The Bravo fandom was shaken on December 4 when Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright announced they would be walking away from the hit show that made them famous. The Vanderpump Rules stars revealed they made the “difficult” decision to leave the series to focus on their growing family and “future endeavors.”
Now a source is claiming that the couple’s friends were completely blindsided by the revelation. According to The Hollywood Life , no one on the Vanderpump Rules cast knew Jax and Brittany were walking away prior to their Instagram announcements. An insider told the outlet that Jax wanted to share the news on his own terms.
“This was Jax’s news to share and he chose to share it publicly very quickly — likely because this way everyone would know at the same time — and hear it straight from him,” the source said.
Tom Schwartz was reportedly disappointed in his pal for not sharing the news with him before it went viral.
“Schwartz especially was really upset that he wasn’t told ahead of time,” the insider revealed.
“He felt like Jax is more than just a cast member to him and was really upset that he didn’t call or text him. Several cast members felt it was calculated and wanted the courtesy to be prepared. They really had no idea it was happening and wanted a heads up. They all felt so blindsided.”
The rest of the gang is reportedly waiting to be given an update about their own futures on the series. Hollywood Life’s confidant noted that the show is in jeopardy due to the ongoing coronavirus health crisis and the current state of the restaurant business in California.
The only current Vanderpump Rules star who liked Jax and Brittany’s departure posts was Scheana Marie. Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute also gave the uploads double-taps, but both women were both famously let go from the Bravo hit earlier this year for their past racially insensitive behavior.
At this time, Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz, Katie Maloney-Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix have not liked or commented on either social media post. The five reality stars are suspected to still be employed by NBCUniversal, but no other announcements have been made regarding a Season 9 of the program.
The future of the series doesn’t look promising, however, now that the two of the OGs who made the show the juggernaut it is are no longer with the program. Stassi and Jax were the center of the drama year after year, and with both stars gone, the beloved reality hit might just be done for good.