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All The Friendship Connections Between The Valley and Vanderpump Rules, Explained
You might need a road map and a Pumptini for this one, as we explain how the cast of The Valley are linked to the Vanderpump Rules universe.
The setting of Bravo’s new show The Valley may not be West Hollywood, and many of the players may be new faces, but the castmates all have one big connection: They’ve been part of the Vanderpump Rules universe for years, even if off-camera.
Yep, we’re breaking down everyone on The Valley's connections to SUR, Lisa Vanderpump, and two of the Pump Rules OGs: Jax Taylor and Kristen Doute, ahead of the Spring 2024 series premiere.
How are Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
We first met Jax Taylor more than a decade ago, when Season 1 of Vanderpump Rules premiered on Bravo on January 7, 2013. He was a bartender at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR (Sexy Unique Restaurant).
Just like taking off his shirt to fight, Jax’s relationship dramas came fast and furious. In Season 2, he was accused of hooking up with The Valley castmate Kristen Doute while in an on-and-off relationship with Stassi Schroeder, and eventually confessed to the trysts. Kristen happened to be dating current Vanderpump Rules OG and SUR bartender Tom Sandoval, with whom Jax was a close friend. Jax was also buddies with Vanderpump Rules OG and SUR-ver Katie Maloney, and her boyfriend, Tom Schwartz.
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Eventually, Jax began dating his now-wife, Brittany Cartwright, in Season 4. Brittany became a SURver after moving to Los Angeles and moving in with Jax, where she became friends with Stassi, Kristen and Katie, as well as fellow SURver Scheana Shay and SUR hostess Lala Kent.
The couple weathered many ups and downs, including a cheating scandal and brief break-up in Season 6, before getting engaged in Season 7, then married on Season 8 of Vanderpump Rules.
Brittany and Jax left Vanderpump Rules after Season 8.
But the birth of their son, Cruz, in April 2021, solidified many friendships with castmates still on Vanderpump Rules, as Jax, Brittany, and Cruz have had play dates with Lala’s daughter, Ocean, as well as Scheana’s daughter, Summer Moon.
Jax has also stayed close to Schwartz since leaving Vanderpump Rules, and despite a rough patch with Sandoval during Jax's wedding that continued for years, a photo of Jax was snapped with the Toms at their restaurant Schwartz and Sandy’s in November 2023.
Schwartz said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that same month that “it felt really good to have them back together for the holidays, all warm and cozy.”
Jax and Brittany have also improved their friendship with another Vanderpump Rules cast member, Ariana Madix, when she and Sandoval broke up in March 2023 after a cheating scandal.
“For Jax, I feel like he’s gotten closer to Ariana through all of this drama,” Brittany said in May 2023.
We know Jax will return to Vanderpump Rules during Season 11, which began airing on January 30, 2024, and a preview shows Jax having an intense conversation with his former boss, Lisa Vanderpump, where he tells her, “You wrote me off,” so it remains to be seen the status of their relationship.
As for Jax and Brittany’s friendship with Katie? It appears to be off at the moment.
“She’s mean to my wife and I have a problem with that,” Jax said in a video uploaded to an Instagram fan page in October 2023. “She hasn’t returned calls and they haven’t talked in forever.”
How are Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
Kristen Doute was a OG SURver at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant when Vanderpump Rules premiered in 2013. She had up-and-down friendships with Stassi and Katie (the self-proclaimed Witches of WeHo even launched a spooky wine together) that weathered her affair with Jax, who had dated Stassi.
But by 2022, Stassi said, “I’m friends with Kristen but it’s not the same. We’re all going in different directions,” according to Heavy. The Witches of Weho also stopped marketing their alcohol beverage together.
Kristen was also in a long-term relationship with Sandoval, who she was dating when the show premiered. During Season 2, Kristen accused Sandoval of cheating with Ariana, and the two called it quits. Despite a frosty relationship with Ariana through most of her time on Vanderpump Rules, Kristen returned to be by Ariana’s side in the Season 10 finale, as Ariana dealt with the news of Sandoval’s betrayal. Despite all the odds, the pair are now close friends.
Kristen has also stayed close to Jax and Brittany even after all three left the show and has attended Cruz’s birthday parties as well as Jax’s birthday parties, US Weekly reported.
