It seems like everyone has something to say on the currently unfolding “Scandoval.” The least surprising voice from the peanut gallery is former Vanderpump Rules stars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, who appeared on Watch What Happens Live! last night. They were there to discuss all things Tom and Ariana (but mostly Tom)—and they also have a new podcast.
Last night’s show wasn’t the first time Taylor revealed his thoughts on the shocking love triangle between Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix and Raquel Leviss. However, it was the first time he and his spouse Cartwright have appeared on Bravo since Taylor was fired from Vanderpump Rules in 2020.
Bravo cut ties with the star in light of a racism scandal involving co-stars Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, and Faith Stowers that exploded during 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests. While Bravo never confirmed the reason for his firing, fans called on the network to terminate the reality star after tweets he wrote accusing Stowers of committing crimes resurfaced. Cartwright voluntarily left the show with her husband.
In the wake of the “Scandoval,” Bravo has already brought back Doute, who dated Sandoval in Vanderpump Rules’ early seasons, to film additional scenes for the current Season 10. And apparently the matter is so urgent that the network needed to platform Taylor again, whose insight on the scandal were mostly just accusations he had previously made against his former BFF Sandoval on the series.
Early on in the show, host Andy Cohen asked Taylor a fan-submitted question about whether Sandoval had cheated on Madix prior to his affair with Leviss. The former SUR bartender was quick to confirm that Sandoval had, including with a woman the cast dubbed “Miami Girl” in Season 3.
“A hundred percent [Sandoval has cheated before],” Taylor said. “I told you, I was there. Not only in the Miami situation—and that was week one of [Sandoval and Madix’s] relationship, by the way. But yeah, there’s been other times.”
Cohen and the studio’s vocal audience seemed flabbergasted, as Taylor continued to dish on Sandoval’s alleged serial cheating. He also answered one of the most pressing questions fans have had regarding the scandal, which is whether cast member Tom Schwartz knew about his business partner’s infidelity. The Tom Tom co-owner did, according to Taylor.
“I talk to Schwartz every day,” Taylor said. “So I know for a 100-percent fact—on my child. He told me he knew.”
When asked how long Schwartz supposedly knew, Taylor said it was “for a while.” “He said, ‘I tried to tell him to come forward with it,” he continued. “That’s what he told me verbatim.”
The two spent the rest of the show discussing their relationships with the rest of the cast, including Schroeder, since they left the show and dished on their almost four-year marriage.
Overall, the appearance was a bit ironic, given that Taylor admitted to cheating on Cartwright with Stowers in Season 6. And in other seasons, their relationship was depicted as extremely dysfunctional. Taylor admitted during WWHL that he “didn’t have a leg to stand on” regarding Sandoval’s cheating—although that didn’t stop him from condemning his former co-star the entire night.
Whether fans can trust Taylor’s insider details, given his iffy relationship with the truth on Vanderpump Rules, is to be determined. We’ll have to wait to hear the full scoop at the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion, which is being filmed today.
