'Vanderpump Rules' Alum Brittany Cartwright Files for Divorce From Jax Taylor

Cartwright announced in February that the couple lived apart.

By Ashley Turner

Former Vanderpump Rules star Brittany Cartwright has officially filed for divorce from her husband of five years, Jax Taylor. The legal action, initiated on Tuesday, marks the end of a contentious relationship for the couple, who have been fixtures in the Bravo reality TV landscape for nearly a decade.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Cartwright cited "irreconcilable differences" as the grounds for the dissolution of their marriage. The filing follows the couple's public announcement of their separation in February, with Cartwright pinpointing Jan. 24 as the official date of their split.

The estranged pair, who share a 3-year-old son named Cruz, now face the task of co-parenting amidst their marital breakdown. In her divorce petition, Cartwright has requested primary legal and physical custody of their toddler while indicating her willingness to make visitation arrangements for Taylor. Additionally, she has moved to prevent the court from awarding spousal support to either party. This legal development follows a period of personal difficulties for Taylor, who recently completed a 30-day stint at an inpatient treatment facility to address his mental health struggles.

Watch What Happens Live – Season 13
(Photo:

Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor on 'Watch What Happens Live' Season 13 

- Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

The couple's relationship has been under public scrutiny since beginning in 2015, when they met at the Gold Spike Lounge in Las Vegas. Their romance quickly became a central storyline on Vanderpump Rules, with Cartwright joining the cast in 2016 for the show's fourth season. Their relationship faced a number of challenges, including a highly publicized cheating scandal involving Taylor and co-star Faith Stowers, which unfolded during the show's sixth season premiere in December 2017.

Despite these hurdles, Cartwright and Taylor's love story seemed to triumph when they announced their engagement in June 2018. The following year, in June 2019, they exchanged vows in a lavish ceremony at Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky, with former NSYNC member Lance Bass officiating.

However, cracks in their marital foundation became apparent to viewers as the couple continued to share their lives on screen. In a particularly revealing moment during a March 2020 episode of Vanderpump Rules," Taylor expressed doubts about their hasty nuptials, asking co-star Stassi Schroeder, per Us Weekly, "I'm thinking about my wedding, it was just so quick. Did I do the right thing?"

The couple's romance took a turn when they announced Cartwright's pregnancy in September 2020, followed by their decision to depart from Vanderpump Rules three months later. Cartwright shared on Instagram, "We are excited to take this time to focus on our growing family and share with you our new endeavors. It's time to move on … we had a good run. It doesn't make sense anymore."

The birth of their son Cruz in April 2021 seemed to bring a new sense of joy and purpose to the couple. Although there was a sense that things were going well, recent events suggest that underlying issues persisted. In February 2024, Cartwright alluded to marital difficulties on their joint podcast When Reality Hits, stating, "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." She continued, "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."

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The situation escalated rapidly, with Cartwright announcing on the podcast just days later that she had moved into a separate residence. She explained, "Marriages are very hard and I had a particularly rough year. 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."

As the couple deals with this difficult period, they find themselves once again in the public eye with their new Bravo reality show, The Valley. The series, which premiered in March, follows their suburban life with son Cruz. Representatives for Taylor have declined to comment on the divorce filing.

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