Jax Taylor Says ‘Controlling’ Tom Sandoval Preyed On ‘Codependent’ Raquel Leviss

Jax Taylor, 43, and his wife, Brittany Cartwright, 34, person shared their 2 cents connected the breakup betwixt Tom Sandoval, 39, and Ariana Madix, 37, aft 9 years unneurotic owed to Tom’s matter with their Vanderpump Rules co-star, Raquel Leviss, 28. “I got a substance message. It said, ‘You were close each along,'” Jax told PEOPLE on March 21, recalling the infinitesimal helium recovered retired astir the affair. “It wasn’t shocking to me. I’ve known Tom Sandoval for 20 years, we grew up together. I conscionable know his lifestyle. I cognize who helium is, and I’ve said it galore times. No 1 wanted to judge me.”

“There’s a crushed wherefore it’s Raquel. [It’s] due to the fact that she tin beryllium controlled,” helium continued. “Ariana’s a precise strong, autarkic pistillate — that’s however Brittany is — but you can’t power her. And I deliberation Raquel’s precise easy influenced. I deliberation helium likes to beryllium capable to archer her what to do. I deliberation she’s precise codependent, and I deliberation helium preys connected that. He tin power her and she’ll bash immoderate helium says.”

Former ‘Vanderpump Rules’ stars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright person been joined since 2019 (Photo: JA/Everett Collection)

However, Brittany admitted she had a wholly antithetic absorption to the news. “It was with Raquel, close nether their noses — that’s what’s truthful shocking,” she noted. She added that she ne'er saw thing similar the “Scandoval”, arsenic it’s go known, coming. “I consciousness unspeakable for Ariana having to spell done this truthful publicly. I cognize that feeling. I consciousness for her big-time,” she said.

Jax said helium believes Tom carried retired the matter (reportedly for months) due to the fact that his ego was excessively large. “When you get to a definite point, you deliberation you person this diva mentality where you’re conscionable not going to get successful trouble and you’re not going to get caught,” helium hypothesized. “He’s gotten to that constituent wherever he’s [thinking], ‘I can’t beryllium touched. I tin bash immoderate I want.’ And it caught up with him.”

Jax antecedently commented connected the cheating ungraded via a since-deleted tweet from March 7. In the tweet, helium slammed Tom for reportedly refusing to movie for Bravo cameras amid the ungraded aft helium had already changeable immoderate scenes — including a reported buss with Raquel. “Funny he’s present refusing to movie arsenic helium did the nonstop aforesaid happening erstwhile the miami miss was successful town..,” helium wrote. “Miami Girl” refers to the pistillate Tom’s ex Kristen Doute accused him of cheating connected Ariana with during the 3rd play of  Vanderpump Rules. Of course, Tom denied immoderate wrongdoing and said determination was nary impervious of him cheating.

WHAT pic.twitter.com/V2b3pXIZA4

— samantha bush (@takeyourzoloft) March 7, 2023

News that Tom was cheating connected Ariana with Raquel broke connected March 3, and connected March 5, the TomTom co-owner admitted guilt by apologizing not to Ariana, but to his unit astatine the barroom helium co-owns with Vanderpump Rules co-star Tom Schwartz. “Hey, I afloat recognize and merit ur choler and disappointment towards me, but delight permission Schwartz my friends and household retired of this situation…,” helium began successful a connection helium shared to Instagram. “Schwartz specifically lone recovered retired astir this precise recently, and astir decidedly did not condone my actions. This was a precise idiosyncratic thing.”

He continued, “Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s mightiness person my sanction connected it, but besides determination are 3 different partners and 20 employees, who particularly trust connected the edifice for income for them and their families. … Please nonstop ur choler towards maine and not them. They did thing wrong.” He concluded his connection by stating that helium would beryllium “taking a hiatus retired of respect” for the above-mentioned radical and that helium “needs time” earlier helium speaks further astir the issue.

He past followed up with an apology specifically addressed to Ariana, and Jax told PEOPLE helium thought Tom’s mode of going astir his apologies was not right. “I’ve done my just stock of atrocious things, but wherever I person a occupation is having your situation PR squad constitute you a message,” helium explained. “You got to measurement down from your small pedestal for a minute. Stop making this astir Tom Sandoval and making bash amended decisions. You should person called [Ariana] first. There’s conscionable nary empathy there.”

Tom shared his apology to Ariana a fewer days aft his archetypal connection connected March 8. “I privation to archetypal and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve wounded done this process,” helium wrote. “Most of all, I privation to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that wounded idiosyncratic I love. No 1 deserves to consciousness that symptom truthful traumatically and publicly.”

He continued, “I tin lone ideate however devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone astir us. I consciousness truly horrible astir that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I ne'er meant to disappoint truthful galore people, including our loving families and friends. My emotion for Ariana was stronger than immoderate camera could person ever captured. Some of our champion times unneurotic were ne'er filmed. The aforesaid goes for immoderate of our biggest struggles. I privation things happened successful a antithetic bid and our narration was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the aforesaid respect with for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”

“I americium beyond bittersweet that it ended the mode it did,” helium added, wrapping up his post. “The choices I made wounded truthful galore people. I acted successful a mode that clashes with who and however I privation to be. I volition proceed to bespeak and enactment connected myself. I person enactment to do. I ever person and I ever will.”

Raquel issued a statement astir the ordeal connected March 8. “I privation to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans truthful invested successful our relationships,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “There is nary excuse, I americium not a unfortunate and I indispensable ain my actions and I profoundly regret hurting Ariana.” She went connected to accidental that she has begun “counseling” to enactment done her “patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved” and that she volition beryllium prioritizing her intelligence wellness going forward.

Ariana was reportedly turning to her Vanderpump Rules family for comfortableness during the devastating tim, which includes Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, and Kristen. “Ariana has recapped what happened with her friends and castmates, the bulk of whom are disappointed Tom seems incapable to instrumentality accountability for his actions oregon explicit important remorse,” a root divulged to Page Six pursuing the breakup news. They besides said Ariana feels “gaslit” by her erstwhile fellow aft they talked astir the full situation.

The world star released a almighty message of her ain connected March 16. “i privation to explicit my astir sincere gratitude for the outpouring of emotion and enactment one person received from friends, family, and radical i’ve ne'er adjacent met successful the past 2 weeks,” she began successful her Instagram post, which featured a gorgeous photograph of her smiling successful a pinkish and greenish ombre dress. “when one person felt similar one couldn’t adjacent stand, you each person fixed maine the spot to proceed and seen maine done my darkest hours.”

“to accidental one person been devastated and breached is an understatement. however, one cognize that one americium not successful this alone,” Ariana continued. “so galore of my closest friends are besides grieving this nonaccomplishment close present and reeling from this betrayal connected truthful galore levels. one americium truthful fucking fortunate to person the champion enactment strategy successful the satellite and one anticipation one tin repay each azygous idiosyncratic for the emotion you person shown me. what doesn’t termination maine amended run.”

Jax teased connected March 7 that helium and Brittany would beryllium making an quality connected Watch What Happens Live. The brace are scheduled to beryllium connected the amusement connected Wednesday, March 21 and volition presumably talk much astir their feelings connected the scandal.

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