, the number one Guy
(01:01):
Valley season two. You gotta watch it, you gotta listen,
Stay with me, all right.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Three two one rap Reports Reality.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
My name is Michael Rappaport, and we have actually our
very first guest, and we couldn't have a more exciting guest.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
The number one guy in the group.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
It's certified, it's platinum, it's iconic.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
The number one.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Guy in the group, Jax Taylor, who is the host
of the mind of Jack's podcast and who is currently
starring in season two of The Valley Jax Taylor, I
appreciate you coming on the podcast, man.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I've been waiting to be on your podcast for a very,
very long time. I'm a huge fan of yours as well. Man,
thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I appreciate you coming on, especially with all the craziness
that I know is going on in your world in
your life with the show. And I know, like the
show was recorded months ago, and things change and you
evolve in your relationship, and I'm just gonna jump into it.
First of all, I'm going to tell you this right now.
I'm a fan of reality TV. I'm a fan of yours.
(02:23):
And even though sometimes my people might view as the
bad guy you were on Villains, or the instigator or
all sorts of things that you've heard over the years,
I'm going to tell you that you are one of
the greatest reality TV personalities of all time because love it,
hate it, offended by it, upset by it. You have
(02:45):
kept it real, for better or for worse, the whole time.
And I get offended when people shit on reality stars that.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Keep it real.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Even if it's not clean, because you're doing it essentially
for all of our entertainment.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I don't want to interrupt you here, but do you
want us to sit around and braid each other's hair
all day long? Or do you want to have entertainment?
You know, you're damned if you do, you're damned if
you don't. Do you want us to make good TV
to entertainment to take away from your workday or do
you want us to sit in the corner and get canceled?
Make up your mind, because you can't make anybody happy.
If you're too crazy, people say, oh my god, it's
too crazy, to get them off the show. If you're boring,
(03:20):
people say, I don't want to watch this anyway. It's boring.
It's like you can't fucking win.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
You can't fucking win since you've been doing it for
so long. How many years ago was the first year
that you shot vander Pump Rules.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
So I've been on TV fourteen years now, so fourteen
years prior to this.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So yeah, so y, you're a veteran.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
So how much more conscience are you of what you're doing,
how it's going to show up, how it's going to
be edited then. Now obviously being a veteran that you
are than when you first started.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
It's night and day. You know, the game has changed,
as you know, the world has changed. You could get
away with a lot more back in the day when
we started. You know, they're really you know, you didn't
have to hold back basically, you know, you got to
be a little bit more mindful. Now. Obviously times have change,
and as they should have, they should change. You know,
there's there's things that shouldn't be tolerated anymore, so you
(04:12):
have to be very mindful. You know, you're you're trying
to be mindful, but you're also trying to make good TV.
And you're also just trying to watch what you're doing,
make good TV, not disappoint anybody, not be disrespectful. But
you're still caught in a scene that you've got to
get your point across and your anger or whatever. But
you got to be mindful. It's really hard now, it
is really really hard because you want to give a
(04:33):
good product. You know, you want to you want the
fans to see a good product. And I've been a
certain way for so long. You want to call me
the villain or whatever, but at the end of the day,
I think I say what's on my mind. I really
don't have a filter. I don't really hold back and
I never really have. You know, the last thing in
the world I want right now is for people to
see what they're seeing on TV. I mean, that's how
(04:55):
you know our show is authentic, because if I could
take away something right now, it would be what watched
last week. That was pretty much as close to rock
bottom as you can possibly get. And I'm so ashamed
of this. I knew this this episode was coming out.
I've been waiting for months and months and months for
that last episode to come out. Was very nervous about it,
(05:16):
was scared about it. But you know what, I have
to think of the silver lining here. Not many people
get to relive what they saw and be like, wow,
I was a very bad person there. I've worked so
hard on myself to get to where I'm at today,
and I can look back and be like, I never
want to be that again. You know, it's kind of
a reminder of that's who you used to be. I
don't even recognize that person anymore. It was a shell
(05:37):
of a human being. I'm just it's disgusting, it's disgusting
how I acted now where my feelings warranted. Absolutely, I
was one hundred percent was upset and I had every
right to be upset. It's how I handled it was wrong.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I hear you, and I agree.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And what you have done on the fourteen years of
being on TV is not a normal thing to have
these pivot years sort of growing up in front of
the camera is crazy to have, you know, being a
single guy, a bartender just kind of finding his way
into you know, all the fighting and the yelling and
(06:11):
the screaming and the highs and the lows and the
you know, the cheating and all the shit when you
look back at it, you know, like for me, when
I think of things that I regret, they're in my memory.
They're not on like a literal a full episode of
the shows. When you look back or you see or
you know, catch clips of vander Pump rules or people
come up to you and and all that stuff, Like,
(06:33):
does it rattle you? Like cause it's you could see
it in four K like all the mistakes that you've made,
all the good things too, but the mistakes that you
made specifically because your character on the shows, because I
call it a character I know it's you, but it
is a character, like is it hard to sort of
see them? And because, like I said, most that's not
a normal thing most people. It's like in our memories
(06:54):
and yours is like it's you could watch it over
and over and over.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I'm probably maybe the only cast that doesn't watch I
don't watch the show. I've watched, you know, in all honesty,
I've maybe watched one or two episodes. And yeah, I
don't watch myself. I haven't watched my series. I didn't
watch myself on How Civilians. I didn't watch myself when
Jackson Brittany Ta Kentucky, and I didn't watch myself on
Why Look why do you think? Look? I mean, look
(07:19):
at the ship that I did. It's it's embarrassing and
and you know, I'm ashamed of it, and I don't
want to relive that. And I you know, I catch
enough on social media of what I've done and reminded
of what I've done. I get the clips, I see
the teasers, I see that the memes and all that bullshit.
That's enough for me. And I'm not going to put
myself through that hell again, Like why would I want
to relive that twice.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Right, I hear you.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
You know, my wife and I we were talking about
episode two of The Valley season two, and you know,
this show in particular is different from any Bravo show.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
It's fucking dark. It's dark.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And that episode was, in my opinion, and I'm not
like I'm an expert, in my opinion, it might've been
the darkest.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Episode of reality TV on Bravo.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Knowing that it was coming, and knowing that it was
filmed months ago, and knowing that you've you know, been
open about you know, where you were and where you are,
and you mentioned like, you know, bracing yourself for inevitably
this episode two. What were you doing when that episode aired?
Did you watch it? I know you do viewing parties?
Like what do you do when that comes? Are you
just like fucking at home, like waiting for the emails
(08:25):
and the text to come in?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
How do you handle that shit?
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Uh? Normally, normally I just go about about my day.
I don't really, I don't really pay attention the last
fourteen years, I don't pay attention to it unless I
have a watch party or something like that at my bar.
You know, I'll be running around or whatever for last
week's episode. I knew how bad it was going to be.
I knew, and like I said, I've gotten ideas of
(08:50):
what the episodes are going to be like. And I
knew out of the fourteen years of me being on
TV that this was going to be the darkest episode
of my life. You know, you can't put toothpaste back
into tube. I can only look back at that and say,
you know what, I'm sorry, I'm disgusted with myself. I
was in a very very, very very bad place. I
can't stress you enough. Between the drugs, the alcohol, the divorce,
(09:12):
the bipolar, the OCD. I mean, I was going through
a lot. And I'm not using this as a reason to,
you know, make my actions better, because my actions weren't okay.
But just keep in mind, I was on a lot
of things while I was going through this and going
through a divorce and finding out that my wife was
hooking up with one of my best friends. You know,
(09:33):
I'm it was just I saw red. I saw red
when I found this out. And when you see pictures
of your wife, naked pictures everybody's sending to your friend,
When you see text messages going out that are just
after being with somebody for ten years. It just it
hurt me. Did I push her away? Absolutely? It was
one hundred percent my fault. But I just I couldn't
(09:56):
handle it. Man. I was a bull who saw red
and I was just on one and I couldn't be stopped.
That's the best way I can put it was I
was spiraling out of control and nobody could stop me. Nobody, nobody,
And I just kept doing more drugs, I kept drinking more.
I sat in my house because Brittany left. I did
more drugs, I did more drinking, I did more going out.
(10:16):
I was erratic. I was erratic with myself, with other girls.
