I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: though no one signed up for more Jax Taylor in 2024, Bravo’s soon-to-be Emmy award-winning suburban melodrama The Valley has managed to win us over. I love that producers promised us a show about new parents learning how to adult after a decade of partying and actually provided two slow-motion car crash divorces, a sad man parade, a pregnant tyrant squaring off against someone who looks and acts like a cartoon villain, and above all else the return of the art form that is Kristen Doute popping tf off. Sad to report that even though we asked very nicely, there will be no Valley reunion. But happy to report there is going to be a second season for the friend group messier than Janet’s pink-booted friend eavesdropping on her enemies’ conversation. Here’s everything we know about The Valley season 2 from the release date to the cast to who’s still friends with who going into filming.
The Valley Season 2 Release Date
While the official date is TBD, season one aired in March. With the cameras rolling again soon this summer, we can expect a similar if not sooner release date, given the anticipation.
Who’s coming back to The Valley season 2?
As of now, all of the cast is offered to return for a second season. This means Jax, Brittany, Jesse, Michelle, Kristen/Luke, Janet/Jason, Danny/Nia, Zack Wickham and Jasmine Goode will more than likely all return to The Valley. It seems likely that after all the coupling up this season, Jasmine’s girlfriend Melissa Carelli could appear more to support her.
Are Lala and Scheana joining The Valley?
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As of now, no, the door is closed. Alex Baskin, the mastermind showrunner behind Vanderpump Rules and The Valley (who took a lot of heat for encouraging the “Ariana must talk to Sandoval” narrative), told the Hollywood Reporter that while viewers will “continue to see crossover like you have…that cast is bursting at the seams. It’s not like we’re in need of additional cast members.” This means that Lala, Scheana, and any of the other underachievers from VPR are out of luck if they thought The Valley could be their job security plan B. Much like Doute gloats on Nick Viall’s podcast, I think we’re all v happy about Bravo not giving into certain cast members’ diva demands for a paycheck without actually clocking in for work.
The Valley Season 2 Storylines
Team Janet vs. Team Kristen
If we’re being honest not a single soul on planet Earth is Team Janet right now other than Jason Caperna. When Janet started the show, we thought she was going to be the voice of reason. But as soon as Kristen got upset and did what we tuned in to watch her do for eight seasons (spill the fucking tea), Janet morphed back into the bratty kid who kicked her mom out of the primary bedroom. Did I want to cosign Kristen after she shed her poor me tears for getting fired from VPR? No, I did not. But Janet pretending that she had simply *no idea* how making pointed comments about Michelle’s alleged conservative political beliefs could have translated to Kristen’s version was infuriatingly dense for a self-proclaimed gossip.
Bravo fans who have been in the active viewing game longer than Janet has been trying to claim her spot on Bravo have clocked Janet as one of the foolish few Bravolebs who seemingly try to outsmart the audience by overproducing story, which never ends well (just ask Lala Kent or Lisa Rinna). Janet also turned fans all the way off by throwing her pregnancy up as a shield throughout the season whenever it was convenient for her, especially during the finale where she told multiple people to watch their “tone” because she’s “growing a life.” While we loudly applaud any woman willing to push a watermelon out of her vagina by choice, if you sign up for a reality show and show up to film, you have to be able to embrace the drama that makes the show watch-worthy just as willingly as you run off to do the glamorous press tour to promote it. Posting a geotag should not be a health hazard.
By icing Kristen out, Janet (and Michelle) made fans feel the opposite of vanilla about the fact that we deserved to see Kristen on the show that was built around her comeback. Cutting legacy cast members out during your freshman season from a high horse of moral superiority only makes them more relatable and you just… not.
Is Jesse and Michelle’s Divorce Final?
After breaking up with Jesse three days after season 1 filming wrapped, Michelle’s mediator filed the divorce papers against Jesse sometime in March 2024. The hard-to-watch pair definitely has a lot to work out (Kristen Doute clarifying a rumor that Jax said on camera first is the least of their problems). We saw them fighting over their daughter’s custody schedule, their dog’s preferred food, and how to split up their entangled real estate business 50/50. Jesse wasn’t willing to sign anything until he hired his own lawyer, which he seemed to be dragging his feet on according to Michelle who wanted to be divorced “sooner rather than later.” So while their divorce isn’t final yet, by the time season 2 finishes up around the fall of 2024, they should be legally unbound (unless Jesse pulls a Jason Hoppy).
Brittany and Jax are dating other people
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As Jax blabbed to the world, he and Brittany are free to date whomever they want now that they are officially separated. Jax has been spotted with Paige Woolen, who he’s now trying to spin as just a friend. Brittany hasn’t responded to the tweet Jax deleted claiming she’s been sleeping with someone else. We saw the wild season finale heavily point toward a divorce for the couple which Jax had previously said wasn’t even an option. Will we see them try out dating next season? It would be an absolute catastrophic mess, which is to say, hopefully, yes.
Did Danny and Nia move to Santa Clarita?
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Currently, it looks like Danny and Nia haven’t landed on a new house in Santa Clarita or West Hollywood, as the couple is very active on Instagram and hasn’t posted any moving content. It seems like by the time the show picks up this summer they will have an answer on where to live and hopefully a happy update on Nia’s adjustment to raising three kids.
