Kristen Doute has kept her distance from former The Valley costar Jax Taylor after he stepped away from the series ahead of season 3. "I had him blocked for a while because I didn't want to be the recipient of the rage text," Kristen, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly on Saturday, November 2025, while attending BravoCon 2025 in Las Vegas. "I decided to unblock him just in case I needed to be there [as] a buffer for Brittany [Cartwright]. I haven't heard from him in months." Jax, 46, took a step back from The Valley, which he helped create as a spinoff to Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, in light of his mental health struggles, substance abuse issues and ongoing divorce from Brittany, 36. (Brittany filed for divorce in 2024, revealing earlier during BravoCon weekend that it's nearly settled.) "He's been very silent, which is really nice," Kristen told Us of Jax's communication with the group. "It was just a relief to not have him around. It was just a really dark cloud for so many years, but especially last year, that I think Brittany definitely needed that break - but we all did." The Valley's Luke Said It Would Be 'Dangerous' to Bring Jax Back Before Exit Kristen's fiancé, Luke Broderick, chimed in to note that "everything was just lighter" without Jax on set. "It was a lot easier to have fun without him around," Luke, 33, told Us on Saturday, revealing whether Jax will eventually return to the show. "I would bet that he will at some point. We'll put it that way. ... I just don't think he can stay away." Kristen, meanwhile, stated that she'd "rather [Jax] not" come back to The Valley at this moment. "I'd like to see some major change, and I don't think that can happen in one year, maybe in two," she said. Kristen Doute. Rich Polk/Bravo While Jax won't appear on season 3 of The Valley, the crew is getting some new company in fellow VPR alums Tom Schwartz and Lala Kent. "I loved it. Thank God we'd made up, like, maybe a few months before that. Having another mom on the show of young children ... and someone that I've known for 10 years, and really rekindling our friendship on a much deeper level was really nice for me," Kristen, who welcomed daughter Kaia earlier this year, said of her new costar Lala, who became a mom of two in 2024. "We had some hard conversations at times because she's friends with Janet [Caperna]. I'm not friends with Janet." She continued, "Lala's opinions are very, very strong, as are mine, but her delivery is a lot more gentle with me. I think, when she wants to stand her ground on something, I'm willing to listen." Janet and Jason Caperna Tease 'The Valley' Without 'Volatile' Jax Taylor As for Lala, 35, she told Us in a separate interview that it was equally nice to reconnect with Kristen. "I'm excited for you guys to see friendships that become revived," Lala said in a Saturday interview. "It's fun. Gosh, I don't want to spill too much." Jax Taylor. Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for LA Art Show Lala's appearance on The Valley comes after a tough decision to sign on in the first place. "I was extremely hesitant after coming off of [VPR] season 11. I don't care about hate, but that was a different level, and it taught me a lot," Lala told Us. "So when the offer came to be, it was like, 'I don't know if I want to do this,' but then at the end of the day, I love doing this. It was kind of a no-brainer. Once I sunk into it, I had a blast."