I was what else I mean, I can't even you know.
It was just an utter, utter disaster. And I stopped
paying my mortgage. I did everything. I just wanted it
to end. I just wanted it to end. I was
not And this is the first time that I'm saying
this like that, was very close to just calling it
(10:37):
a day, calling it a day. I was so at
the bottom of my barrel, and I've never been there before.
I've had some rough seasons on Banner Pump, okay, whatever,
you know, but this one different. Steaks though, with different steaks.
I have a child, I have a wife, and I
just didn't want to be here anymore. I just thought,
you know what, I just don't there's nothing left to
(10:58):
live for.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
You know, I told you this off camera. You know
I'm older than you. I'm fifty five years old. I've
never had you know, drug drinking, That's not my thing.
But I could certainly relate to the emotional issues. And
I went through a divorce and watching episode two, season
two of The Valley, that episode, it made me feel
(11:31):
emotional because I'm not saying I'm not excusing you and
all that.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Shit, but I relate to it.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
I relate to it, and I truly truly wish and
hope for you guys. And I've never met you. You know,
we've never done watch what happened like, I never even
give you a pound. I've never seen you a problem,
but you know as a fan, and you know, for
better or for worse, I just wish you and Brittany
peace with each other because these are the mistakes that
(12:00):
are really gonna fucking hurt you. And I know you
have a beautiful son that I know you want to
be the best father for and you want to have
the best life for and I just I really wish
that for you guys that just like, yo, if you're
gonna be thegetter, cool, If you're not gonna be together,
walk away in peace, because otherwise you might as well be.
There's no sense arguing. You're gonna regret that shit more
than anything else. Arguing around the stuff for your beautiful
(12:23):
little son, that'll be the worst thing.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I know, And that's that's you. You couldn't say it right,
you arguing, and the fighting was getting to a point
where you know, my son was around, and then I just,
I like literally had a wake up call and I
could sit here and I can tell you, you know,
this is why I stopped doing what I do and
I went to rehab. I'm not gonna lie to you.
I my job was at stake, and once your job
gets a stake, you fucking man up, you know, and
(12:47):
you gotta go do what you gotta do between my
son and my job. That's why I went to rehab.
That's why I went. I was like, listen, I got
a wake up call here, and you know, when your
jobs at steak, you start to make some decisions like
I'm not gonna last too much longer here. You know,
I'm upsetting people, and I'm not only upsetting my my job.
I might lose my job, but I had my son too,
the bigger picture. But in that time, I was just
(13:08):
so concerned about my job, you know, I wasn't concerned
about all the people that I was hurting, the big picture,
you know. And I was so just selfish and and
all I cared about was me and me and me
and what about me? And I didn't really realize all
the hurt I was causing everybody. And when I say everybody,
I mean my team, I mean Britney, I mean my son,
(13:31):
I mean my friends. Putting my friends between a rock
and a hard place, you know, because most of my
friends are married to Britney's friends, right, so they're like,
they come around me, they're like, Jackson, we love you,
but we got to be with our wives, and our
wives want to be you know. So I was putting
people in really, really bad situations. I was putting myself
in bad situations. I can't you know. It was just
utterly disgusting behavior. And I'm utterly ashamed of myself of
(13:53):
how I was. But I'm also at the same time very,
very proud of myself to get to where I am
right now.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Do you feel good now? Where are you right now?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Like?
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Where's your head at? Where are you at right now?
Speaker 3 (14:04):
I'm getting there. I'm not going to say I'm better.
I'm one hundred and I think fifty seven days sober
right now. I go to therapy every week. I go
to AA three times a week. I got an amazing sponsor.
I got on really good medication. After I got out
of rehab. I went to rehab twice. I went one
time for thirty days and I relapsed, and then I
went back for seventeen more days, and at the seventeenth day,
(14:25):
I was like, you know what, I got this. I
got this, and I got out. I left early, and
you know, I've been good ever since. You know, I
suffered from bipolar disorder. So I finally, after forty five
years of life, I finally got on some medication, which
really it's really helped me. My anger issues were out
of control. Like not only did I have drinking and
drug problems, I'm bipolar. I have severe, severe anger issues
(14:47):
where I have a very short viuse and that runs
in my family when things aren't going my way, I
get really, really upset. And ever since I've been on
this new medication, I tell you what, my life has
been so much better. I'm trying my hardest right now,
my hardest to be a really good ex husband to Brittany.
I'm trying my hardest to be the best father that
I can be. I feel like that's the only thing
that I am right now is a good father. Everything
(15:08):
else I'm shit at. But I'm going to get there again.
But I just want Brittany to, you know, be able
to find her peace and to be happy. You know,
she's the mother of my child. If she wasn't the
mother of my child, I guess you know, we wouldn't
speak again and we would move on with our lives.
But she's in my life for the rest of my life.
So I want her to be happy. I don't want
(15:29):
her to be worried about me or scared about me.
I want her to be like, you know what. You know,
he was a piece of shit husband, I'll give him that,
But you know what, he's a good person now, and
he's a good father, and he's always there when Cruise
and I need him. That's all I want, and that's
what I'm working up towards and it's going to take time.
I've done a lot of damage and I'm just trying
to get to a good place. I'm really good right now.
(15:49):
You know, I've been really good. But I knew this
episode two was coming, and this kind of that last
week really put me back in a bad place. I'm trying.
I tried to stay away from the noise. I turn
off all my comments on my social media. I haven't
been on my social media because you know, that's where
the anger can lie if you go into that. But
you know, other than the episode two, I'm really good.
(16:10):
You know, there's things that upset me. You know, I
got a lot of people that don't like me right now,
and it's understandable in.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Real life or in the show in regards to the valley,
or like in real life or both both both I got.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
I got a lot of people who don't like me
right now, and that's okay, that's understandable. I just hope
that people can be patient with me. And you know,
I'm like a cat who hit is nine lives. I
hit my last one. I hit the last eight. When
I was on Vanner Pump and season two of the
valley was my ninth life, and I bit them all.
And I think I've gotten away with a lot over
the years, and I think it was just time to
pay my dues well.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I just wish you peace and the best, to be
the best dad and the best ex husband's That's.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
All I care about, is just being a really good dad.
I love my son more than anything in the world,
and I just want I moved. I'm a mile away
from Brittany. I got a house some mile a poundhouse
a mile away. I'm there whenever she needs me, if
the for the baby or whatever, or the house eats
something fixed or whatever. I'm always there, taking care of
her car, whatever she means. Even though she doesn't like
me very much. Right now, I'm just going to keep
(17:09):
doing what I'm doing because it makes me happy. I'm
not looking for overnight. It's all better because it's going
to take some time because I've done a lot of damage.
I'm not only good damage to her, but I've done
damage to myself. You remember, I've been using for twenty
plus years and on and off, and it just got
really bad the last year. And you know, I hung
it up, you know, and I turned it off, but
(17:29):
I realized that drugs and alcohol are a very small
portion of my problems. I think my drug of choice
is validation. You know, I look for validation. I look
to for people to like me. I feel like I
do things sometimes to make other people happy and not myself.
I'm always worried on what people think of me. You know,
(17:50):
I'm a master manipulator at telling the half truth. You know,
I'm sick. I have a disease, and you know it's
not an easy fix and it's never going to be fixed.
I just have to really really work at it. But
I'm very aware of what I've done. I take full
accountability of everything that I've done. But it's gonna take time.
It's not a quick fix.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Well, I appreciate this honesty, Jackson.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
I want to pivot to a little bit more lighthearted,
you know, just shit talking, because, like I said, I'm
such a.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Fan of the new show, although it's fucking dark.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I think the valley in general, not the show, The
valley of the place is dark. It's just a dark place.
