If there were an Olympic event for turning a simple Instagram post into a full-blown controversy, Jax Taylor might just take home the gold.
The former “Vanderpump Rules” and “The Valley” star found himself in another self-created mess after claiming a partnership with Smartwater that the brand says never existed. What started as a poolside thirst trap quickly turned into deleted posts, a lengthy explanation, AI accusations, Brittany Cartwright receipts, and even Kristen Doute joining the pile-on. In other words, just another week in the world of Jax.
Jax Taylor Says the Fake Smartwater Partnership Was an ‘Honest Mistake’
Jax Taylor via Instagram
The drama kicked off when Jax posted a photo lounging in a pool with a bottle of Smartwater sitting beside him.
“It’s been one heck of a hot summer … Staying hydrated with [Smartwater],” he wrote before later adding the hashtag “partner.”
The post didn’t stay up for long.
After Smartwater confirmed it was not working with Jax, he deleted the post and shared a lengthy statement explaining that he believed he’d accepted a legitimate campaign through a third-party influencer platform.
“A few weeks ago I accepted what I believed was a legitimate campaign opportunity through a third-party influencer platform, as many creators use. I received the offer, emails, creative brief, and deliverables. I trusted a platform that turned out not to be legitimate. As soon as I was notified that the campaign was unauthorized, I removed the content immediately. I have never and would never intentionally misrepresent a partnership.”
Fair enough… until the statement took a hard left into blaming Brittany.
Jax accused his ex-wife of making the situation worse by responding publicly.
“What’s been the most upsetting is seeing an honest mistake become pure entertainment in an attempt to humiliate me. My ex-wife chose to publicly mock me and embarrass me instead of handling it privately. Regardless of where we stand personally, we’re still the parents of a young child, and there should be a certain level of respect.”
He went on to claim he’d stayed quiet despite criticism over the past several months.
“What hurts the most is feeling like no matter how hard I work to rebuild my life, move forward or earn new opportunities, there are constant attempts to tear those opportunities away,” he wrote. “Brittany has directly contacted networks and brands in an effort to stop me from working and to prevent me from getting opportunities, affecting my ability to earn a living. I never wanted to make any of this public, but there’s only so long I can stay silent when she continues to lie about so many things and doesn’t ever seem to stop.”
He also shared screenshots that he said supported his version of events.
Brittany Cartwright Brings the Receipts — and Kristen Doute Joins In
Brittany wasn’t about to let the story end there.
She explained that she first learned about Smartwater’s response after opening a direct message live while recording her podcast.
“I opened that dm LIVE while recording a podcast. Blame people for their awful actions, not the person who is having to live with it daily. I’m done.”
Then came what Brittany clearly considered the real plot twist.
She shared what appeared to be an uncropped version of one of Jax’s screenshots that displayed the VideoForce.ai website across the top.
“A couple things purposefully left out of that ridiculous statement clearly written by a ‘publicist,'” Brittany wrote, seemingly taking aim at Lori Krebs.
“I’m the one who REALLY has stayed quiet. Keep blaming me with no accountability for your own actions. Not anymore. They forgot to crop out the ‘made by AI’ in the texts they threatened me with. And now the whole lie to cover it up… please. I speak facts and truth. Always. Leave my son out of your ridiculous statements.”
She also appeared to reference recent headlines involving Jax and Lori, writing, “The countless ‘sources’ and fake accounts is hardly staying quiet.”
Kristen wasn’t about to sit this one out, either.
She reposted the screenshot and wrote, “He sent this to someone.. forgot to crop out the AI part,” adding a face-with-hand-over-mouth emoji.
Another message she shared pointed out that “the top right corner indicates the user is logged in as ‘JT.'”
Smartwater Says It Never Worked With Jax Taylor
As fans tried to piece everything together, one Reddit user reached out directly to Smartwater.
The message read, “Hello. I just saw that you are partnering with Jax Taylor. Please know that this looks awful for your company, as he has a long history of abuse and disgusting [behavior]. This partnership does not reflect well on you.”
Smartwater responded with a statement that left little room for interpretation.
“Thank you for reaching out. Smartwater has no relationship with Jax Taylor. He is not a brand ambassador, and his content is not authorized by or affiliated with the company.”
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“No matter how hard I try to rebuild my life” yeah having an affair with your and your ex wife’s paid employee who became like family is NOT working toward ANYTHING positive. Blame the woman who believed in you far more than any other person including your mom. This man has gotta be satans spawn, im telling you!
Chat got lot wrote that stmt