Jax Taylor Is 'Dreading' His Portrayal in Season 2 of The Valley: 'It's Going to Be Really Bad'

"It was a really, really, really tough year for me," the reality star tells PEOPLE. "The only reason I'm still standing right now is because of my son"

Jax Taylor isn't looking forward to watching himself on the next installment of The Valley.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE at the season two premiere of the Bravo show, the reality star, 45, admitted he was "dreading" how fans will see him once the series begins airing.

"The last thing in the world I want right now is for you guys to see what happened to me last year," he explained. "But I gotta look at the silver lining, you know? I hope to help out somebody that's going through what I'm going through. I think men's mental health is kind of looked over. I want to share my story."

In February 2024, Jax and his ex Brittany Cartwright announced their decision to separate after four years of marriage, with Brittany filing for divorce in August of the same year. Shortly after, Jax checked into an in-patient facility in September 2024 and revealed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD. Then, in March, Jax opened up about his long-standing battle with cocaine addiction.

"It's going to be bad. It's going to be really, really bad," Jax told PEOPLE of the events that will unfold on screen. "But you got to remember, this was shot a year ago. Everyone's in a different place. Everything's different now, different relationships, different dynamics."

He noted how he hit "rock bottom" in his life while actively "going through a divorce, losing my house, going to rehab twice, being diagnosed with bipolar, OCD, PTSD, figuring out my friend was sleeping with my ex-wife, losing friends... Losing my son [Cruz]."

"It was a really, really, really tough year for me. The only reason I'm still standing right now is because of my son," he continued. "There were some dark moments where I was just like, I don't want to be here anymore. But I could never be that selfish and do that to my kid."

(L) Jax Taylor holds his son Cruz and Brittany Cartwright.

"I just couldn't. I want my son to see 'You know what? My dad went through a hard time. He was sick, but he worked his ass off for me to be here today,' " he added.

In addition to Taylor and Cartwright, The Valley season 2 will see the return of Danny Booko, Nia Booko, Luke Broderick, Kristen Doute, Jason Caperna, Janet Caperna, Jasmine Goode, Jesse Lally, Michelle Saniei and Zack Wickham.

Jasmine, Michelle and Zack’s significant others — Melissa Carelli, Aaron Nosler and Benji Quach — will appear as friends and Vanderpump Rules alums Lala Kent, Tom Schwartz, Scheana Shay and Brock Davies will also return.

The Valley season 2 premieres Tuesday, April 15 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.