It can be bleak and lonely. I think that you've
kept it real, for better or for worse. On the
shows going into vander Pump if you kept it the realist,
who kept it the fakest.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I don't want to get in trouble for saying this,
and this is not a dig at this person. She
just got away with it. I think Tom Sandoval Arianna
kind of skated through other than when I was on
When I was on it after whatever, but when I
was on it, I think they skated through. I think everybody, myself, Katie, Stacy, Kristen,
(18:57):
we all put everything out there, like we literally put
all everything out there. We got eaten alive on social media,
but we all put everything out there, and I think
sometimes if I look back and again, this is not
a dig because it doesn't really matter. I think Tom
and Arianna kind of came together and never aired out
their dirty laundry. I think, you know, they just skated
by and just kind of got to poke Prad and
(19:19):
all of everybody else's issues and they never brought up
their own issues, which kind of wasn't fair. You know,
when you sign up for reality TV, you sign up
for the whole thing, And I mean, look, do you
think honestly I want people to see what they're seeing
right now? Like the last thing I fucking want is
for people to see what they just saw last week,
like it's it was like I've been having panic attacks
about it. So that's how you know, like this shit
(19:40):
is real, Like this is real shit. I put everything
into this and it's really it fucks with you, man,
it really really does it. You know. And if you
watch the old seasons of vanderpump Man, I got eaten
alive on a lot of episodes. I mean I got
eaten a live on more seasons than I did up
by positive ones. But you know what, I put everything
out there. I didn't have a film and I said
(20:00):
what was on my mind. You either liked me or
you didn't. I didn't give a fuck in those days,
and those days I didn't care. I was trying to
make a good television show and if I knew something,
I was gonna fucking say it. I didn't come together
with my significant other and be like, Okay, we're not
going to talk about this, We're not going to do this,
and I'm not going to skate by. So I did think.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
You were getting yours when you first got casts in
vander pump Rules. First of all, remind me and remind
of the listeners, What were you doing in Los Angeles
at the time? Like, what were your hopes and dreams
when you were in Los Angeles? And then what did
you think you were getting yourself into when vander Pump
Rules started.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I'm gonna be honest with you. I didn't have any
many oaps and dreams. I was working at Sir, I
was in between. I was modeling full time. I was
making a really good living modeling, and I didn't want
to do it anymore. So I was thirty years old,
I want to think. I think I was thirty when
I stopped. And then I was dating Stasse at the time,
and she's like, what are you gonna do now? You
need to get a job or something. I'm like, I
don't fucking know what to do with myself. She's like,
(20:54):
why don't you come work and bartend at Sir? The
restaurant I work at and all my friends worked there anyway,
And I was like, Okay, why not? Because I get
to hang out there, I get to drink, I get
to have fun. I get to be with my friends
making a little money until I figure out what I'm
going to do. It was close to the house. I
could walk there I mean, this is this is a
win win at least I'm not sitting around doing nothing
until I figure out something. As you know, back in
(21:16):
those days, actors modeled whatever they barked on the other
side until they got their gig. No big, no different
than me. I was working at sir. You know, I
got the call from the producer Jack, we want to
see you. Once you come in and you know, meet
the producers. You know, you know how throws meet everybody.
And I guess I sold them, and you know, the
rest is history. I was going to move back to Florida.
That was the My parents lived in Florida, and I
(21:37):
was kind of like, you know what, I've been in
LA for a long time. I'm going to get out
of here, go get a real job at Florida and
get out. And that was my plan. I actually had
it all setting up, and I decided to go on
one more audition and the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
And at the time, I mean, reality was was a thing.
It's certainly not what it is and not what it
is now, what.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Did you think it was going to be?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Are you like, oh, this is just a check This
is like some stupid thing that no one's gonna see
like we really get.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Well, I think we just we scut gold. We were
at the right time, the right place. You know. You
got to give props to Lisa Vanderpump on this when
she saw something here and she saw the dynamic of
the cast. And when I say, I said this so
many times, I say this on every podcast, you will
never ever ever recreate the original Vanderpump roles. It will
never happen. Why because we were the originally friends. We
(22:28):
were friends for years and years prior to this, So
they had an organic group of friends that we didn't.
We weren't casted, they weren't looking for people they are.
We were all there. We just came in for a meet,
you know. So you're going to get an organic show.
You're gonna get whether or not the show was airing.
All this was going on anyway. In fact, when we
(22:49):
were when we were not filming, they would get really upset,
the producers and brab and all that. They're like, are
they hanging out? Are they talking to each other? Because yeah,
we we literally we all lived together. We were with
eachach other every single day. We all dated each other.
It was very incestuous, but then they would be like, no,
you can't talk to him today. I'm like, wait a minute,
I talk to him every day. Don't disrupt our lives,
because then it becomes fake, you know. So then they
(23:11):
just they would add just more episodes because they knew
we were hanging out so much, and they just like, bot,
let's add more episodes, add more episodes. So it was
so organic and so real and so like the camera
guys would just show up and turn the cameras on.
There was no you got to go here, you got
to do this. It wasn't like that at all. And
I feel like you'll never ever be able to create
(23:31):
such a dynamic group of people again, such a core
group of friends. Now. Has the dynamic changed over the
years or the last fourteen years. Yeah, we don't all
see each other. Every life goes on, we all have kids,
get married, move apart. But I tell you what, there's
some people I don't talk to anymore or whatever. But
I got a phone call tomorrow from Sass, who I
haven't talked to, from Bo, from Ariana. I would be
there in a heartbeat. I would be there in a heartbeat.
(23:52):
All things aside, whether how we ever, feel for each other.
If somebody needed me tomorrow, I would be there in
a heartbeat. Part no problem, no questions asked.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Do you think that would ever happen?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Where like you guys did where they got the ogs,
the whole crew, the best of the best of vander Pump,
whether it's in a year or two years, and like, yo,
we're gonna shoot for two weeks and I don't know
fucking Hawaii or we're gonna you know, White Lotus It
and go to Thailand and you know, and you know,
hash out old things, new things. You know, you bring kids.
Kristin Doty, do you think that could happen?
Speaker 3 (24:36):
How did you just crawl in my brain? Because I've
already talked about this with mister Baskin already, and I'm like,
I already see it, Like maybe between two and five
years you kind of bring everyone back and do exactly
what you said, White Lotus It. Let's all go away
for two weeks, just film the shit out of it
for two weeks and see what happens. I think it
would be great just to see where everybody is, to
(24:56):
see everybody's relationships, who's grown, who has it, where, who
has kids, whose kids are moving? Around. I think it
would be a genius idea, and I honestly think it'll
probably I don't see it not happening, but it just
depends on, Like, I think it's got to take at least,
you know, between two and five years. Let's take a
little bit of break with what happened, and then let's
revisit it. But I don't I think it's a genius idea.
(25:18):
It's a genius idea, definitely. I like the idea of
us going to an island somewhere and secluded and not
any outside noise, because sometimes we get influenced, especially now
since vanderpupp Rules in the Valley are so popular. It's
kind of like, you know, when the Kardashians got so busy,
it was hard to film anywhere because people recognize and
that it gets tough, it gets difficult. So I think
putting us on an island, like a white lotus type
(25:39):
of thing would be so awesome.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
It would be I think you guys need to do it.
To listen the fans.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
When they said that Vanderpup Rules was ending last year,
I was like, no, the fucking thing needs to keep going,
like until you're eighty seven, Like when you fucking have
your own bars and people aren't fucking walkers, Like, just
keep filming the whole You've already filmed enough, Like, keep
fucking going.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
I think you know what. I had mixed feelings about it.
You know, it's it's it's one of those things. I
feel like they just had to close the book. You know,
everybody's getting older, people are getting married, people are having kids,
And that's kind of why how I decided I wanted
to do the Valley. It was during COVID when I said, hey,
I want to come back to TV. And I called
Alex Basking and I said, hey, can you meet me somewhere?
(26:22):
I have an idea. We sat at the hotel for
We sat in a hotel for three hours. It was
a cold, wintery night. This is again, right after COVID.
I wasn't on TV and I said, hey, listen, I
took two years off, you know, I was let go
from Vanderpump and now I'm and I'm like, hey, listen,
I think it's time to come back to TV. I
have this idea. Now, this idea was thrown around a lot,
(26:43):
but no one, every no one ever took any action
to do it. So I was like, I'm going to
make this happen. So I said, hey, listen, I got
a core group of friends here that I really hang
out with that I really like, we all in the valley. Now,
we're all we're all married, having kids, kind of starting
the next chapter of our lives. I don't want to
say housewives. We're not housewives yet, but we're not vanter Pump.
