Alex Baskin, the producer of The Valley and Vanderpump Rules, has opened up about the outpouring of backlash against Jax Taylor this season. Taylor has always been a controversial figure on reality television — it was clear why as early as the first season of Vanderpump Rules — but people recently began calling for his firing. Taylor stepped down from the show, which Baskin thinks could be a result of the backlash. He believes this is a good thing.

Jax Taylor exited ‘The Valley’ after two seasons

Just ahead of the season two finale of The Valley, Taylor announced he would not return for the third season.

“After an incredibly challenging year and many honest conversations with my team and producers, I’ll be stepping away from the next season of The Valley,” he said in a statement shared with Bravo’s Daily Dish. “Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting. Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself, especially for our son, Cruz.”

Many fans have celebrated the announcement. 

The producer of ‘The Valley’ thinks it was helpful for Jax Taylor to see the backlash

Baskin, who worked with Taylor on Vanderpump Rules and The Valley, said he thinks Taylor is making the right move by leaving. He believes the united negative fan reaction might have influenced Taylor’s decision. Many people have expressed concerns about having him on television, especially after he threw a table at his estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright.

“I think in some cases the response from the audience is a good thing, and I think it forces someone to assess where they are and what they might need to do,” Baskin told The Hollywood Reporter. “So I’m sure that played a role in it, because the audience was very clear, understandably, how they felt about the situation, and they were very clear too, that by large, they understood why he was on the show the entirety of the season, because we were documenting what happened, but they sort of separated that from their feelings about the appropriateness of him being on the show going forward. And certainly that’s something that we take into account, and he took it into account.”

Baskin agrees that Taylor should step away from the show, even if he hadn’t received such immense backlash.

“It’s hard to say whether or not he would have made that decision on his own but for the influence of the audience,” he said. “But the important thing is that he got there, and we all want him, and the audience included, to take care of himself.”

Alex Baskin talked about the possibility of Taylor returning to the series 

As Taylor framed his exit as “stepping away” from the series, some have wondered if he plans to return at some point in the future. Baskin said the production team is not considering this right now.

“Our thoughts first are we think that’s the right move for him to make, and we’re not thinking about what his future with the show looks like,” he said. “We’re A) focused on making our show, and B) it’s sort of up to him to do what he needs to do, to take care of himself, and then that impacts the rest of it. So we’re not having those conversations at this point.”

He hopes that Taylor puts himself in a “position to succeed in life,” but says that right now, his focus is on the remaining cast of The Valley.