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Brittany Cartwright is not on board with her estranged husband, Jax Taylor, rejoining The Valley for season four amid his controversial romance with their previously shared publicist, Lori Krebs.
As insiders confirmed the season four fates of Vanderpump Rules alums Tom Sandoval, 43, James Kennedy, 34, and Scheana Shay, 41, and dished on what really went down between Jax, 47, and Lori, a source shared how Brittany, 37, felt about the idea of filming scenes with Jax, explaining that she would refuse to film if it came down to it.
“Most of the cast are backing her up on this, even the people she isn’t getting along with. They understand why she’s so upset and why she doesn’t want to be around Jax,” an insider told the Daily Mail on August 4.
As fans will recall, Jax exited his role on The Valley last summer to focus on his sobriety amid his messy divorce from Brittany. But earlier this month, after suggesting his exit was a “pause,” Jax hinted that he’d like to return to the show, but that Brittany was getting in the way of him doing so.
“No matter how hard I work to rebuild my life, move forward or earn new opportunities, there are constant attempts to tear those opportunities away,” he wrote on Instagram after Brittany called him out for promoting a fake partnership with Smartwater. “Brittany has directly contacted networks and brands in an effort to stop me from working and to prevent me from getting opportunities affecting my ability to earn a living.”
While producers are currently casting for season four and interviewing potential newbies, they will reportedly not consider former Pump Rules stars.
“They’ve been looking at some fresh faces that organically fit in with the group rather than bringing back more old Vanderpump Rules stars like they did last season,” the source explained. “Don’t expect to see Tom Sandoval, James Kennedy, or Scheana Shay on the show next year.”
Although Brittany is unwilling to film with Jax, she is said to be looking forward to sharing her side of Jax and Lori’s story when cameras pick back up.
“Lori wasn’t just Jax’s publicist, she was deeply embedded in their entire world and that’s what made this so shocking,” one insider explained, revealing that Brittany was “blindsided” by the romance.
The source also signaled past rumors about Jax and Lori, which Brittany denied years ago, saying Lori was a “good friend” on her podcast, When Reality Hits.
“Brittany had heard the rumors long before everyone else did, but Jax and Lori always denied anything was happening and she wanted to believe them,” the insider said. “Everybody else in their friend circle was convinced that the whispers were true and told Brittany to fire Lori, but she chose to believe Lori and thought that Jax had just made it up as a way to try and hurt her.”
“She was heartbroken and embarrassed once she discovered that they’d been hooking up. She felt like she’d been made a fool of in front of their friends and the whole world,” they continued.
According to the report, Brittany’s friends had suspicions about Lori for months.
“People around them started noticing the dynamic had changed before it became public,” one person noted. “Lori seemed much more emotionally invested than you’d expect from a publicist and all their friends picked up on their undeniable chemistry. There were moments where the tension in the room was impossible to ignore.”
Meanwhile, another source denied that the couple had engaged in a “years-long secret affair,” insisting that things between them heated up in the last eight months.
Someone else backed up the account, saying, “Lori and Jax got closer in the last few months. There was never any romantic relationship before that and Brittany knows this. She is using this to spin a narrative in her favor.”
Whatever the case, those around them are convinced Jax and Lori won’t last.
“Most inside their friend group think that the secrecy is what made their relationship exciting. Now that it’s out in the open, people are starting to think that it won’t have any staying power. Maybe they are in love but it still seems wrong in many ways. At this point, all of Jax’s real friends just hope that whatever this is, it finally brings him some stability and happiness,” someone stated.
As for whether the couple could actually appear on The Valley, mixed commentary was given.
“Lori seemed to evolve from being behind the scenes as a publicist to becoming part of the scene herself. She was walking red carpets, showing up at events and becoming very visible. She just seemed to be trying too hard to be in the spotlight. If she eventually wanted to be on The Valley, I don’t think many people in that circle would be surprised. At times, she seemed to be looking for fame,” one insider suggested.
But another said that neither Jax nor Lori was open to appearing on future episodes of The Valley.
“Jax wouldn’t go back to The Valley if asked,” they noted. “He has no interest in returning or would put himself in a situation as toxic as the cast is. He’s come too far in his recovery and protecting his mental health and shielding his son from this toxicity is his number one priority. Lori has never wanted any part of reality TV.”
The Valley season three reunion, part two, airs tonight, August 12, at 8/7c on Bravo.