We're kind of in that middle, you know, we're kind
(27:05):
of graduated from vander Pump onto the next chapter, which
whatever you want to call in the middle of housewives
and vander Pump something like that. So I was like,
you know, I have a core group of people and
the people that are on the show that people don't
other than myself, Brittany and Kristen. People always want to
know where they came from. They've always been around. They
were always invited to the Vanderpunt, you know, throughout the
years vander Pump rules, we would have parties or they
(27:27):
would have people at the bar or whatever. So all
these people were always in the background of vanderr Pump.
They were always our friends. They just weren't casted on
the show, so they kind of knew what was going on.
They knew how to play the game. They're friends with
all of us if they're in our group, and it
just made sense. And I wanted to bring people on
that that I thought would fit this dynamic well. And
(27:48):
I think we did a pretty good job. You know
it be myself, my manager Ryan and Alex Baskin. We
kind of, you know, worked all this out, work this magic,
stirred it up and kind of pitched it to the
network and you know they loved it.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Yeah, well it's heating up and you talk about you know,
they know the game, they know the drill.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
The revamp of vander Pump Rules.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
If a twenty one year old kid who was just
got cast on a show that takes place in a
bar in West Hollywood came up to be like, hey man, yo,
I'm a bartend. I just got cast on this reality show.
I've already had I handle it.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I've already had.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
What what do you tell people?
Speaker 3 (28:28):
So the new cast there's a new cast of vander
Pump Rules. They recasted it, right. Well, I just so
happened to know a couple of the guys, and you know,
it's funny. I met two of them at the gym,
and it just so. They came up to me and
they said, hey, are you Jackson. Yeah, we just want
to let you know we're on the new show. We
just want to shake your hand. You're an icon. People
talk about you all the time and thank you so much.
(28:50):
I'm an old man now, these guys are. These guys
are half my age, and now get back into it.
They're like, hey, if you have any have any suggestions
for us on how to go through this world of
what you guys created, I'm gonna tell you said listen,
I'm just gonna let you guys know right now, you're
never gonna beat or recreate banter pup rules. It's not
gonna happen. And I'm saying this because I don't want
you guys to try so hard to try to outdo
(29:13):
what was done. You guys need to do what's good
for you. You guys need to make this your show.
Don't try to worry about if you're making them happy
or trying to beat the other show. That's what I
was trying to say to them. I don't know if that
makes sense. You guys, create your own project, create your
own product. Do what's good for you. The world was
a very different place when we started Vanterpump Rules. What
(29:34):
we did doesn't really work today, So the generations are different.
Times are different. You can't you'll never be able to
recreate that. So just do what's good for you, be honest.
That's me saying that out of all people, I should
take my own fucking advice. Be honest, because you will
never ever get away with a lie. On reality TV,
people know everything and things always come out. Be authentic,
(29:57):
don't overact. People who watch reality TV nowadays are very
very smart. They can see through the bullshit and just
have fun, have fun with it. I mean people would
kill to be in your shoes, would kill you. Get
to be like I remember like Saved by the Bell.
Remember Saved by the Bell? Say yeah, remember the new class.
Then they had the yeah you are now banter Pup
rules the new class. So take what you know, maybe
(30:20):
watch banter Pup a little bit, study it a little bit,
and then make it your own. If that makes any sense, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
But if they followed that up with what how do
I handle myself? Like you said, be real, be honest,
you can't lie. You know all that stuff Like to me,
it just seems like I watched the show so much
and I've seen people sort of you know, they in
hindsight they go, well, I didn't come off that way,
or I shouldn't have came off of this, and.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
They didn't use this. Is that frustrating? Like you know,
like in terms of like the tricks of the trade
of it. Well, you know.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Again again, I know how to do it because I've
been doing this for fourteen years, So I know in
my head when I'm filming scene, I know how they're
gonna In my head, I think I know how they're
going to play this out right, I.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Know are you you're shooting now?
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Well, now I am. I've been doing this for fourteen years.
Like I said, I'm aware of how this is going
to play out. And we all are, the whole cast
knows how. We're all Like I said, we've been doing
it for a long time. So we're automatically going to
micro manage our brains. We automatically know how a scene
is going to go. We automatically kind of can see
how it's going to play out. It's not that we
want to do it, it's just we're so programmed in
it now. We were so taught, we're so like brainwashed
(31:28):
on how things are going to work that it's just
it's easy for us to do now the new cast.
Like when you're watching reality TV. If you watch any show, right,
you want to come off good, but then sometimes you're
so in your head about how you want to come
off that you end up coming off like shit. And
I don't Obviously, over the years, I don't give a shit,
Like I have no filter, and I feel like that
(31:49):
was who I am and people appreciate the fact that
I call people out. Yeah, I lost a lot of friends,
I lose a lot of this and that, but you
always got authentic me. You always got no filter me,
and you always I said was on my mind, whether
it hurt people or not. I was very authentic and
I can always say that.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Well, you are authentic. You're the number one guy.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
You might not feel like the number one guy now,
they can't take that away from you. It's an iconic moment.
You're an iconic reality TV star. I wish you and
Brittany peace, sincere peace. I wish you all good things
and just to take care of yourself because like I said,
you know, I equate reality people, reality stars to fighters.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
You're out there.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
You're fucking giving it, you're taking it, and you keep
coming back. And you have epitomized that, and vander Pump
Rules epitomize that. And the way the Valley is hashing
out season two it epitomized and you said it yourself.
Who would have thought Kristen Dody would be the fucking
voice or reason and because she was, so you know,
but you guys keep coming and you you know, whether
(32:53):
we love you hate you on the show, you give
us the entertainment that we want. So I really truly
appreciate you and I wish you you nothing but the best.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
I hope I get to meet you in person one
of these days. I'm sure we'll cross paths. But I
love your shirt. Man. I really appreciate you having me
on and and it means a lot to you and
your wife who support me, and especially through this time
right now. It's it's a real difficult time for Brittany
and I and we're gonna come together. It'll be fine.
It will work out. This too. Shell pass is like
everything else. I've worked really hard on myself and I
(33:23):
think eventually we're gonna get to a good spot. I mean,
we don't really have a choice. Our son is the
number one thing, and he's the number one guy in
the group.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
So he's the number one guy in the fucking group.
And and I urge you that's all that matters. And
I urge you to always remember that and take care
of yourself. And I'm gonna do your podcast and we
will finally meet in real in real life and talk
some shit and uh wait a seut, let me just
answer you a question real quick. That does a Detroit
shirt on?
Speaker 3 (33:49):
Huh yeah, I'm from Detroit, right, So.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
I don't want to bring the conversation down. I know
you're a sports guy. You got your sports bar. The
Knicks are gonna by the time this air is, the
Knicks are gonna probably put you guys asleep.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
I'm just gonna say that to you right now.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
The Pistons, Oh you mean the Pistons. I don't really
follow basketball. I'm I'm a Lions guy. I think we're
gonna be good this year basketball. I kind of I
don't follow that sport. I'm a hockey guy. Hockey and football,
but uh, okay.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
You don't need to follow it.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
I'm just I'm just letting you know that that's happening
and while. But by the time this airs and I
do your pockets, that will have been a done deal.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
But I'm just letting you know.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
All right, all right, hey little you know what, have
you ever seen the documentary Malice at the Palace?
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Awesome?
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Here, That's where I graduated high school. I had my
ceremony there, and I was I used to the Palace
of Auburn Hills is where we graduated. We had our ceremony,
so I used to know the of Auburn Hills all
the time. It was a very dangerous place. Though dangerous.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
I thought you were gonna tell me mals at the
Palace if you look in the sixth row.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
I was the guy that I thought you were gonna go.
I was gonna be like, oh, show.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
I've been to many games, Bill Lambier, Isaiah Thomas Dumars
I was that was I'm been have tons of games.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Oh yeah, yeah, it was a good time.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Yeah, all right, Jack's yo, I'll be watching the valley,
be listening to your podcast, and I'll be on your
podcast soon.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
I appreciate you taking the time, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Thank you for having me. Guys spoculator,
All right, Rapaport's Reality.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
My name is Michael Rapport, my wife, co host, the
star of the show.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
She couldn't be here.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
We have an interview, a special, super duper interview with
the number one guy, the number one guy, star of
the Valley season two, star of vander Pump Rules, Reality
TV royalty icon Jacks Taylor. Jax Taylor is with me again.
