Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s argument about his cocaine addiction in ‘The Valley’ presents one of the most intense moments on Bravo.

During his time on Vanderpump Rules, Jax Taylor has been involved in various alarming incidents. He has a history of getting into trouble, including being caught stealing sunglasses in Hawaii. Additionally, he once admitted to getting a woman pregnant in Las Vegas while he was in a relationship with Stassi Schroeder. Moreover, he has been unfaithful to his now-estranged wife Brittany Cartwright with a former co-worker from SUR. However, the most troubling and darkest moment of his television career emerged in the recent episode of The Valley.

Season 2 of the show, which premiered last week, resumes the storyline following Taylor and Cartwright’s separation. Prior to the cameras rolling again, their relationship had deteriorated significantly. Taylor discovered that Cartwright had been involved with someone within their circle of friends, triggering an intense emotional reaction from him. Allegedly, Taylor’s anger escalated to the point where he reportedly caused harm by flipping a coffee table that struck Cartwright while their son Cruz was in another part of the house.

Now, with Cartwright preventing Taylor from seeing Cruz, he made the decision to seek help by admitting himself to a 30-day mental health treatment program costing $30,000. The first on-camera interaction between the former couple in the current season, featured in the latest episode, was incredibly challenging to witness.

Let us paint the harrowing picture: Cartwright arrived to the home she once shared with Taylor with their 4-year-old son in tow. Picture frames displaying family photos were turned around. The security cameras were covered with playing cards. The apples in the fruit basket were moldy and old. And the fridge was stocked with a lipstick-stained cup.

When Taylor arrived to the house, he immediately went to hug and kiss his son — who dropped to the ground and started crying when he saw his father. Cartwright, who caught one of Taylor’s female “friends” leaving their house on the security cameras the night before, stopped her ex-husband from kissing Cruz on the face, citing the “disgusting girl” he had over hours earlier as the reason why. According to Cartwright, the one rule of their separation was that he wouldn’t bring anyone back to their home — but he broke that rule out of spite when he found out Cartwright was talking to his friend.

What unfolded was painful to watch, even for someone who doesn’t know them personally. Taylor accused Cartwright of destroying his life. He yelled at her for not paying any bills — which she denied — and he gaslit her with sayings like, “You need help,” and, “If you were that miserable, you would’ve left years ago,” and, “I’ll never forgive you for this.” Taylor even tried to make Cartwright look bad for not “checking in” on him like he asked.

Even when Cartwright brought up his cocaine addiction (which he is currently sober from) for the first time on-camera, he tried to turn it around on her by hinting that she too had tried the drug. “I’m not saying I never have. You are the one who has the addiction. Give me a drug test right now. I will pass, will you?” Cartwright savagely asked, leaving Taylor in a guilty silence.

When reality TV is done right, the cameras should feel like an invisible presence in the room. Nothing should feel performative or inauthentic. What Cartwright and Taylor offered last night was some of the most gut-wrenching, raw reality TV content I’ve seen in a long time — especially for two people who have been in the game for years and could easily figure out a way to hide the ugly truth. But they didn’t do that. They let viewers see the most toxic parts of their marriage — even if the outcome makes one of them (Taylor) look worse than he ever has before. Our hearts broke for Cartwright, our blood boiled at the way Taylor spoke to her — and when a TV show about other peoples’ lives can elicit that kind of physical response, it should probably earn the network its next Emmy nomination.

While this could be considered one of the darkest moments to air on Bravo, it certainly put the “real” back in “reality TV.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

The Valley airs Tuesday nights at 9/8c on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.