Vanderpump Rules: Tom Sandoval Accuses Jax Taylor of Waiting to Fire Homophobic Wedding Pastor
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright‘s trip down the aisle hit a speed bump on Tuesday’s episode of Vanderpump Rules.
Two weeks before their wedding, word spreads that the Christian pastor they’d asked to officiate had posted things on social media about not supporting homosexuality. When Lisa Vanderpump — an outspoken advocate for gay rights — hears this, she phones the couple, who agreed to fire him, despite the fact that he is Brittany’s family friend. They tap ‘NSYNC’s Lance Bass to do the honors instead.
“In L.A., we kind of live in like this bubble, so whenever I go back home, there are people who believe all kinds of different things,” Brittany explains of her Kentucky town in a confessional. “Some people believe in way different politics than we do. There’s just so much you don’t really talk about, so whenever something like this gets brought up, it makes it very difficult, because I don’t want to disappoint anybody in my life.”
The issue? Best man Tom Sandoval and bridesmaid Ariana Madix are certain Jax and Brittany had known of the pastor’s homophobic remarks six months before they axed him. And Ariana, who came out as bisexual last season, feels especially “triggered” by his words.
“Nobody has said anything about it to either Jax or Brittany because I think everybody is just afraid of upsetting them,” she says.
Resolved to clear the air, Tom pulls Jax aside at Peter’s birthday party later.
“You know, I’ve read a lot about this pastor that you guys were gonna have,” he begins. “I’m wondering why it took Lisa coming to you guys about this guy — “
“No, no, no, I’m not talking about this,” he interrupts, walking away angrily. “I’m done. And it didn’t take Lisa. I’m not talking about this.”
Brittany, already tearful after seeing people making fun of her Disney princess-themed bridal shower on Instagram and Twitter, hits her boiling point.
“You do not know what I’ve been going through,” she tells Tom.
“Why are you f—ing trying to do something like this to somebody? Why are you trying to hurt somebody like that?” Jax demands.
Stassi Schroeder accuses Tom of “trying to make them look bad.”
“How dare you?” Brittany yells, denying Tom’s allegation that she chose to turn a blind eye to the pastor’s comments. “I chose to believe him, okay? This is my friend. I’m so sorry that I didn’t go back and look at comments from five f—ing years ago.”
Lala Kent, who was equally troubled by the pastor’s anti-gay stance, says it’s still “disgusting” for Tom to dredge things up after they’ve fired him and moved on.
“I just feel like it’s dangerous to have a group of friends where people are not allowed to speak up when they feel like something’s wrong,” he tells the camera. “It just pissed me off that Jax wasn’t standing up for his friends, for my friends, for the community that we’re a part of.
But Stassi isn’t having it. “You’re making yourself look like a martyr,” she tells him.
RELATED VIDEO: Vanderpump Rules‘ Jax Taylor Marries Brittany Cartwright: Inside Their Fairy-Tale Wedding
Meanwhile, Jax and Ariana are hashing it out.
“This is a topic that’s very sensitive,” he says.
“It’s also a topic that’s very sensitive to me, as a bisexual woman,” she replies.
Brittany is still furious with Tom. “I did nothing wrong, so f— you!” she cries.
Finally, Jax threatens to kick Tom out of the wedding party … again. Brittany has a more drastic solution. “I hope Jax knocks him out,” she says. “Knock him the f— out. I’m about to knock him the f— out.”
Despite the drama, it seems the group finds a way to put their issues aside: Tom stood by Jax’s side when he wed Brittany last June.
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
