For reality TV fans, The Valley has brought an honest look at the lives of former Vanderpump Rules stars as they try to evolve beyond their party-hard personas. But for Jax Taylor, personal growth doesn’t come without confronting his past—and that includes one painful chapter he hasn’t been able to close.
Jax Taylor’s fallout with former friends Stassi Schroeder and Beau Clark is still haunting him. Although nearly three years have passed since the drama around their Italian wedding, Jax says he’s still “scared” to reach out, especially to Beau. And as Season 2 of The Valley premieres on Bravo, this unresolved tension is taking on fresh weight.
Let’s take a deep dive into why Jax is struggling to make amends, how his addiction recovery plays into it, and why a destination wedding might have destroyed more than just friendships—it may have permanently fractured trust.
The Twelve Steps and The Weight of Making Amends
Sobriety Isn’t Just About Abstinence
In many 12-step recovery programs, including those for cocaine addiction like the one Jax Taylor is part of, Step Nine is a pivotal turning point: “Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” For someone like Jax, this means facing up to past harms caused not just by addiction, but by behaviors that fractured relationships.
Jax has admitted on his podcast, In the Mind of a Man, that making amends with certain people has been particularly hard—especially when it comes to Beau Clark.
I’ve tried to reach out,” he said. “I understand they’re upset with me over this wedding situation.”
The Italian Wedding Fallout: What Went Wrong?
A Destination Dream Turned Into Drama
To understand the present-day distance, you need to go back to 2022. Stassi and Beau, who had to postpone their dream wedding in Italy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were finally ready to celebrate with friends and family. They extended invitations to Jax Taylor and his wife Brittany Cartwright, believing the past was behind them.
But things didn’t go as planned.
Despite telling Stassi and Beau they would attend, Jax and Brittany ghosted the event at the last minute. Behind the scenes, Jax was allegedly texting Beau’s best friend Rob with a laundry list of reasons why they wouldn’t be able to make it.
Stassi recalled the moment everything clicked:
“To our faces, they’re telling us that they’re coming,” she said in May 2022. “But behind our back, [Jax] is texting Beau’s best friend that they’re not.”
Excuses, Excuses: The Passport and the Death in the Family
The reasons Jax and Brittany gave for missing the wedding varied—claims that their son Cruz didn’t have a passport, that there was a death in the family. But none of it softened the blow. What hurt most was the betrayal of trust.
And to make matters worse, Jax didn’t even get the chance to explain himself. His private messages were leaked by Beau’s best friend before he had a chance to tell Beau personally.
“Before I got to tell Beau, his friend Rob told him,” Jax admitted. “They got really upset. We have apologized. We sent them money. It just was really unfortunate how it all turned out.”
The Emotional Aftermath: Burned Bridges and Bitterness
Stassi Felt Deeply Betrayed
Stassi has never been shy about voicing her feelings. On The Toast podcast in 2023, she made it clear that Jax and Brittany’s absence hurt deeply—and not just because of the inconvenience.
“I do miss them at times. They hurt me — they really did … It feels like I can’t trust them anymore.”
What made the betrayal sting more was Jax’s attitude about their marriage. He reportedly said they had already attended their “first wedding,” referring to Stassi and Beau’s 2020 courthouse ceremony, which had been a last-minute COVID-era legal formality.
“We didn’t get to have one — we literally just signed papers in Katie Maloney’s backyard during my baby shower with less than 10 people,” Stassi clarified. “It wasn’t a wedding.”
Jax Feels the Weight of Guilt
Even now, Jax is candid about the fact that it was his fault.
“Was it my fault? Yeah, it was,” he admitted on his podcast.
But instead of facing Beau directly, Jax sends messages through mutual friends. The fear of rejection, or possibly judgment, keeps him from taking that all-important first step.
“I’m just nervous and I’m scared a little bit,” Jax confessed. “I just don’t think he wants to see me … And we’re getting older, so I’m not scared to say, ‘Hey, I miss the guy.’ So it just sucks.”
Friendship on Ice: Jax’s Current Relationship with Beau and Stassi
Polite From Afar
While the deep friendship may be fractured, things between Jax and Stassi seem relatively cordial. He’s run into her a few times, and she’s reportedly been kind—especially when congratulating him on his new bar.
“She’s always very kind to me. I know she talks to Brittany,” Jax said.
But when it comes to Beau? The silence is telling.
“Every time I see [mutual friends], I’m like, ‘Hey, can you tell Beau to call me and tell him I miss him. Tell him I want him to come to my bar because he would love my bar.’ And he is my friend.”
This kind of secondhand messaging feels safe for Jax—but it’s also preventing any real closure.
The Valley: A Platform for Reconnection?
Jax Wanted Beau and Stassi on The Valley
As part of his attempt to reconnect, Jax says he has “tried and tried” to get Stassi and Beau to appear on The Valley, Bravo’s reality show chronicling his post-Vanderpump life. But they won’t do it.
That decision likely reflects both professional distance and personal boundaries. Stassi and Beau have their own projects and clearly aren’t ready to revisit old drama for ratings.
“I wish I could weather that freaking storm,” Jax lamented.
But perhaps more than anything, Jax recognizes that his actions—intentional or not—have long-lasting consequences, even in the world of reality television where friendships and feuds come and go.
The Psychology Behind Jax’s Fear of Reconnecting
Why Is He So Afraid?
So what is Jax really afraid of?
Part of it may be pride. Jax has always presented himself as the alpha in any room, rarely vulnerable, quick to deflect. Admitting he messed up—truly owning the pain he caused—doesn’t come naturally.
But there’s also a real fear of being rejected. If he reaches out and Beau wants nothing to do with him, that’s final. That’s hard.
In a rare moment of emotional honesty, Jax admitted:
- “I’m scared. I just don’t think he wants to see me.”
- For someone recovering from addiction, where shame and regret are already heavy burdens, the idea of confronting someone you hurt—and being turned away—is terrifying.
Lessons in Forgiveness, Friendship, and Reality TV
Can the Rift Ever Be Repaired?
In Hollywood, broken friendships often make headlines—but genuine reconciliation rarely does. And in the world of Bravo, where storylines are shaped as much by editing as by emotion, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s performative.
But Jax appears sincere in his regret. The question is: will Beau and Stassi ever accept it?
Stassi has said she misses them. Jax has said he misses Beau. That’s a start.
Maybe someday, when the cameras aren’t rolling and the stakes are lower, these three can sit down, face-to-face, and finally move forward.
Conclusion: Fear Doesn’t Have to Be the End of the Story
Jax Taylor may be the bad boy of Vanderpump Rules turned semi-reformed dad and bar owner, but even tough guys have soft spots. And this one seems to be named Beau.
His journey through recovery, fatherhood, and now The Valley is filled with drama, but also humanity. Jax wants to grow, but he’s still haunted by mistakes he made during one of the most important times in his friends’ lives.
Making amends isn’t easy. It requires more than just words—it takes accountability, timing, and the willingness to face your worst moments. Whether or not Jax ever finds the courage to talk to Beau directly, one thing is certain: he’s not pretending the pain doesn’t exist.
And in a world of reality TV, that kind of emotional honesty is rarer than it should be.
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