(00:35):
Keeby couldn't make this episode. Jax Taylor is with me
Rapaport's Reality, talking about all things going on in his world,
the highs, the lows, the history, the craziness, episode two,
which was probably the darkest episode of reality TV on
Bravo in the history of Bravo. It's a great interview
coming up next with Jax Taylor, the number one Guy
(01:01):
Valley season two. You gotta watch it, you gotta listen,
Stay with me, all right.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Three two one rap Reports Reality.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
My name is Michael Rappaport, and we have actually our
very first guest, and we couldn't have a more exciting guest.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
The number one guy in the group.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
It's certified, it's platinum, it's iconic.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
The number one.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Guy in the group, Jax Taylor, who is the host
of the mind of Jack's podcast and who is currently
starring in season two of The Valley Jax Taylor, I
appreciate you coming on the podcast, man.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I've been waiting to be on your podcast for a very,
very long time. I'm a huge fan of yours as well. Man,
thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I appreciate you coming on, especially with all the craziness
that I know is going on in your world in
your life with the show. And I know, like the
show was recorded months ago, and things change and you
evolve in your relationship, and I'm just gonna jump into it.
First of all, I'm going to tell you this right now.
I'm a fan of reality TV. I'm a fan of yours.
(02:23):
And even though sometimes my people might view as the
bad guy you were on Villains, or the instigator or
all sorts of things that you've heard over the years,
I'm going to tell you that you are one of
the greatest reality TV personalities of all time because love it,
hate it, offended by it, upset by it. You have
(02:45):
kept it real, for better or for worse, the whole time.
And I get offended when people shit on reality stars that.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Keep it real.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Even if it's not clean, because you're doing it essentially
for all of our entertainment.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I don't want to interrupt you here, but do you
want us to sit around and braid each other's hair
all day long? Or do you want to have entertainment?
You know, you're damned if you do, you're damned if
you don't. Do you want us to make good TV
to entertainment to take away from your workday or do
you want us to sit in the corner and get canceled?
Make up your mind, because you can't make anybody happy.
If you're too crazy, people say, oh my god, it's
too crazy, to get them off the show. If you're boring,
(03:20):
people say, I don't want to watch this anyway. It's boring.
It's like you can't fucking win.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
You can't fucking win since you've been doing it for
so long. How many years ago was the first year
that you shot vander Pump Rules.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
So I've been on TV fourteen years now, so fourteen
years prior to this.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So yeah, so y, you're a veteran.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
So how much more conscience are you of what you're doing,
how it's going to show up, how it's going to
be edited then. Now obviously being a veteran that you
are than when you first started.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
It's night and day. You know, the game has changed,
as you know, the world has changed. You could get
away with a lot more back in the day when
we started. You know, they're really you know, you didn't
have to hold back basically, you know, you got to
be a little bit more mindful. Now. Obviously times have change,
and as they should have, they should change. You know,
there's there's things that shouldn't be tolerated anymore, so you
(04:12):
have to be very mindful. You know, you're you're trying
to be mindful, but you're also trying to make good TV.
And you're also just trying to watch what you're doing,
make good TV, not disappoint anybody, not be disrespectful. But
you're still caught in a scene that you've got to
get your point across and your anger or whatever. But
you got to be mindful. It's really hard now, it
is really really hard because you want to give a
(04:33):
good product. You know, you want to you want the
fans to see a good product. And I've been a
certain way for so long. You want to call me
the villain or whatever, but at the end of the day,
I think I say what's on my mind. I really
don't have a filter. I don't really hold back and
I never really have. You know, the last thing in
the world I want right now is for people to
see what they're seeing on TV. I mean, that's how
(04:55):
you know our show is authentic, because if I could
take away something right now, it would be what watched
last week. That was pretty much as close to rock
bottom as you can possibly get. And I'm so ashamed
of this. I knew this this episode was coming out.
I've been waiting for months and months and months for
that last episode to come out. Was very nervous about it,
(05:16):
was scared about it. But you know what, I have
to think of the silver lining here. Not many people
get to relive what they saw and be like, wow,
I was a very bad person there. I've worked so
hard on myself to get to where I'm at today,
and I can look back and be like, I never
want to be that again. You know, it's kind of
a reminder of that's who you used to be. I
don't even recognize that person anymore. It was a shell
(05:37):
of a human being. I'm just it's disgusting, it's disgusting
how I acted now where my feelings warranted. Absolutely, I
was one hundred percent was upset and I had every
right to be upset. It's how I handled it was wrong.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I hear you, and I agree.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And what you have done on the fourteen years of
being on TV is not a normal thing to have
these pivot years sort of growing up in front of
the camera is crazy to have, you know, being a
single guy, a bartender just kind of finding his way
into you know, all the fighting and the yelling and
(06:11):
the screaming and the highs and the lows and the
you know, the cheating and all the shit when you
look back at it, you know, like for me, when
I think of things that I regret, they're in my memory.
They're not on like a literal a full episode of
the shows. When you look back or you see or
you know, catch clips of vander Pump rules or people
come up to you and and all that stuff, Like,
(06:33):
does it rattle you? Like cause it's you could see
it in four K like all the mistakes that you've made,
all the good things too, but the mistakes that you
made specifically because your character on the shows, because I
call it a character I know it's you, but it
is a character, like is it hard to sort of
see them? And because, like I said, most that's not
a normal thing most people. It's like in our memories
(06:54):
and yours is like it's you could watch it over
and over and over.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I'm probably maybe the only cast that doesn't watch I
don't watch the show. I've watched, you know, in all honesty,
I've maybe watched one or two episodes. And yeah, I
don't watch myself. I haven't watched my series. I didn't
watch myself on How Civilians. I didn't watch myself when
Jackson Brittany Ta Kentucky, and I didn't watch myself on
Why Look why do you think? Look? I mean, look
(07:19):
at the ship that I did. It's it's embarrassing and
and you know, I'm ashamed of it, and I don't
want to relive that. And I you know, I catch
enough on social media of what I've done and reminded
of what I've done. I get the clips, I see
the teasers, I see that the memes and all that bullshit.
That's enough for me. And I'm not going to put
myself through that hell again, Like why would I want
to relive that twice.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Right, I hear you.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
You know, my wife and I we were talking about
episode two of The Valley season two, and you know,
this show in particular is different from any Bravo show.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
It's fucking dark. It's dark.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And that episode was, in my opinion, and I'm not
like I'm an expert, in my opinion, it might've been
the darkest.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Episode of reality TV on Bravo.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Knowing that it was coming, and knowing that it was
filmed months ago, and knowing that you've you know, been
open about you know, where you were and where you are,
and you mentioned like, you know, bracing yourself for inevitably
this episode two. What were you doing when that episode aired?
Did you watch it? I know you do viewing parties?
Like what do you do when that comes? Are you
just like fucking at home, like waiting for the emails
(08:25):
and the text to come in?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
How do you handle that shit?
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Uh? Normally, normally I just go about about my day.
I don't really, I don't really pay attention the last
fourteen years, I don't pay attention to it unless I
have a watch party or something like that at my bar.
You know, I'll be running around or whatever for last
week's episode. I knew how bad it was going to be.
I knew, and like I said, I've gotten ideas of
(08:50):
what the episodes are going to be like. And I
knew out of the fourteen years of me being on
TV that this was going to be the darkest episode
of my life. You know, you can't put toothpaste back
into tube. I can only look back at that and say,
you know what, I'm sorry, I'm disgusted with myself. I
was in a very very, very very bad place. I
can't stress you enough. Between the drugs, the alcohol, the divorce,
(09:12):
the bipolar, the OCD. I mean, I was going through
a lot. And I'm not using this as a reason to,
you know, make my actions better, because my actions weren't okay.
But just keep in mind, I was on a lot
of things while I was going through this and going
through a divorce and finding out that my wife was
hooking up with one of my best friends. You know,
(09:33):
I'm it was just I saw red. I saw red
when I found this out. And when you see pictures
of your wife, naked pictures everybody's sending to your friend,
When you see text messages going out that are just
after being with somebody for ten years. It just it
hurt me. Did I push her away? Absolutely? It was
one hundred percent my fault. But I just I couldn't
(09:56):
handle it. Man. I was a bull who saw red
and I was just on one and I couldn't be stopped.
