Jax Taylor and Lisa Vanderpump are exhausting. After joining the cast of Vanderpump Rules in Season 1, their relationship was often rocky. On the flip side, Jax’s wit often saw Lisa breaking character, chucking through her frustrations with her hot-headed bartender. Even still, Lisa had an empire to run, and Jax stayed acting like a toddler who’d missed every nap, throwing tantrums at random while hyped up on pasta sugar.
In Season 8, Jax married Brittany Cartwright, and then they got booted from VPR. After a few years of off-air living, Bravo picked them back up again and brought them over to The Valley. As Season 1 of their new series plays out, it’s clear that there’s trouble in paradise hell. Jax is stressing about Brittany’s drinking, Brit’s accusing him of raging, and generally speaking, neither one of them seems happy.
They’re now separated, and LVP isn’t shocked. When she stated so, Jax clapped back. Seriously, these two can go from hot to cold in minutes. In fact, throughout Jax’s years, which consist of “364 days,” their history has always been complicated.
The job offer that changed Jax’s life – Season 1
Were it not for Lisa, we’d never know Jax (thanks, Lisa?). According to him, on the day that he was set to leave, he got a call that changed his life. In this, LVP asked him to join her new reality television series at SUR. He rolled his eyes as if this kind of offer happened often, but agreed to “see it through.”
Lisa’s offer paid off, and while the pair had many arguments in their earlier seasons, Jax’s job remained intact. In addition, Lisa became a mother figure to her temperamental employee. She’d often sit him down for her “now Jax…” conversations, which typically redirected Jax’s warpaths. However, one can only try for so long, and even though Jax “can predict the future like Gandhi,” he likely never saw Lisa’s cogs turning in the opposite direction.
And then his theft that almost destroyed it – Season 4
By the time Season 4 rolled around, Lisa’s patience was shot. Not helping matters, Jax stole a pair of sunglasses in Hawaii. After his arrest, Lisa’s pink gloves came off. Inviting Jax over, Lisa stressed “You feel that you can walk into a shop and you can take something without paying for it. I mean, do you feel that you could just take something from me?”
At this, Jax started begging for mercy. In turn, Lisa suspended him without pay for two weeks, and then she kicked Jax out of her home.
Lisa presents Mrs. Jacqueline Taylor – Season 5
Not all love was lost though. In Season 5, Jax walked right back into Lisa’s estate, heading straight for her closet. Since he and Tom Sandoval needed drag attire, Lisa graciously offered up her expansive closet, allowing Jax to try on her dresses, hats, undergarments, and even her accessories. The pair laughed, behaving like playful family members.
Jax finally crosses Lisa’s line – Season 6
In Season 6, their love got lost again. After watching another employee flirt with Brittany, Jax picked a fight with everyone at SUR. He loudly cursed and flipped the bird, as the patrons looked on in shock. Ken Todd stepped in, as did Tom, but Jax kept ranting, insisting that Lisa wasn’t listening to his side.
She’d listened though, and she’d heard enough. “Leave now,” she said, kicking him out of SUR.
The highs and lows of Jax’s wedding – Season 8
Season 8 was all about Jax’s wedding. However, his pastor’s conservative viewpoints were a no, so Lisa debated officiating. Then, Lisa’s mother passed away, so she had to back out, unable to even attend. Luckily for all, Lisa’s close friend Lance Bass jumped in to help.
Shockingly, Lisa then surprised Jax at his wedding. This was amazing, as it showed that she truly cared for the guy. So how did he thank her? In the finale, he called the show his, taking credit for its success.
“It’s actually not your show. It’s actually my show. And I put your f*cking ass on it, so don’t be disrespectful to me,” Lisa clapped back angrily. “Stop making yourself feel more special than you are,” she ended.
LVP’s protection of Tom “irks” Jax – Season 10
When the Season 10 reunion aired, showing Lisa’s supports of Tom in the wake of his affair, Jax grew upset on his podcast. “It really annoyed me because she never did that with me when I was on the show,” he said. He then added that she’s “barely on the show. It just irks me.”
Their “emotional” reunion post VPR
Taking to Watch What Happens Live several months later, Jax revealed that he and Lisa are now “actually pretty good. So, we met up I would say about four weeks ago and we had a really good conversation for like anhour and a half. It was emotional, there were tears.”
Just kidding, Jax is still irked
Only a few beats later, Jax’s back on red, since Lisa’s quips went down on his separation. Taking to the airwaves to drudge up the past, Jax slammed Lisa for not reaching out after Brittany gave birth. He’s also mad that Lisa never said boo following their separation announcement. He then teased that he’d be back on VPR soon to address his frustrations.
On her end, Lisa’s always stated that she’s just a phone call away. She also sent these two a personalized baby gift, so her care is there. This one’s too personal for my pay grade, because for every claim that Jax makes, holes and/or explanations on why LVP responds as she does seems to exist. But also, he’s currently feeling alone and abandoned, but, is that his fault?
Ugh. Bring me beer cheese and tiny ponies. I’m out of words.
TELL US – ARE JAX AND LISA EQUALLY TO BLAME FOR THEIR FRICTIONS SEEN OVER THE YEARS, OR NOT?