Bravo Insider Exclusive!

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up for Free to View
The Daily Dish Producer Secrets

Vanderpump Rules Producers Discuss the Fallout Around Jax & Brittany’s Former Wedding Pastor

The show's producers are finally revealing everything they know about the controversy that rocked Season 8.

By Jessica Butler
Brittany Cartwright Calls Tom Sandoval "Not a Real Friend"

There has been no shortage of drama during Season 8 of Vanderpump Rules. We've seen so many defining moments, but the most controversial one yet revolved around Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's former pastor.

How to Watch

Watch Vanderpump Rules on Bravo Tuesdays at 8/7c and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.  

The pastor, who was originally hired to officiate the couple's wedding in June 2019, was exposed for making homophobic comments and posts online. The incident became quite a hot topic, both on and off-screen. To help us truly understand what happened, the producers of the show revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets about the entire situation in an enhanced episode of the February 18 episode, which aired on February 25.

First off, if you're wondering how some of the cast members initially found out about the posts, you're in luck. According to the VPR producers, Lisa Vanderpump learned of the pastor's comments after a tabloid article showed his posts and people tagged her on social media. "That led her to call Jax and Brittany," they say.

Similarly, the production team also learned of the pastor's comments when the tabloid article came out, and everyone in the group started sending them links.

For some people on the production team, the pastor wasn't a complete stranger. Members of the crew had spoken to him several years ago while filming Brittany and Jax Take Kentucky. "But nobody had interacted with him since then. We had not reached out to him yet about the wedding," say producers.

The situation soon became volatile and forced Jax and Brittany to defend one other — and themselves. For Brittany specifically, the drama caused her to hold her own — which was something the producers hadn't seen her do in her early VPR days. According to the crew, when Brittany first joined the show, "Jax would do all the talking and Brittany would just listen," adding, "Now she's much more confident and sure of herself."

Producers say, "Brittany is someone who never wants to offend or upset anyone ever. She also hates confrontation."

We're just glad this Twitter-induced nightmare is a thing of the past — and we're especially overjoyed that Lance Bass officiated Jax and Brittany's wedding in the end!

Want more Vanderpump Rules? New episodes air every Tuesday at 9/8 c or catch up on this season through the Bravo app.

Want the latest Bravo updates? Text us for breaking news and more!