That's the best way I can put it was I
was spiraling out of control and nobody could stop me. Nobody, nobody,
And I just kept doing more drugs, I kept drinking more.
I sat in my house because Brittany left. I did
more drugs, I did more drinking, I did more going out.
(10:16):
I was erratic. I was erratic with myself, with other girls.
I was what else I mean, I can't even you know.
It was just an utter, utter disaster. And I stopped
paying my mortgage. I did everything. I just wanted it
to end. I just wanted it to end. I was
not And this is the first time that I'm saying
this like that, was very close to just calling it
(10:37):
a day, calling it a day. I was so at
the bottom of my barrel, and I've never been there before.
I've had some rough seasons on Banner Pump, okay, whatever,
you know, but this one different. Steaks though, with different steaks.
I have a child, I have a wife, and I
just didn't want to be here anymore. I just thought,
you know what, I just don't there's nothing left to
(10:58):
live for.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
You know, I told you this off camera. You know
I'm older than you. I'm fifty five years old. I've
never had you know, drug drinking, That's not my thing.
But I could certainly relate to the emotional issues. And
I went through a divorce and watching episode two, season
two of The Valley, that episode, it made me feel
(11:31):
emotional because I'm not saying I'm not excusing you and
all that.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Shit, but I relate to it.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
I relate to it, and I truly truly wish and
hope for you guys. And I've never met you. You know,
we've never done watch what happened like, I never even
give you a pound. I've never seen you a problem,
but you know as a fan, and you know, for
better or for worse, I just wish you and Brittany
peace with each other because these are the mistakes that
(12:00):
are really gonna fucking hurt you. And I know you
have a beautiful son that I know you want to
be the best father for and you want to have
the best life for and I just I really wish
that for you guys that just like, yo, if you're
gonna be thegetter, cool, If you're not gonna be together,
walk away in peace, because otherwise you might as well be.
There's no sense arguing. You're gonna regret that shit more
than anything else. Arguing around the stuff for your beautiful
(12:23):
little son, that'll be the worst thing.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I know, And that's that's you. You couldn't say it right,
you arguing, and the fighting was getting to a point
where you know, my son was around, and then I just,
I like literally had a wake up call and I
could sit here and I can tell you, you know,
this is why I stopped doing what I do and
I went to rehab. I'm not gonna lie to you.
I my job was at stake, and once your job
gets a stake, you fucking man up, you know, and
(12:47):
you gotta go do what you gotta do between my
son and my job. That's why I went to rehab.
That's why I went. I was like, listen, I got
a wake up call here, and you know, when your
jobs at steak, you start to make some decisions like
I'm not gonna last too much longer here. You know,
I'm upsetting people, and I'm not only upsetting my my job.
I might lose my job, but I had my son too,
the bigger picture. But in that time, I was just
(13:08):
so concerned about my job, you know, I wasn't concerned
about all the people that I was hurting, the big picture,
you know. And I was so just selfish and and
all I cared about was me and me and me
and what about me? And I didn't really realize all
the hurt I was causing everybody. And when I say everybody,
I mean my team, I mean Britney, I mean my son,
(13:31):
I mean my friends. Putting my friends between a rock
and a hard place, you know, because most of my
friends are married to Britney's friends, right, so they're like,
they come around me, they're like, Jackson, we love you,
but we got to be with our wives, and our
wives want to be you know. So I was putting
people in really, really bad situations. I was putting myself
in bad situations. I can't you know. It was just
utterly disgusting behavior. And I'm utterly ashamed of myself of
(13:53):
how I was. But I'm also at the same time very,
very proud of myself to get to where I am
right now.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Do you feel good now? Where are you right now?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Like?
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Where's your head at? Where are you at right now?
Speaker 3 (14:04):
I'm getting there. I'm not going to say I'm better.
I'm one hundred and I think fifty seven days sober
right now. I go to therapy every week. I go
to AA three times a week. I got an amazing sponsor.
I got on really good medication. After I got out
of rehab. I went to rehab twice. I went one
time for thirty days and I relapsed, and then I
went back for seventeen more days, and at the seventeenth day,
(14:25):
I was like, you know what, I got this. I
got this, and I got out. I left early, and
you know, I've been good ever since. You know, I
suffered from bipolar disorder. So I finally, after forty five
years of life, I finally got on some medication, which
really it's really helped me. My anger issues were out
of control. Like not only did I have drinking and
drug problems, I'm bipolar. I have severe, severe anger issues
(14:47):
where I have a very short viuse and that runs
in my family when things aren't going my way, I
get really, really upset. And ever since I've been on
this new medication, I tell you what, my life has
been so much better. I'm trying my hardest right now,
my hardest to be a really good ex husband to Brittany.
I'm trying my hardest to be the best father that
I can be. I feel like that's the only thing
that I am right now is a good father. Everything
(15:08):
else I'm shit at. But I'm going to get there again.
But I just want Brittany to, you know, be able
to find her peace and to be happy. You know,
she's the mother of my child. If she wasn't the
mother of my child, I guess you know, we wouldn't
speak again and we would move on with our lives.
But she's in my life for the rest of my life.
So I want her to be happy. I don't want
(15:29):
her to be worried about me or scared about me.
I want her to be like, you know what. You know,
he was a piece of shit husband, I'll give him that,
But you know what, he's a good person now, and
he's a good father, and he's always there when Cruise
and I need him. That's all I want, and that's
what I'm working up towards and it's going to take time.
I've done a lot of damage and I'm just trying
to get to a good place. I'm really good right now.
(15:49):
You know, I've been really good. But I knew this
episode two was coming, and this kind of that last
week really put me back in a bad place. I'm trying.
I tried to stay away from the noise. I turn
off all my comments on my social media. I haven't
been on my social media because you know, that's where
the anger can lie if you go into that. But
you know, other than the episode two, I'm really good.
(16:10):
You know, there's things that upset me. You know, I
got a lot of people that don't like me right now,
and it's understandable in.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Real life or in the show in regards to the valley,
or like in real life or both both both I got.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
I got a lot of people who don't like me
right now, and that's okay, that's understandable. I just hope
that people can be patient with me. And you know,
I'm like a cat who hit is nine lives. I
hit my last one. I hit the last eight. When
I was on Vanner Pump and season two of the
valley was my ninth life, and I bit them all.
And I think I've gotten away with a lot over
the years, and I think it was just time to
pay my dues well.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I just wish you peace and the best, to be
the best dad and the best ex husband's That's.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
All I care about, is just being a really good dad.
I love my son more than anything in the world,
and I just want I moved. I'm a mile away
from Brittany. I got a house some mile a poundhouse
a mile away. I'm there whenever she needs me, if
the for the baby or whatever, or the house eats
something fixed or whatever. I'm always there, taking care of
her car, whatever she means. Even though she doesn't like
me very much. Right now, I'm just going to keep
(17:09):
doing what I'm doing because it makes me happy. I'm
not looking for overnight. It's all better because it's going
to take some time because I've done a lot of damage.
I'm not only good damage to her, but I've done
damage to myself. You remember, I've been using for twenty
plus years and on and off, and it just got
really bad the last year. And you know, I hung
it up, you know, and I turned it off, but
(17:29):
I realized that drugs and alcohol are a very small
portion of my problems. I think my drug of choice
is validation. You know, I look for validation. I look
to for people to like me. I feel like I
do things sometimes to make other people happy and not myself.
I'm always worried on what people think of me. You know,
(17:50):
I'm a master manipulator at telling the half truth. You know,
I'm sick. I have a disease, and you know it's
not an easy fix and it's never going to be fixed.
I just have to really really work at it. But
I'm very aware of what I've done. I take full
accountability of everything that I've done. But it's gonna take time.
It's not a quick fix.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Well, I appreciate this honesty, Jackson.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
I want to pivot to a little bit more lighthearted,
you know, just shit talking, because, like I said, I'm
such a.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Fan of the new show, although it's fucking dark.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I think the valley in general, not the show, The
valley of the place is dark. It's just a dark place.
