Brittany Cartwright Opens Up About the Longstanding Challenges in Her Marriage to Jax Taylor and the True Reason for Their Split
Brittany Cartwright has finally shared the real reason behind her shock split from husband Jax Taylor.
Speaking to Dailymail.com, the reality star said that her separation from Jax has nothing to do with the couple’s return to reality TV in Bravo’s The Valley.
Instead, she explained how the birth of their first child Cruz in 2021 made her reevaluate her marriage to the controversial Vanderpump Rules villain.
Brittany, 35, and her spouse, 44 — who recently celebrated Easter together — announced their separation in February after nearly five years of marriage.
‘Jax is Jax, whether he’s on TV or not on TV – that’s something everybody needs to understand,’ she said.
The Valley’s Brittany Cartwright has finally shared the real reason behind her shock split from husband Jax Taylor in an interview
The 35-year-old explained how the birth of their first child Cruz in 2021 made her reevaluate her marriage to the controversial Vanderpump Rules villain
The reality star confessed that ‘having a child really woke me up’ and made her see her marriage and future in a different light
‘So for me, it was just kind of like taking up for myself. Having a child really woke me up and lifted a veil a little bit of what I deserve and what I am going to put up with for the rest of my life,’ she continued.
‘It wasn’t because we were on a TV show. It was just because of the way we were interacting with each other time after time after time.
‘And I just knew that I had to … figure out what I want to do for my future and make things a super positive living situation for my son. That’s all that I care about.’
Brittany also admitted that the couple came under financial strain when they were fired from Vanderpump Rules in 2020 – which contributed to fractures in their marriage.
‘It was definitely a difficult time in our relationship,’ she confessed.
‘It kind of shifted gears where I became the breadwinner because I was still working, I was doing commercials and different brand deals,’ she continued.
‘I was super lucky to have all that happen for me, but Jax wasn’t having the same stuff happening for him. So it was a big shift in our relationship that kind of took a toll for a while.’
‘Jax is Jax, whether he’s on TV or not on TV – that’s something everybody needs to understand,’ Brittany stressed
‘I had to figure out what I want to do for my future and make things a super positive living situation for my son,’ the Kentucky-born beauty said
Brittany landed a lucrative endorsement deal with weight loss company Jenny Craig in 2022 that was worth a a rumored $2million.
The Kentucky-born waitress also had a huge clothing collaboration with fast fashion retailer Cupshe.
Jax and Brittany are currently starring in the Vanderpump Rules spin-off The Valley.
The dramatic series follows the pair, as well as Kristen Doute and other members of their friend group, as they navigate married life and parenthood in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley.
Brittany recently shared the details of a ‘horrible fight’ she had with estranged husband Jax that led to their separation.
She told Andy Cohen on Tuesday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live: ‘We just had a horrible fight and it was like a veil was lifted, and I noticed everything wrong.’
Brittany added, ‘You know they always say a woman can hit her breaking point and it’s hard to come back from that’.
Brittany also admitted that the couple came under financial strain when they were fired from Vanderpump Rules in 2020, which left her to become the ‘breadwinner’ of the marriage
While Brittany was able to land lucrative endorsement deals with brands like Jenny Craig after leaving Vanderpump Rules, Jax wasn’t as fortunate
She said the fight was caused by her going out with friend and The Valley co-star Kristen Doute one evening.
‘He kind of woke up one morning and was mad that I went out with Kristen the night before, and kind of made up a story in his own head and started a fight about something that never happened,’ she shared.
‘It got to the point where we fought about everything… it could be about anything at that point,’ she added.
‘It was just a very toxic situation that I felt like I needed to remove myself from.’
As for their current relationship status, she shared: ‘[We’re] still separated. [I’m] still in the Airbnb.’
When Andy asked, ‘Was there infidelity?’ after cast members on The Valley previously hinted that Jax may have cheated on the star, she replied, ‘Not that I’m aware of.’
‘I don’t think so, I really don’t think so,’ she added after a second.
