'Vanderpump Rules' star Jax Taylor says Tom Sandoval should 'go hide somewhere' for a few months

• Speaking with Insider, Jax Taylor said Tom Sandoval should "go hide somewhere" and stop filming TV.
• Taylor is no stranger to "Vanderpump Rules" cheating scandals but has since settled into fatherhood.

Former "Vanderpump Rules" star and self-proclaimed "reformed" reality TV villain Jax Taylor (real name Jason Cauchi) has some advice for his one-time costar and former friend Tom Sandoval in the aftermath of Sandoval's cheating scandal — hide.

"I personally think he should step away from the spotlight for a minute," Taylor said in an interview with Insider in July. He clarified that he means Sandoval should "take a month or two and go hide somewhere."

Taylor said he believes the former SUR bartender, 40, thinks he's done that because he's been quieter on social media lately as he went on a cross-country tour with his band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras, this summer. But to the 44-year old married father, Sandoval's activities as of late still count as being in the public eye.

If he really wants a new start, Taylor said, Sandoval should "stay off social media," take a break from his band, "stay off a TV show, and just go fix yourself."

Sandoval was in the midst of filming "Vanderpump Rules" season 11 when Insider spoke to Taylor, who wouldn't confirm reports that he's in talks to star in a new "Vanderpump" spinoff of his own. Sandoval's participation in season two of Fox's "Special Forces" hadn't yet been announced at the time.

"Vanderpump Rules" was seeing declining viewership before March 3, 2023, the fateful day that news broke that Sandoval, a series regular on the show since season one, had cheated on his long-time partner and costar Ariana Madix with their close friend Rachel "Raquel" Leviss.

Madix and Sandoval had been together for about nine years and shared a home at the time of Leviss and Sandoval's months-long affair, dubbed "Scandoval" by viewers. Madix dumped Sandoval after she discovered sexually explicit photos of Leviss on Sandoval's phone during a Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras concert, TMZ reported.

The aftermath of Scandoval, which unfolded on camera as "Vanderpump Rules" producers quickly resumed filming, was widely covered by both entertainment-focused publications and mainstream news outlets like The New York Times and CNN. It catapulted Madix into the spotlight and effectively reinvigorated interest in the reality series ahead of its 11th season.

Taylor admitted to Insider that he doesn't have much of a "leg to stand on" when it comes to giving Sandoval advice because he's been at the center of more than one cheating scandal on "Vanderpump Rules" himself.

But since marrying his wife (and former "VPR" costar) Brittany Cartwright Cauchi in 2019 and welcoming their son Cruz in 2021, he's happily settled into family life and fatherhood. Taylor recently announced that he and Cartwright Cauchi are opening up their own sports bar, called Jax's, and he's also partnered with Xyon, a digital health company dedicated to helping men treat hair loss.

Taylor told Insider he was styling his hair for a photoshoot when he noticed he was "getting a little thin in the back on top," which made him feel "insecure." In a moment of panic before the shoot, he recalled taking a can of "Rust-Oleum spray paint" and spraying the back of his head to cover up his bald spot for the photoshoot.

After that, he connected with Xyon to find a healthier, permanent solution to the problem. He also said he wants to help erase the "stigma" surrounding men losing their hair.