The latest episode of The Valley was just Us watching multiple marriages fall apart — again.
During the Tuesday, May 21, episode of The Valley, Jesse Lally and Jax Taylor‘s personal lives were simultaneously falling apart, but that didn’t stop the costars from meddling in each other’s marriages — starting with Jax.
Jax kicked off the drama when he told Michelle Lally there were rumors she was sending “sexy photos” to a celebrity. While she denied having flirtatious conversations with other men, Michelle admitted to being in contact with people for work.
“Jesse is very well aware. He knows everything. I am the kind of person where if I meet a celebrity I get really excited because I see them as a possibility that they could be a client. So I am always calling, texting, emailing and meeting for coffee,” Michelle, who has since split from Jesse, explained about the “nonsense accusations” coming from Jax.
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After Michelle alerted Jesse to the false claims, he said he wasn’t concerned. Jesse instead put the blame on Kristen Doute for spreading numerous rumors about his marriage.
“Kristen has never had a job in her life except selling s—t T-shirts. I don’t think she understands farming new leads for business,” Jesse told the cameras. “I literally send Michelle into a room and say, ‘Go talk to those five guys and get their phone numbers.’”
He continued: “You guys see how affected I am by this right now? I don’t give a s—t who she talks to. I’m not a jealous person. Let’s just move on.”
According to Jax, Jesse’s reception was a red flag. “I would lose my s—t if I found out Brittany was texting other guys,” Jax noted. “Now I’m thinking something is up. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire.”
The episode took a surprising turn when Jax and Jesse were joined by Danny Booko and Jason Caperna for an emotional conversation. Jesse specifically started to cry when he revealed just how bad his marriage had become.
“I want another kid so bad, and she doesn’t want to have one. It sucks,” Jesse admitted. “I am trying so hard — I think we are done. Me and Michelle. She went this way and I’m trying to make my way to her and she’s going further that way.”
Jesse didn’t want his “marriage to be over” but he didn’t see it going back to a good place.
“Like can you imagine being 43 years old single and raising a daughter? It’s a lot to take in. Isabella is all I care about,” he told the cameras while staring to cry. “Imagine not having her parents together.”
As Jesse realized his marriage might be done, Jax was alienating Brittany more and more. He got into multiple fights with his wife after once again accusing her of drinking too much.
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“You are the only one out of all the women who is throwing up,” he told Brittany. “You are always sick. You are always drinking. I am not going to support you when you’re drinking and getting drunk.”
In a confessional, Jax admitted his problems with Brittany were always there.
“I have been dealing with this for nine years — it is not pretty,” he explained. “I thought things would slow down when Cruz was born but I think she’s having a tough time battling between being fun Brittany and being a mom. I see the hell she goes through the next morning and it is brutal. I am kind of at my wit’s end.”
Jax made the situation worse when he loudly claimed Brittany was lying about not drinking. “Jax I can hear you. Everybody here has my back and you’re my f—king husband and you’re trying to make me look like I’m a bad person. F—k you,” she fired back.
Brittany told her The Valley costars that this was a pattern in their marriage.
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“He does this to me all the time. He always puts me down,” she admitted. “I feel like Jax is sucking the life out of me. He is sucking away all my sparkle. How much more of this can I possibly take? I am starting to realize all the little things I have put up with for nine years of my life. I definitely believe in love but what if love isn’t enough?”
According to Jax, Brittany’s health issues were actually a cry for help.
“If you can’t handle your alcohol then you stop f—king drinking. Throwing up? What are you in college? You’re a mom. This has been going on for years. Maybe I do need to call her out in front of other people because then she will get a wake-up call,” he asked. “There is something wrong that she has to drink this much to get sick.”
Brittany, however, claimed Jax was one of the reasons she wasn’t feeling good. “I get that I’m not being that kind to my body. But one shot doesn’t mean I have a drinking problem,” she noted. “And that is what he is making me feel like. I’ve been so stressed and unhappy that my body is turning against me.”
She continued: “I think Jax just doesn’t appreciate me as much anymore because he doesn’t think I would ever leave him. He knows that I am so quick to forgive always. He doesn’t realize the emotional damage that it does to me.”
Later in the episode, Jesse attempted to offer guidance to Jax, who wasn’t interested.
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“I am never going to ask you for advice. Ever ever ever. I love you to death but Jesus Christ, your marriage is on the fence, too,” Jax fired back before realizing what he said. “I shouldn’t have said that, My marriage is not on the fence.”
Jax maintained that his comments weren’t a true reflection of his marriage.
“I misspoke. I shouldn’t have said my marriage is on the fence. My marriage is far from on the fence. My wife and I love each other to death and we don’t believe in divorce,” he continued. “We don’t believe in separation, we don’t believe in any of that. My wife is going to have to buy me in the f—king backyard. I will never go anywhere and she will never leave.”
While Jax claimed he was going through “a little bit of a hiccup,” his costars didn’t believe him. Jesse specifically said Jax exhibited the same issues that he did before his marriage to Michelle came to an end.
“I feel bad for Jax. I have been through it. Jax and Brittany, at this point, are where we were a year ago. They are in that phase of denial. Jax, take a page out of my book, bro,” Jesse shared. “You better read the signs. Make the changes that I made too late.”
The trailer for next week’s episode didn’t make things any better. After being asked whether Jax would let Brittany leave, he replied, “No. My wife would never leave me.” Brittany, meanwhile, was singing a different tune in a separate clip where she admitted divorce wasn’t off the table.
The Valley airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
