In a shocking turn of events that has sent shockwaves through The Valley cast and crew, leaked text messages obtained by DailyMail+ expose a covert alliance between Jesse Lally and Jax Taylor, seemingly orchestrated to undermine Nia Booko’s credibility and image. The messages — exchanged just weeks before the Season 2 reunion taping — suggest that Jesse not only defended Jax in private but actively encouraged him to publicly attack Nia’s character, claiming her composed on-screen persona was “strategic, not sincere.”
According to screenshots verified by multiple production sources, Jesse texted Jax:
“Her peace act is a lie. You need to hit her before she hits us. Expose her before she exposes us.”
The messages appear to reference Nia’s growing frustration with Jax’s storyline, particularly his repeated targeting of her family, husband Danny Booko, and even their newborn. But Jesse’s tone in the messages reveals something far more unsettling — a calculated campaign to discredit one of the show’s most composed and popular figures before she could turn the narrative against them.
“She’s got the audience in the palm of her hand,” Jesse wrote. “And she knows it. One teary moment and we’re the villains.”
Another message reads:
“She’s not as clean as she looks. She’s feeding producers angles off-camera — she’s always two moves ahead. Don’t let her play you like Sandoval did.”
The leak has left cast members stunned, especially given Jesse’s public attempts to stay neutral throughout most of Season 2. Privately, however, these messages suggest Jesse viewed Nia not as a co-star, but as a threat to both his and Jax’s remaining relevance on the show.
A source close to production tells DailyMail+ that the texts were uncovered by a crew member who was “deeply uncomfortable” with the tone of the exchange. “This wasn’t just gossip,” the source said. “It was a deliberate strategy to manufacture a takedown. They were talking about her as if she were a political opponent — not a colleague.”
What makes the messages even more disturbing is the use of the word “us.” Insiders say Jesse feared that Nia, who had begun documenting behind-the-scenes moments on her own terms, might bring forward off-camera receipts that would cast both men in a damning light.
“They were scared of what Nia might reveal,” the source continued. “So the goal was to discredit her first — publicly, and preemptively.”
Fans are already reacting with outrage online, with many calling the exchange “manipulative,” “cowardly,” and “deeply misogynistic.” One comment reads: “Jesse and Jax teaming up to take down a woman for being calm and protective of her family? That’s not strategy — that’s fear masked as masculinity.”
Meanwhile, Nia has not issued a public statement, but a source close to her says she was “not surprised” by the leak. “She’s known for months that certain people were trying to provoke her,” the insider revealed. “But she chose not to bite. Now it’s clear who was really behind the whispers.”
As for Bravo, sources say producers are now reviewing reunion footage to determine if Jesse’s remarks crossed a line — and whether any of the targeted attacks on Nia’s character were influenced by this off-camera collusion. One producer reportedly called the leak “a PR nightmare waiting to happen.”
Jax, for his part, has not denied the messages — but has allegedly told cast members the leak was “out of context” and that he was “venting.”
But Jesse’s language paints a different picture. One final text, sent just days before filming, reads chillingly:
“She wants to be the face of integrity? Let’s show them the side she hides when the cameras are off.”
With Season 3 still in limbo and tensions boiling over, this leak may have just shattered any remaining illusion of peace within The Valley — and turned Jesse Lally from a background player into the most divisive man in reality TV.
