Entertainment

This 'Vanderpump Rules' Couple Is Unexpectedly Spending The Holidays Together

by Emily Mae Czachor
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Hardly two weeks have passed since hundreds of thousands of Vanderpump Rules fans watched Jax Taylor admit to cheating on longtime girlfriend, Brittany Cartwright (with their mutual co-worker, no less, and in front of a whole crew of cameras). But it looks like forgiveness is in the air this holiday season, because, despite their infidelity woes, Taylor and Cartwright are spending Christmas together.

In an exclusive Dec. 23 interview with Us Weekly, Taylor — Bravo's reigning Casanova, if you will — confirmed that he and Cartwright would be celebrating the holidays with each of their families. That's no easy feat, considering Taylor and Cartwright originally hail from Florida and Kentucky, respectively. "We're gonna be spending Christmas in Kentucky," the 38-year-old reality star said, "and then, the day after Christmas, we're gonna go down to Florida, see my dad for a couple days."

No need for too much concern, though. In classic Vanderpump Rules fashion, the couple is planning to make a trip out of it. Post-family get-togethers, Taylor and Cartwright are planning to "shoot to Orlando and go to Disney," followed by a sun-kissed Miami vacay. "We're very fortunate, we work really hard, so if we usually want something, we buy it," Taylor told Us Weekly. "So this year, we decided to put everybody together and let's go on a trip."

Taylor outlined his jam-packed holiday tour in a cheery, exclamation-ridden tweet last Thursday, Dec. 21. "Excited to get out of LA!!" the tweet read. "Next stop, Kentucky, Miami, Tampa and Michigan. #tistheseason safe travels all!!"

Sherri Cartwright — Brittany's mother, who has plainly expressed her apprehensions about her daughter's relationship on the show — responded to Taylor's tweet with a similarly pleasant intonation. "Can't wait to see you guys tomorrow plus Kingsley & Monroe," Mama Cartwright wrote, referencing the duo's two dogs.

Taylor and Cartwright's joint holiday itinerary comes as a bit of a shock to conflict-happy Vanderpump enthusiasts, many of whom are still reeling from the culmination of the "did-he-didn't-he" adultery melodrama that has colored the first few episodes of the show's sixth season. (Just to clarify: he did.)

The truth came out after a vigorous bout of whispers suggested that Taylor had slept with fellow Sur employee Faith Stowers, despite his two-year relationship with Cartwright. Taylor tried to quash the rumors with a slightly above average poker face and less than convincing force of persuasion. Cartwright, of course, saw right through his deception.

And that isn't incredibly surprising, considering Taylor's history, both onscreen and off, of thinly-veiled, point-blank lies — especially when it comes to defending himself against an accusation of infidelity (a confrontation with which Taylor has probably had too much practice). You'd think, after all these years, he'd have gotten the hang of it.

Taylor's recurring infidelity has been a major Vanderpump plot point since the show's inaugural season, when he cheated on then-girlfriend Stassi Schroeder and proceeded to craft a layered, elaborate lie to cover up the dirty deed. Sure enough, the truth came out, and Taylor was branded a maybe-sociopath in addition to a chronic cheater.

Then came Cartwright: a down-home Kentucky-bred farmer's daughter with a charming Southern accent and a sugary-sweet disposition, who not only won over the famously prickly members of Sur's waiting staff, but had also (supposedly) inspired a reformed Taylor to clean up his act. So, when Taylor's confession broke — and the subsequent bout of suspicion it drummed up about the scope of his adultery — it seemed as though Cartwright was ready to call it quits on their relationship.

But, according to Taylor's Us Weekly interview, he and Cartwright have been "working through it" and are "in a good place right now."

For Cartwright, the road to relationship recovery isn't quite so simple. And, unsurprisingly, re-living it on the big screen only makes the process more difficult. Cartwright choked up during a Dec. 19 interview with E!'s Daily Pop, calling their relationship a "big-time work in progress."

"People act like I just let him do whatever and everything's OK, but it's not," she continued. "We're still having to work on things, we're still going through it every single day. And reliving it all is making it even worse."

So, will Taylor and Cartwright's Christmas excursion be the ticket to reconciliation? Only time will tell. But their stacked upcoming vacation plans certainly suggest that (compared to their onscreen screaming matches, at least) the couple might be on the mend.

Catch the latest installment of Taylor and Cartwright's burgeoning relationship drama on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST, courtesy of Bravo.