Scheana Shay didn’t find Jax Taylor‘s confession about his cocaine addiction that surprising, because according to her, “everyone knew” during their time on Vanderpump Rules.
“That would be the worst-kept secret if we didn’t know,” Shay, 39, said on the Friday, March 7, episode of her “Scheananigans” podcast before claiming, “Everyone knew Jax did cocaine. That was not a secret.”
Shay pointed out specific moments from the show, adding, “There were things that were caught. I think at [Jax and Brittany Cartwright’s] wedding, there was a plate of coke that was just on the table in his hotel room. There are things that I saw.”
While addressing Taylor’s sobriety, Shay said she “didn’t notice” certain details that took place on screen “until fans pointed it out.”
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“It was never production supplying it or being OK with it. I think they didn’t notice. That would have never made it to air,” she clarified. “But it has to go through editing and through so many people. But I just don’t think anyone was looking at the little plate on the table.”
Shay continued: “He definitely came out of the bathroom with white stuff on his nose every here and there. But they would have never supplied, supported or anything like that. It’s just like, we’re drinking and he’s doing that and we’re smoking weed. It is what it is — but no — that was never something that they were behind.”
Taylor, 45, revealed on the Tuesday, March 4, episode of Bravo’s “Hot Mic” podcast that he is 83 days sober following a cocaine addiction.
“I have substance issues — primarily with cocaine. It’s hard to say out loud,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with this on and off since I was 23 and now I’m 45. There were times where I would stop doing it but then there were times where I’d go heavy on it.”
Taylor acknowledged there were “some signs” on the show that hinted at his struggles.
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“And [producers] did pull me aside a couple times and say, ‘Listen, calm down now.’ They didn’t know, but they thought I was drinking too much,” he said while clarifying that production wasn’t “supplying” the cast with alcohol or any substances. “I would go off on my own. We would film a scene and you have 30 minutes [of] downtime, so most people go rest. I would go to a bar, get lit or go next door from SUR, and that’s where we all went because we weren’t allowed to drink during scenes.”
Despite producers not being aware of Taylor’s dependency, Shay contributed his addiction to his 2020 exit. “Maybe they finally [noticed] when season 9 came around and he wasn’t asked back,” she added on Friday. “I think they finally had enough.”
Shay wishes Taylor well on his journey, but she made it clear that her alliance is to his estranged wife.
“I just hope he stays on his path of sobriety and wreaks less havoc in Brittany’s life because she doesn’t deserve the hell that he has put her through,” Shay said about Taylor’s potential “redemption arc” on The Valley. “He said he’s a work in progress for eight seasons of the show. I’m sure he’s said it on The Valley for the past two seasons as well. So it’s like, ‘How can we believe you when you just keep saying it and not changing?’ Maybe this time with him being sober completely, hopefully that does change something.”
