Per the docs obtained by Us, Cartwright listed their official date of separation as January 24. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce. She is seeking primary legal and physical custody of their 3-year-old son, Cruz, with visitation for Taylor. Cartwright does not want the court to award spousal support to either of them.
The filing comes days after Taylor finished his 30-day in-patient treatment for his “mental health struggles.” His rep told us in a statement, “Jax has spent the last 30 days in treatment and will be heading back home later this week. It’s been an emotional month for him and he’s most looking forward to spending time with his son.”
Taylor and Cartwright alluded to difficulties in their marriage earlier this year before officially confirming a separation.
“I think that we will have to address some rumors — just a little bit. I’m not going to go too hard on this because, you know, some people do deserve to have their privacy,” Cartwright said during a February episode of their joint “When Reality Hits” podcast. “But I will say — marriage is hard and people go through ups and downs all the time and it’s completely normal. Sometimes people might need their space [and] sometimes they won’t.”Days later, Cartwright noted on the podcast that she moved into another residence while she and Taylor “are taking time apart.”
“Marriages are very hard and I had a particularly rough year,” she said on February 29. “Jax and I are taking time apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health. I won’t get into too many details right now because this is still really hard to talk about.”
Cartwright and Taylor’s separation took place weeks before their reality TV return. The Valley, a spinoff of Vanderpump Rules, premieres on Bravo in March and follows their suburban life with son Cruz, 2.
In 2016, Cartwright joined Taylor on season 4 of Vanderpump Rules. The duo went on to have their own spinoff show, Vanderpump Rules: Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky, which aired in August 2017. Four months later, however – during the season 6 premiere of Vanderpump Rules that December – fans watched as Cartwright learned of Taylor’s affair with costar Faith Stowers. Stowers exclusively told Us Weekly at the time she and Taylor only hooked up once— though she claimed he wanted it to be an “ongoing thing.”
Despite Taylor and Cartwright’s challenges, the pair got engaged in June 2018. One year later in June 2019, they walked down the aisle at a castle in Kentucky with Lance Bass officiating the ceremony.
Following their wedding, Bravo viewers watched as Taylor questioned their marriage on the show wondering if they tied the knot too suddenly. “I’m thinking about my wedding, it was just so quick,” Taylor asked Stassi Schroeder on a March 2020 episode of Vanderpump Rules. “Did I do the right thing?”