She’ll be introducing her boyfriend, Luke Broderick, on the series premiere of The Valley, after the two met at a wedding in Colorado in June 2022, according to Bravo. The two have also been vocal about their desire to start a family together.
How are Danny and Nia Booko connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
Stassi was right when she declared in 2013 on Vanderpump Rules that Jax “brings everyone together.” He’s still the glue on The Valley, bringing many of his friends into the fold in a new setting, including Danny Booko and his wife, Nia.
“Danny and Jax met on a night out in L.A. and instantly clicked when they realized they were both raised in Michigan with similar values,” Bravo said. It was through their relationship that Nia and Brittany also met and developed a friendship.
Danny and Nia have other Vanderpump Rules friendships as well. Danny posted a snapshot on Instagram of him, Brittany, and Schwartz celebrating Brittany’s 35th birthday on January 28, 2024, at Jax and Brittany’s bar, Jax’s Studio City.
Nia has also shared pictures on Instagram in January 2024 of a girls night with Kristen, Brittany, and The Valley castmate Jasmine Goode.
Nia, Danny, Brittany, and Jax also enjoyed a trip to Big Bear in September 2023 with fellow The Valley castmates Jasmine; Michelle Lally and her husband, Jesse; and Jason Caperna and his wife, Janet.
How are Jesse and Michelle Lally connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
Jax is also the link that brought Jesse Lally into both the Vanderpump Rules and The Valley circle of friends. The two have been buddies going back decades to when they modeled and lived together in New York. Now Brittany and Jesse’s wife, Michelle, are good friends as well. Jesse and Michelle even attended Jax and Brittany’s wedding at the Kentucky Castle in Lexington, Kentucky, in June 2019.
The Lallys also have other Vanderpump friend connections, as their daughter, Isabella Bunny, is best friends with Scheana’s daughter, Summer Moon Honey, and Lala’s daughter, Ocean.
Jesse also knows many of the SURvers, and took a ski trip to California’s Mammouth Mountain back in January 2020 with Vanderpump Rules regulars Sandoval and Schwartz. He also attended a Halloween party at Schwartz and Katie’s apartment back in October 2018.
How are Jason and Janet Caperna connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
Janet Caperna goes way back with Vanderpump Rules’ Scheana Shay. She even used to co-host Scheana’s Scheananigans with Scheana Shay podcast, and the two remain close friends. She was also a guest on Kristen’s Sex, Love, and What Else Matters with Kristen Doute podcast.
She’s now married to Jason Caperna, who will appear with her on The Valley.
The couple recently went out on the town (pre-baby, who was born in December 2023!) with castmates Michelle, Brittany, Jasmine ,and Nia, according to photos on Janet’s Instagram.
Janet celebrated a mutual friend’s baby at a baby shower in August 2023, with Scheana and Vanderpump Rules' Ally Lewber. She also partied with Lala and Brittany back in November 2022, and was there to celebrate Brittany’s birthday in Las Vegas in snapshots posted to her Instagram in January 2023.
How is Jasmine Goode connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
Another SURver alum will appear on The Valley as a friend — and she almost made appearances on Vanderpump Rules!
Jasmine Goode said on Scheana’s podcast, Scheananigans, she discussed possibly joining the cast back in 2020. Because of her SUR connections, we can assume she knows many of the Vanderpump Rules cast, including Jax, Brittany, and Kristen.
But that’s not the only link Jasmine has to Vanderpump Rules. She’s also getting help from The Valley’s Michelle Lally to build her real estate career, and she currently works with real estate firm Douglas Elliman.
How is Zack Wickham connected to Vanderpump Rules and The Valley?
Zack may not be a stranger to Vanderpump Rules diehard fans. He has briefly appeared in episodes of the show in the past, including Jax and Brittany’s wedding episode in Season 8.
It makes sense he'd be there for such an important event: Zack is Brittany’s best friend from college, according to his bio at The Valley. Brittany studied nursing at Eastern Kentucky University, where she was a cheerleader. Zack went to the University of Louisville, per LinkedIn.
Through Brittany, Zack has made connections with several other cast members from Vanderpump Rules, including Jax and Kristen. In fact, he's even appeared on Kristen's podcast to recap a Vanderpump Rules episode. He'll now be showing viewers more of his life as a friend on The Valley.
Watch the series premiere of The Valley in spring 2024 on Bravo.
