Jax Taylor of "Vanderpump Rules" fame is facing backlash after stating that the coronavirus is "punishment" from God. The 40-year-old reality TV star caused the stir when he expressed his views in a post to Twitter.
"I know a lot of good people are out of work and are having a rough time and that sucks and I am sorry, but I feel like this is a punishment from the man upstairs," he wrote. "I really think he's tired of the way we treat people, he's tired of how we treat the planet, probably thinks some of us are ungrateful, I mean I could go on and on."
Taylor said he felt the pandemic was a much-needed "time out" for the world and it would ignite change.
"All of us need a wake up call, we need to change our ways because obviously it wasn't working and we needed a punishment and this is it," he continued, adding that the "true test" would be how humanity emerged from the outbreak. He further stated that it would be important to remember "what it was like when our freedom was taken from us."
"Let's show the man upstairs that we can do better for ourselves and humanity. He's done so much for us, it's time to pay him back," Taylor concluded.
The remarks caused outcry among his followers.
"Huh, weird that god would punish the elderly, cancer patients, healthcare professionals, etc and yet for some reason spare self-obsessed reality tv sociopaths. He truly works in mysterious ways," one user commented.
"Please, please, please never forget that you are the last person that should ever be a voice of reason. Go have some beer cheese and wings and let the adults handle things," wrote another follower.
A third questioned Taylor's religious stance.
"Ummm....since when did you become religious?! How about some self-reflection as you are FAR from a saint. I saw others who commented & you blocked them. You are not sorry that others are out of work as you only care about yourself & are the ungrateful 1."
Taylor grew up in a religious family but did not feel the need to attend church to nurture his faith. That all changed when he and Brittany Cartwright became an item, Fox News reported.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.