The Valley featured post-production footage of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright addressing their separation — and whether there was any hope of a reconciliation.
During the season 1 finale, which aired on Tuesday, June 4, Jax, 44, and Brittany, 35, were focused on opening up his Jax’s Studio City bar while navigating ongoing relationship issues. The episode appeared to end on a positive note when Jax reflected where things with Brittany go from here.
“This is such an amazing moment for me. I think we beat the odds when it comes to opening a bar with a partner or significant other. I think this is the one thing keeping Brittany and I together,” he said in a confessional. “Right now, the future is looking pretty bright.”
However, the super-sized final episode was only halfway through, with the rest of the scenes filmed six months later. The Valley included screenshots of Us Weekly‘s coverage of both Jax and Brittany’s separation and Michelle Lally and Jesse Lally‘s divorce before checking in on each of the couples.
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“I didn’t see this coming. I’m sorry,” Jax told the cameras before walking off screen. “I never thought I would be in the position I am in right now.”
Jax and Brittany initially addressed their decision to press pause on their marriage — which they announced in February — while filming with their costars. Jax met with Jason Caperna to talk about what led to the shocking decision.
“There is no affairs, there’s no cheating or abuse. None of that. I am so triggered,” Jax cited as the reason before recalling how he was “down in the dumps crying” his eyes out after Brittany told him she wanted to separate. “Brittany and I are on a break. … It is not looking good.”
In a confessional, Brittany offered her side of the story about the “toxic” situation.
“A lot has happened with me and Jax. We were already having issues all summer long, but once the cameras started rolling, things only started getting worse and worse. So about six weeks ago I separated from Jax,” she explained. “I moved to an AirBnB with Cruz because Jax would not leave. I feel that shows how selfish Jax is.”
Brittany elaborated to Michelle, Janet Caperna and Nia Booko that Jax’s behavior was the last straw. She said he would go out often and return “mean as a f—king snake” because of how hungover he would be. After he screamed at her for hours on one occasion, Brittany made the choice to temporarily split.
“There’s been a lot of things that I have taken Jax back for. I’ve been cheated on, I have been disrespected, I have been humiliated,” she noted. “I have been through a lot of pain in this relationship. It has been very public the pain I have had to deal with. I just can’t deal with it anymore.”
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Jax didn’t appear to have hope for him and Brittany. “I really think I pushed her over the edge,” he said in a confessional. “Maybe I am just not cut out for this.”
While comparing herself to Michelle, who filed for divorce from Jesse, Brittany admitted she wasn’t sure she was ready to completely pull the plug on her marriage.
“I feel like I am mainly at the tipping point but I am not all the way there yet. I don’t want to let my family down,” she said through tears. “I fought for them to like him so much. I just don’t want them to be disappointed in me. I don’t want to upset them.”
A flashback scene also showed Zack Wickham and Kristen Doute weighing in on Jax’s behavior ahead of the separation. Zack recalled having a front row seat to fights between Jax and Brittany that got to “a scary point.” Kristen, meanwhile, pointed out that Jax would hurl insults at Brittany such as “fat and lazy.”
Later in the episode, Jax and Brittany reunited in their shared home, which he is currently living in. Brittany got straight to the point when she asked what changes Jax was making for the future of their marriage.
According to Jax, he took a major step by booking an appointment with a therapist. “So you finally made an appointment. When? Yesterday? Right before the cameras come [back] up,” Brittany fired back, to which Jax replied, “I made it yesterday because that was the time to do it.”
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Brittany, however, didn’t believe that Jax was genuinely trying to make a change.
“Jax has been saying that he is going to go to therapy for years now. The day before we pick cameras back up he suddenly has an appointment to see the doctor. This is all a front,” she told the cameras. “This is what he wants everyone to see and believe that he is actually going to do these things to change. I bet you money he will not do it.”
As for Jax, he told producers he made an appointment but “did not go.” He was asked whether he changed his mind because he was “afraid to go,” to which he responded, “That and it was really far.”
“I do want you back but you decided to leave me, which was hard for me in the beginning. But as the time has been going on, it has been nice,” Jax said about his time apart from Brittany, which she herself called “amazing.”
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Brittany got visibly frustrated about the lack of effort on Jax’s part. “Why haven’t you done anything? Why haven’t you changed? You screamed at me and said horrible things to me like I had no friends here and that nothing liked me here,” she said. “As soon as these cameras go down, you are going to text me a million messages. You are going to rage text the s—t out of me. Be real.”
Meanwhile, Jax wouldn’t admit that he said anything rude to Brittany. He also claimed he wasn’t doing interviews where he said they were still living together. Brittany, for her part, pulled up a video of Jax talking to reporters where he did say they were in the same house.
“It literally made people think that I was lying,” Brittany shared. “Who just lies for attention? He does. I have come into my own. I make a lot of money and I feel like I have woken up. I feel so much stronger now and I know I will be OK. I know my worth and I know I do not deserve to be in a relationship like this. What was I thinking staying with him this long?”
The finale came to an end with Jax and Brittany reflecting on where they go now. Jax’s comments felt like a farewell message, with him saying, “It has been an amazing nine years. It really has. I have no regrets. I love Brittany. I love my wife. The only thing that is going to make or break this is time.”
Brittany also didn’t appear to be holding out too much hope.
“I know that I have put up with a lot of crap that Jax has put me through. But I wouldn’t have Cruz if I had gotten rid of him a long time ago,” she explained about her 3-year-old son, whom she shares with Jax. “Now that I have Cruz and I have woken up from the situation, I just feel like for his sake and my mental health I can’t stay here anymore.”
The Valley has been renewed for season 2 and all episodes are currently on Peacock.