It can be bleak and lonely. I think that you've
kept it real, for better or for worse. On the
shows going into vander Pump if you kept it the realist,
who kept it the fakest.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I don't want to get in trouble for saying this,
and this is not a dig at this person. She
just got away with it. I think Tom Sandoval Arianna
kind of skated through other than when I was on
When I was on it after whatever, but when I
was on it, I think they skated through. I think everybody, myself, Katie, Stacy, Kristen,
(18:57):
we all put everything out there, like we literally put
all everything out there. We got eaten alive on social media,
but we all put everything out there, and I think
sometimes if I look back and again, this is not
a dig because it doesn't really matter. I think Tom
and Arianna kind of came together and never aired out
their dirty laundry. I think, you know, they just skated
by and just kind of got to poke Prad and
(19:19):
all of everybody else's issues and they never brought up
their own issues, which kind of wasn't fair. You know,
when you sign up for reality TV, you sign up
for the whole thing, And I mean, look, do you
think honestly I want people to see what they're seeing
right now? Like the last thing I fucking want is
for people to see what they just saw last week,
like it's it was like I've been having panic attacks
about it. So that's how you know, like this shit
(19:40):
is real, Like this is real shit. I put everything
into this and it's really it fucks with you, man,
it really really does it. You know. And if you
watch the old seasons of vanderpump Man, I got eaten
alive on a lot of episodes. I mean I got
eaten a live on more seasons than I did up
by positive ones. But you know what, I put everything
out there. I didn't have a film and I said
(20:00):
what was on my mind. You either liked me or
you didn't. I didn't give a fuck in those days,
and those days I didn't care. I was trying to
make a good television show and if I knew something,
I was gonna fucking say it. I didn't come together
with my significant other and be like, Okay, we're not
going to talk about this, We're not going to do this,
and I'm not going to skate by. So I did think.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
You were getting yours when you first got casts in
vander pump Rules. First of all, remind me and remind
of the listeners, What were you doing in Los Angeles
at the time? Like, what were your hopes and dreams
when you were in Los Angeles? And then what did
you think you were getting yourself into when vander Pump
Rules started.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I'm gonna be honest with you. I didn't have any
many oaps and dreams. I was working at Sir, I
was in between. I was modeling full time. I was
making a really good living modeling, and I didn't want
to do it anymore. So I was thirty years old,
I want to think. I think I was thirty when
I stopped. And then I was dating Stasse at the time,
and she's like, what are you gonna do now? You
need to get a job or something. I'm like, I
don't fucking know what to do with myself. She's like,
(20:54):
why don't you come work and bartend at Sir? The
restaurant I work at and all my friends worked there anyway,
And I was like, Okay, why not? Because I get
to hang out there, I get to drink, I get
to have fun. I get to be with my friends
making a little money until I figure out what I'm
going to do. It was close to the house. I
could walk there I mean, this is this is a
win win at least I'm not sitting around doing nothing
until I figure out something. As you know, back in
(21:16):
those days, actors modeled whatever they barked on the other
side until they got their gig. No big, no different
than me. I was working at sir. You know, I
got the call from the producer Jack, we want to
see you. Once you come in and you know, meet
the producers. You know, you know how throws meet everybody.
And I guess I sold them, and you know, the
rest is history. I was going to move back to Florida.
That was the My parents lived in Florida, and I
(21:37):
was kind of like, you know what, I've been in
LA for a long time. I'm going to get out
of here, go get a real job at Florida and
get out. And that was my plan. I actually had
it all setting up, and I decided to go on
one more audition and the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
And at the time, I mean, reality was was a thing.
It's certainly not what it is and not what it
is now, what.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Did you think it was going to be?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Are you like, oh, this is just a check This
is like some stupid thing that no one's gonna see
like we really get.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Well, I think we just we scut gold. We were
at the right time, the right place. You know. You
got to give props to Lisa Vanderpump on this when
she saw something here and she saw the dynamic of
the cast. And when I say, I said this so
many times, I say this on every podcast, you will
never ever ever recreate the original Vanderpump roles. It will
never happen. Why because we were the originally friends. We
(22:28):
were friends for years and years prior to this, So
they had an organic group of friends that we didn't.
We weren't casted, they weren't looking for people they are.
We were all there. We just came in for a meet,
you know. So you're going to get an organic show.
You're gonna get whether or not the show was airing.
All this was going on anyway. In fact, when we
(22:49):
were when we were not filming, they would get really upset,
the producers and brab and all that. They're like, are
they hanging out? Are they talking to each other? Because yeah,
we we literally we all lived together. We were with
eachach other every single day. We all dated each other.
It was very incestuous, but then they would be like, no,
you can't talk to him today. I'm like, wait a minute,
I talk to him every day. Don't disrupt our lives,
because then it becomes fake, you know. So then they
(23:11):
just they would add just more episodes because they knew
we were hanging out so much, and they just like, bot,
let's add more episodes, add more episodes. So it was
so organic and so real and so like the camera
guys would just show up and turn the cameras on.
There was no you got to go here, you got
to do this. It wasn't like that at all. And
I feel like you'll never ever be able to create
(23:31):
such a dynamic group of people again, such a core
group of friends. Now. Has the dynamic changed over the
years or the last fourteen years. Yeah, we don't all
see each other. Every life goes on, we all have kids,
get married, move apart. But I tell you what, there's
some people I don't talk to anymore or whatever. But
I got a phone call tomorrow from Sass, who I
haven't talked to, from Bo, from Ariana. I would be
there in a heartbeat. I would be there in a heartbeat.
(23:52):
All things aside, whether how we ever, feel for each other.
If somebody needed me tomorrow, I would be there in
a heartbeat. Part no problem, no questions asked.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Do you think that would ever happen?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Where like you guys did where they got the ogs,
the whole crew, the best of the best of vander Pump,
whether it's in a year or two years, and like, yo,
we're gonna shoot for two weeks and I don't know
fucking Hawaii or we're gonna you know, White Lotus It
and go to Thailand and you know, and you know,
hash out old things, new things. You know, you bring kids.
Kristin Doty, do you think that could happen?
Speaker 3 (24:36):
How did you just crawl in my brain? Because I've
already talked about this with mister Baskin already, and I'm like,
I already see it, Like maybe between two and five
years you kind of bring everyone back and do exactly
what you said, White Lotus It. Let's all go away
for two weeks, just film the shit out of it
for two weeks and see what happens. I think it
would be great just to see where everybody is, to
(24:56):
see everybody's relationships, who's grown, who has it, where, who
has kids, whose kids are moving? Around. I think it
would be a genius idea, and I honestly think it'll
probably I don't see it not happening, but it just
depends on, Like, I think it's got to take at least,
you know, between two and five years. Let's take a
little bit of break with what happened, and then let's
revisit it. But I don't I think it's a genius idea.
(25:18):
It's a genius idea, definitely. I like the idea of
us going to an island somewhere and secluded and not
any outside noise, because sometimes we get influenced, especially now
since vanderpupp Rules in the Valley are so popular. It's
kind of like, you know, when the Kardashians got so busy,
it was hard to film anywhere because people recognize and
that it gets tough, it gets difficult. So I think
putting us on an island, like a white lotus type
(25:39):
of thing would be so awesome.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
It would be I think you guys need to do it.
To listen the fans.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
When they said that Vanderpup Rules was ending last year,
I was like, no, the fucking thing needs to keep going,
like until you're eighty seven, Like when you fucking have
your own bars and people aren't fucking walkers, Like, just
keep filming the whole You've already filmed enough, Like, keep
fucking going.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
I think you know what. I had mixed feelings about it.
You know, it's it's it's one of those things. I
feel like they just had to close the book. You know,
everybody's getting older, people are getting married, people are having kids,
And that's kind of why how I decided I wanted
to do the Valley. It was during COVID when I said, hey,
I want to come back to TV. And I called
Alex Basking and I said, hey, can you meet me somewhere?
(26:22):
I have an idea. We sat at the hotel for
We sat in a hotel for three hours. It was
a cold, wintery night. This is again, right after COVID.
I wasn't on TV and I said, hey, listen, I
took two years off, you know, I was let go
from Vanderpump and now I'm and I'm like, hey, listen,
I think it's time to come back to TV. I
have this idea. Now, this idea was thrown around a lot,
(26:43):
but no one, every no one ever took any action
to do it. So I was like, I'm going to
make this happen. So I said, hey, listen, I got
a core group of friends here that I really hang
out with that I really like, we all in the valley. Now,
we're all we're all married, having kids, kind of starting
the next chapter of our lives. I don't want to
say housewives. We're not housewives yet, but we're not vanter Pump.