Brittany shared the details of the ‘horrible fight’ she had with Jax that led to their separation
‘We just had a horrible fight and it was like a veil was lifted, and I noticed everything wrong,’ she told Andy Cohen on Tuesday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live
Vanderpump stars attend bday bash for Brittany Cartwright’s son
Andy then asked about the speculation from the other cast members about Jax cheating, to which Brittany replied, ‘I did all the digging. We made sure that wasn’t true.
‘Janet from The Valley, she like dove in and was like “no, no, no let’s figure everything out” so we already knew that wasn’t true by that point.’
‘I feel like there’s always rumors about Jax, no matter what,’ she added.
Andy also questioned Brittany about her and Jax’s 𝓈ℯ𝓍 life, after she previously wondered if her spouse was still attracted to her and claimed they ‘never have 𝓈ℯ𝓍’.
‘You say that the 𝓈ℯ𝓍 had gotten less and less. Can you pinpoint when that happened? Was that after Cruz was born?’
‘A little bit before, kind of like when we made the 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 we were good and then, you know,’ she said.
She went on to state that couples therapy is something she has said ‘needs to happen,’ but that they have not gone yet.
The star did give her ex praise when it came to co-parenting their nearly three-year-old son Cruz.
‘Jax is a great father, I’ll give him that. That’s our main priority, no matter what.’
Despite their separation, the duo have been seen together during recent outings in Los Angeles.
‘You know they always say a woman can hit her breaking point and it’s hard to come back from that,’ she added
She said the fight was caused by her going out with friend and The Valley co-star Kristen Doute one evening
Brittany Cartwright makes a splash with Bachelor vets in Cabo
On Sunday the pair put their differences aside to come together and spend Easter as a family in Los Angeles.
Earlier this month they arrived separately to a March Madness party at Jax’s eponymous bar and restaurant.
They have also been obligated to spend time together while promoting The Valley, and as co-parents on their adorable son Cruz, who turns three next month.
Last month, she told DailyMail.com that she’s still ‘very much’ in love with her ‘handsome’ husband and is hoping to expand their family.
Speaking at the premiere party for The Valley, she said: ‘I feel like I see Jax across the room and I’m like, “He looks so handsome.” I still love him very much. It’s a hard time, right? It’s still fresh, so yeah, it’s still fresh.
‘I don’t even know what it would mean for somebody to capture my heart now. I think it just is like, I don’t know. It’s too early to even think about.’
She continued: ‘I am still living in an Airbnb. Still taking my time for myself, trying to figure out what I want to do, if I want to go back into that relationship or if I decide I want to do something else.’
‘And I never, ever, ever thought I would get to that point because I have literally been Jax’s ride or die.’
The Valley is the former couple’s long-awaited return to the Bravo universe and will document their crumbling marriage
The highly-anticipated series is available on Bravo, Peacock and Hayu
Brittany previously reconciled with Jax in 2017 after it was revealed that he had cheated on her with their costar Faith Stowers.
She said she ‘stuck by him’ through their tumultuous times but said continuous fighting in front of their young son was the final straw for her to break away.
‘Everybody knows that he did me dirty so many times and I still stuck by him,’ she said. ‘But after having my son, I think it woke me up a little bit and made me realize what I deserve and what he deserves.
‘And a happy home is more important than trying to constantly make things work. Cruz doesn’t deserve to see his parents fighting. That’s not okay. And Jax is a great dad. He’s just not a great husband.’
She continued: ‘And I’m not perfect either. I was turning into a b**chy Brittany, which I’m not, because it was just every single thing that he was doing was annoying me, making me mad.
Brittany and Jax started dating in 2015, two years before he admitted to infidelity.
But they stayed together and got engaged in 2018, married in June 2019 and welcomed their son Cruz in 2021.
They remained together until last month, when Brittany revealed that she had separated from her husband during an episode of the their podcast, When Reality Hits.
Vanderpump Rules alums trade bottle service in West Hollywood for 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 bottles in brand new series The Valley, available to stream only on Hayu internationally, the same day as the US, and Bravo and Peacock in the US