The Rise And Fall Of Jax Taylor And Brittany Cartwright's Relationship

Once upon a time, many were worried that all Jax Taylor's life would amount to was a life serving Pumptinis and having meltdowns in the back alley of SUR. That all seemed to change when Southern belle Brittany Cartwright entered his life, ending an era of him sleeping around with 20-somethings in West Hollywood and leaving a trail of havoc in his wake. Taylor seemed to have met his match with Cartwright, who seemingly tamed his bad boy ways and domesticated him enough to where he eventually popped the question.

But married life wasn't exactly the best days of their life — despite what the catchy "Vanderpump Rules" theme song would say. A wedding and a baby couldn't fix the cracks in their relationship, from their struggle to communicate to the scars of Taylor's cheating past. After nearly a decade together, the couple called it quits in 2024 when Cartwright filed for divorce.

But how exactly did they get to that point? Raise your glasses high — because we're breaking down the rise and fall of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's relationship.

Jax Taylor and Las Vegas can be a combustible combination — after all, he did confess to impregnating a woman there years before during Season 1 of "Vanderpump Rules" while he was in a relationship with ex and fellow cast member Stassi Schroeder. But it seems that Sin City can lead to more than just unplanned pregnancies, as Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's love story began there in 2015.

The pair first ran into each other at the Gold Spike in Las Vegas after the then-infamous bachelor made the first move. Cartwright shared a photo (via Bravo) of the bar in 2019, writing, "The place it all started! @caramarietabor and I met @musickillskate, and then @mrjaxtaylor swooped in and got my number at the bar. Lol memories!"

Taylor told People that meeting her changed his outlook on marriage, and it wasn't long before she moved across the country to be with him in Los Angeles. "I dated before, and I never even thought about [marriage] before. Right when I met Brittany, I knew. If I'm going to do it, this is the one," he explained. Just two weeks later, Cartwright traded her country roots for Hollywood.

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright debuted their relationship on "Vanderpump Rules" in the fall of 2015, joining the cast for Season 4. The Kentucky native was seen arriving with a car full of boxes in Los Angeles after moving her life to be with Taylor, and she quickly assimilated into her then-boyfriend's friend group. While she started off with a smaller guest role on the show at first, she quickly became fast friends with Scheana Shay, Stassi Schroeder, and Kristen Doute, and she upgraded to full-time cast member by Season 6.

Taylor recalled how he was first attracted to his future wife during Season 4, revealing that — besides her beauty — it was her "southern charm" that initially caught his attention. "I just feel that I haven't seen that in so long," he admitted of her friendly personality and kind-hearted nature.

Her charm may have also been key in helping her land a job as a server at SUR, especially since she showed up to an interview with Lisa Vanderpump during her first season on the show without her resume. Vanderpump, however, was able to let it slide. "We were a couple of waitresses down, and I thought, 'Why not give her a shot?' She's actually fantastic," she said of Cartwright to Entertainment Weekly in 2016.

Nobody expected Jax Taylor to rock a plaid shirt and overalls while watching him on "Vanderpump Rules," but the Michigan-born bartender eventually donned a new look for his new beau. He and Brittany Cartwright launched their spinoff reality show "Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky" on Bravo in 2017, which featured six episodes of the couple adjusting to life on Cartwright's family farm. Taylor's adjustment from Hollywood to the sticks was anything but seamless, to say the least, but he managed to survive his way through hunting trips, small-town church ceremonies, frog catching, and several other activities that had him stepping out of his West Hollywood comfort zone.

Still, the couple went through their fair share of conflicts on the show, especially when one of Cartwright's friends claimed her life "was way better" before Taylor. The former bartender, as untactful as ever, hit back at their disapproval, saying in a clip from the show, "I clearly don't think that she wants to grow up in a strip mall, going to bars every night with people with missing teeth and having multiple kids, I mean, I think her life is a little bit better than that." Ouch.

Jax Taylor and infidelity are two things that always seem to find their way back to each other. The reality star wreaked havoc in the Season 6 premiere of "Vanderpump Rules" when it was revealed that he cheated on Brittany Cartwright with then-fellow SUR employee Faith Stowers. The shocking revelation came after Stowers told cast mate James Kennedy about the affair, quickly catching on like a California wildfire.

Instead of his usual pattern of denying all wrongdoing (it took him months to admit his infidelity to ex-girlfriend Stassi Schroeder), Taylor assumed his errors rather quickly this time around. He confessed to Cartwright in the second episode of Season 6 that the rumors were true, leading her to utter the now-famous line, "Rot in hell."