We're kind of in that middle, you know, we're kind
(27:05):
of graduated from vander Pump onto the next chapter, which
whatever you want to call in the middle of housewives
and vander Pump something like that. So I was like,
you know, I have a core group of people and
the people that are on the show that people don't
other than myself, Brittany and Kristen. People always want to
know where they came from. They've always been around. They
were always invited to the Vanderpunt, you know, throughout the
years vander Pump rules, we would have parties or they
(27:27):
would have people at the bar or whatever. So all
these people were always in the background of vanderr Pump.
They were always our friends. They just weren't casted on
the show, so they kind of knew what was going on.
They knew how to play the game. They're friends with
all of us if they're in our group, and it
just made sense. And I wanted to bring people on
that that I thought would fit this dynamic well. And
(27:48):
I think we did a pretty good job. You know
it be myself, my manager Ryan and Alex Baskin. We
kind of, you know, worked all this out, work this magic,
stirred it up and kind of pitched it to the
network and you know they loved it.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Yeah, well it's heating up and you talk about you know,
they know the game, they know the drill.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
The revamp of vander Pump Rules.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
If a twenty one year old kid who was just
got cast on a show that takes place in a
bar in West Hollywood came up to be like, hey man, yo,
I'm a bartend. I just got cast on this reality show.
I've already had I handle it.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I've already had.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
What what do you tell people?
Speaker 3 (28:28):
So the new cast there's a new cast of vander
Pump Rules. They recasted it, right. Well, I just so
happened to know a couple of the guys, and you know,
it's funny. I met two of them at the gym,
and it just so. They came up to me and
they said, hey, are you Jackson. Yeah, we just want
to let you know we're on the new show. We
just want to shake your hand. You're an icon. People
talk about you all the time and thank you so much.
(28:50):
I'm an old man now, these guys are. These guys
are half my age, and now get back into it.
They're like, hey, if you have any have any suggestions
for us on how to go through this world of
what you guys created, I'm gonna tell you said listen,
I'm just gonna let you guys know right now, you're
never gonna beat or recreate banter pup rules. It's not
gonna happen. And I'm saying this because I don't want
you guys to try so hard to try to outdo
(29:13):
what was done. You guys need to do what's good
for you. You guys need to make this your show.
Don't try to worry about if you're making them happy
or trying to beat the other show. That's what I
was trying to say to them. I don't know if that
makes sense. You guys, create your own project, create your
own product. Do what's good for you. The world was
a very different place when we started Vanterpump Rules. What
(29:34):
we did doesn't really work today, So the generations are different.
Times are different. You can't you'll never be able to
recreate that. So just do what's good for you, be honest.
That's me saying that out of all people, I should
take my own fucking advice. Be honest, because you will
never ever get away with a lie. On reality TV,
people know everything and things always come out. Be authentic,
(29:57):
don't overact. People who watch reality TV nowadays are very
very smart. They can see through the bullshit and just
have fun, have fun with it. I mean people would
kill to be in your shoes, would kill you. Get
to be like I remember like Saved by the Bell.
Remember Saved by the Bell? Say yeah, remember the new class.
Then they had the yeah you are now banter Pup
rules the new class. So take what you know, maybe
(30:20):
watch banter Pup a little bit, study it a little bit,
and then make it your own. If that makes any sense, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
But if they followed that up with what how do
I handle myself? Like you said, be real, be honest,
you can't lie. You know all that stuff Like to me,
it just seems like I watched the show so much
and I've seen people sort of you know, they in
hindsight they go, well, I didn't come off that way,
or I shouldn't have came off of this, and.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
They didn't use this. Is that frustrating? Like you know,
like in terms of like the tricks of the trade
of it. Well, you know.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Again again, I know how to do it because I've
been doing this for fourteen years, So I know in
my head when I'm filming scene, I know how they're
gonna In my head, I think I know how they're
going to play this out right, I.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Know are you you're shooting now?
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Well, now I am. I've been doing this for fourteen years.
Like I said, I'm aware of how this is going
to play out. And we all are, the whole cast
knows how. We're all Like I said, we've been doing
it for a long time. So we're automatically going to
micro manage our brains. We automatically know how a scene
is going to go. We automatically kind of can see
how it's going to play out. It's not that we
want to do it, it's just we're so programmed in
it now. We were so taught, we're so like brainwashed
(31:28):
on how things are going to work that it's just
it's easy for us to do now the new cast.
Like when you're watching reality TV. If you watch any show, right,
you want to come off good, but then sometimes you're
so in your head about how you want to come
off that you end up coming off like shit. And
I don't Obviously, over the years, I don't give a shit,
Like I have no filter, and I feel like that
(31:49):
was who I am and people appreciate the fact that
I call people out. Yeah, I lost a lot of friends,
I lose a lot of this and that, but you
always got authentic me. You always got no filter me,
and you always I said was on my mind, whether
it hurt people or not. I was very authentic and
I can always say that.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Well, you are authentic. You're the number one guy.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
You might not feel like the number one guy now,
they can't take that away from you. It's an iconic moment.
You're an iconic reality TV star. I wish you and
Brittany peace, sincere peace. I wish you all good things
and just to take care of yourself because like I said,
you know, I equate reality people, reality stars to fighters.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
You're out there.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
You're fucking giving it, you're taking it, and you keep
coming back. And you have epitomized that, and vander Pump
Rules epitomize that. And the way the Valley is hashing
out season two it epitomized and you said it yourself.
Who would have thought Kristen Dody would be the fucking
voice or reason and because she was, so you know,
but you guys keep coming and you you know, whether
(32:53):
we love you hate you on the show, you give
us the entertainment that we want. So I really truly
appreciate you and I wish you you nothing but the best.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
I hope I get to meet you in person one
of these days. I'm sure we'll cross paths. But I
love your shirt. Man. I really appreciate you having me
on and and it means a lot to you and
your wife who support me, and especially through this time
right now. It's it's a real difficult time for Brittany
and I and we're gonna come together. It'll be fine.
It will work out. This too. Shell pass is like
everything else. I've worked really hard on myself and I
(33:23):
think eventually we're gonna get to a good spot. I mean,
we don't really have a choice. Our son is the
number one thing, and he's the number one guy in
the group.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
So he's the number one guy in the fucking group.
And and I urge you that's all that matters. And
I urge you to always remember that and take care
of yourself. And I'm gonna do your podcast and we
will finally meet in real in real life and talk
some shit and uh wait a seut, let me just
answer you a question real quick. That does a Detroit
shirt on?
Speaker 3 (33:49):
Huh yeah, I'm from Detroit, right, So.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
I don't want to bring the conversation down. I know
you're a sports guy. You got your sports bar. The
Knicks are gonna by the time this air is, the
Knicks are gonna probably put you guys asleep.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
I'm just gonna say that to you right now.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
The Pistons, Oh you mean the Pistons. I don't really
follow basketball. I'm I'm a Lions guy. I think we're
gonna be good this year basketball. I kind of I
don't follow that sport. I'm a hockey guy. Hockey and football,
but uh, okay.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
You don't need to follow it.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
I'm just I'm just letting you know that that's happening
and while. But by the time this airs and I
do your pockets, that will have been a done deal.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
But I'm just letting you know.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
All right, all right, hey little you know what, have
you ever seen the documentary Malice at the Palace?
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Awesome?
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Here, That's where I graduated high school. I had my
ceremony there, and I was I used to the Palace
of Auburn Hills is where we graduated. We had our ceremony,
so I used to know the of Auburn Hills all
the time. It was a very dangerous place. Though dangerous.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
I thought you were gonna tell me mals at the
Palace if you look in the sixth row.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
I was the guy that I thought you were gonna go.
I was gonna be like, oh, show.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
I've been to many games, Bill Lambier, Isaiah Thomas Dumars
I was that was I'm been have tons of games.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Oh yeah, yeah, it was a good time.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Yeah, all right, Jack's yo, I'll be watching the valley,
be listening to your podcast, and I'll be on your
podcast soon.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
I appreciate you taking the time, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Thank you for having me. Guys spoculator,
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