Jax Taylor Says Raquel Leviss Is Not ‘Mentally Tough Enough’ to Return to ‘Vanderpump Rules'

Jax Taylor, the former cast member of Vanderpump Rules, has shared his opinion on whether his former co-star Raquel Leviss should return for the show's 11th season after her affair with Tom Sandoval. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Taylor expressed, “No, absolutely not. No. There’s nothing healthy about reality TV for anybody.”

Leviss' future on the Bravo reality series remains uncertain following her affair with Sandoval, which strained her relationship with the rest of the Pump Rules cast at the end of Season 10. In March, news broke that Sandoval had cheated on his girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix, with Leviss. In the aftermath, Leviss faced backlash from fans and castmates, leading her to check into a mental health treatment facility in April. Recent reports suggest that Leviss is in discussions about returning for the next season, but no decision has been made yet.

Having been on the show for eight years before leaving in December 2020, Taylor understands the toxicity of reality TV. He emphasized, "You need to have thick skin. In my opinion, I think [Raquel] dove into something that was a little bit bigger than her. I don’t think she’s mentally tough enough to be in something like this." Despite having minimal contact with Leviss, Taylor expressed that he wants the best for her but does not feel sorry for anyone involved in the drama that unfolds on the small screen.

Taylor pointed, "We all stepped in this game together,” who shares son Cruz, 2, with Cartwright, 34. He further explained, "We all know what we’re doing. We all signed on the dotted line. I don’t feel bad for anybody. This is what you signed up for. Now you gotta own it." Taylor believes about Sandoval, "I think he had a little bit of a diva mentality. I [think he] thought he [could] get away with something like this, and I think that’s kind of why it’s got so big and how long it’s been going on. It’s not just your, hookup, you messed up, whatever. I mean, this has been going on for a long time." 

While Sandoval has issued apologies to Madix and fans, Taylor criticized his lack of empathy by saying, "I think it’s just [a] lack of empathy. It’s tone-deafness the way he’s, whoever his team is, the way he’s speaking about this whole situation." Currently, he is focusing on raising awareness about hair loss through his partnership with Xyon Health. Taylor shared, "I was trying to explore what options I was gonna take, and this is definitely the best option for me right now. found it early. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m completely bald on top.’ So, I noticed some thinning." Adding further he said, "[Hair loss] happens to everybody and we got such great products in the world today. It’s just a great partnership with, with these guys and, you know, I’m looking forward to, uh, to the future with them."