As for Stowers' side, the former SUR server told Us Weekly that Taylor started pursuing her on social media several months before the affair occurred in 2017. She revealed that eventually, Taylor claimed that he and Cartwright had broken up, which led to Stowers and Taylor's only meetup. "He wanted it to be an ongoing thing," Stowers told the publication. "He wanted it to be me and him doing this, and he told me that he would let me know as soon as they were broken up, that he would come tell her soon, and boom, that'd be the end ... That was a lie."

Despite Jax Taylor's wandering eye, Brittany Cartwright decided to let bygones be bygones and forgive her beau. The couple managed to get through the cheating scandal in Season 6 and rekindle their relationship, especially after Taylor's father, Ronald Cauchi, died in December 2017, which put things into perspective for the former bartender. After Cartwright helped pull him out of deep emotional turmoil, their relationship got stronger, taking a turn for the better.

"We've kind of weathered the storm," Taylor explained to People. "We're still going through it ... [but] we're in a great place now — probably better than we've ever been." As for Cartwright, she admitted in Season 6 that her faith helped her get over their difficult obstacles and move forward. "I was raised to be a good Christian woman, and that is all about forgiveness, and I believe everybody deserves it," Cartwright said in an episode (via People). "Even Jax."

While the Season 6 premiere of "Vanderpump Rules" seemed to erupt in flames, Season 7 opened in a much different light. The premiere episode featured Jax Taylor proposing to Brittany Cartwright at Neptune Net, a casual seafood eatery in Malibu that his late father loved. The former bartender got down on one knee in June 2018 with a 3-carat sparkler, and the answer was a resounding yes.

"Omg omg!!!!!!!! We are ENGAGED! What a way to start our summer and season 7!! I am so happy, so in love, and so beyond excited for this next chapter of our lives!" Cartwright wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of her giant engagement ring. Taylor went all out for the rock, turning to his friend and celebrity jewelry designer Kyle Chan to custom design the certified white diamond. They opted for a cushion-cut design with a micro pave setting with a price tag of $70,000. Still, Taylor wouldn't have had it any other way. "When I decided to do this he was the only one I wanted to design Brittany's ring," he wrote in an Instagram post. 

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright crossed a lot of big things off their bucket list in 2019 when they bought their first home and tied the knot in the same year. The happy couple posed for a photo together after grabbing the keys to their new house in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles that May.

"I am feeling SO blessed! We have so much to look forward to," Cartwright wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post. "We are moving into our first home together this week, we are getting married in less than 2 months, and we start filming season 8!!" The former SUR waitress also took a shot at the naysayers who doubted their relationship, writing, "He's my best friend and even if some of you don't get it.... we don't care!"

Just over a month later, the two tied the knot in a beautiful Kentucky wedding. The ceremony featured over 200 guests gathering at the gorgeous Kentucky Castle, and a bridal party that included some of SUR's finest – Scheana Shay, Katie Maloney, Ariana Madix, Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, and Lala Kent. Topping the reception off, guests were served catered food from Hooters, the same restaurant Cartwright worked at when she met Taylor. Nothing says true love like a Hooters chicken wing, are we wrong?

Over a year after they tied the knot in Kentucky, Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright announced the news that they were soon-to-be parents. Posting a photo at home alongside sonogram photos of their future son, Cartwright wrote on Instagram in September 2020, "Mom & Dad. The love of our lives is coming soon."

Cartwright told People that she could hardly wait to be a mother and had been dutifully preparing for the day to come. "We had been trying for around five months and we just can't wait to grow our family," she revealed. Cartwright also admitted that though she's always wanted to be a mother, Taylor surprised her with his excitement about fatherhood. "He talks about it all the time," she said. "I think he's getting more excited than I am even, which I never thought would be possible."

Taylor expressed how he drew inspiration from his parents, especially his late father, who gave him an exceptional picture of what a father should act like. "I can honestly say my parents gave me the best childhood a kid could ask for," he told People, adding that he was looking forward to taking his child to extracurricular activities growing up. "My dad was always there for me in every way, so I am just gonna follow his playbook."

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright announced the news that they would no longer be returning to film "Vanderpump Rules" in December 2020. The news came shortly after Bravo announced they were cutting ties with former cast members Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni over racist behavior. The mom-to-be took to Instagram to inform fans, writing, "Although this is difficult to share, Jax and I will not be returning for another season of Vanderpump Rules. We are excited to take this time to focus on our growing family and share with you our new endeavors."

When April 2021 came around, the couple had their hands full with the birth of their first child, a son named Cruz. He was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, and the couple shared touching photos of him shortly after on social media. "I've never in my life thought it was going to be like this ... it's 10000 times better," Taylor wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of them holding Cruz. "Dad mode just kicks in," he added. The new father also mentioned his wife's resilience during her pregnancy and delivery that made him fall "in love with her all over again."

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright returned to reality television in 2024 with the premiere of "The Valley," a spin-off of "Vanderpump Rules." The series followed the new parents and their small group of friends as they navigate raising young children in a family-friendly area a short drive away from Hollywood. But, as one might have expected, Taylor and Cartwright hit more than a few speed bumps during Season 1. Viewers got a first-hand look into their marriage — and it didn't seem quite as solid as it seemed years before.

Over the course of the season, Taylor made several disparaging comments towards his wife over her drinking. The former SUR bartender even chastised his wife for getting carsick on a cast trip to Big Bear, accusing her of drinking too much when castmates had assured him she had barely drank anything during their day out. "I'm going to ask one time. Answer the damn question. How much was she drinking on the boat?" Taylor snapped at his cast-mates during Season 1 Episode 10 while his wife recovered in their room nearby. "Zero," they replied in unison. Cartwright, overhearing him, came out to scold him, saying, "Jax, I can f***ing hear you, everybody here has my back and you're my f***ing husband and you're trying to make me look like I'm a bad person ... F**k you!"

The season wrapped with the couple at a crossroads in their marriage, with Cartwright even contemplating divorce if things didn't turn around. "I know you guys don't believe in divorce and would never even go down that path," castmate Janet Caperna starts to say before Cartwright cuts her off by saying, "Oh, we would go down that path."

Brittany Cartwright dropped a huge bombshell in 2024, revealing that she and Jax Taylor were newly separated. During an episode of their joint podcast, "When Reality Hits," that aired that February, the mother revealed, "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," she said (via E! News).

Just hours after the announcement, however, Taylor assured Page Six that divorce wasn't on the table. He also seemed to refute his wife's claims about their living situation, saying, "She was in a house for a while, but yeah, she's back now." Cartwright checked in with People a few weeks after news of their separation broke, admitting she felt "relief" to take some time for herself. "Something like clicked in my head, and I was like. 'I need to step away from this situation. This is not not healthy. This is not a good situation. My son deserves better. I deserve better,'" she said.

Jax Taylor had some big revelations following his stay in rehab. The "Valley" star took some major steps toward self-improvement when he checked himself into an in-patient facility for 30 days to focus on his mental health. Following his return to reality (pun intended) in August 2024, Taylor answered some questions from fans on his and Cartwright's podcast "When Reality Hits."

During a solo episode (via Us Weekly) that aired in September, the former bartender was asked whether or not he considers himself a "textbook narcissist," to which he replied, "Yes, I do agree. I've literally learned probably five new terms that I've never heard before that." He went on to clarify, "I'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this, but I do all of them. I've done them all for years and I had no idea."

Taylor also admitted that he realized upon researching that he has several toxic relationship traits that he wasn't aware of until recently. "I am a narcissist, yes. I breadcrumb, I love bomb [and also] gaslighting," he confirmed. "I'm missing some but I do all these things. I had no idea there were terms for these things." Breadcrumbing, which has become a term in relationship talk, refers to an individual "feigning interest and acting as though they feel sincerely interested and invested in a relationship with another person when they are not," according to Dr. Monica Vermani (per CNN). Taylor explained that while he's not sure how or when he ultimately embodied these toxic attributes, he became aware of them by reading up on their definitions.

Brittany Cartwright had the tabloids buzzing in August 2024 when she filed for divorce from Jax Taylor. The "Valley" star put "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split, marking January 24, 2024 as their date of separation. The mother also requested primary legal and physical custody of their son, with Taylor able to have visitation rights. The divisive move came just days after Taylor returned home from his month-long stint in rehab.

Brittany opened up about her decision on their "When Reality Hits" podcast, saying, "My decision to file wasn't made lightly or quickly. It's taken me many, many years to get to this point where I've gained enough courage and strength to do what was best for me — get myself out of a toxic relationship and ultimately see my worth." The former SUR waitress also explained that the two would continue to record solo episodes of their podcast going forward.

As for Taylor, he addressed the split in a separate episode, admitting, "Brittany did file for divorce. I understand why she did and I agree that this is the right decision for our family."