Celebrity Exes
Why Did Brittany Cartwright & Jax Taylor Split? Inside Their Messy Divorce
Brittany Cartwright has seen her fair share of reality television, but she’ll be putting herself to the test like never before on Season 4 Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
Cartwright is best known for her appearances on Vanderpump Rules and The Valley, where the ups and downs in her relationship with Jax Taylor have been documented. The two started dating in 2015 and, despite Taylor’s cheating scandal with VPR costar Faith Stowers, tied the knot in 2019.
However, the former couple separated in early 2024, with Cartwright filing for divorce that August. So, what happened and what made her finally pull the plug? Scroll down for everything we know.
Why did Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor split?
Cartwright explained her decision to end the marriage on an episode of When Reality Hits With Jax and Brittany. “It’s taken me many, many years to get to this point where I’ve gained enough courage to strength to do what was best for me, get myself out of a toxic relationship and ultimately see my worth,” she shared. “It’s been very difficult, but I’m stronger than ever and my motivation is my son, my Cruzy, who deserves a happy and healthy mommy.”
The aftermath of the separation and Taylor’s subsequent stint in rehab was documented on Season 2 of The Valley, which was filmed during summer 2024.
On an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Cartwright spoke about her initial decision to move out of her home with Jax in early 2024. “We just had a horrible fight and it was like the veil was lifted and I noticed everything wrong,” she explained, referring to it as the “final straw” for her. “You know, they always say [that] a woman can hit her breaking point, and then it’s hard to come back from that.”
The argument stemmed from Taylor being “mad that [Cartwright] went out with Kristen [Doute] the night before and [he] kind of, like, made up a story in his own head and started a fight over something that never happened,” Cartwright claimed.
She later revealed that the fight was ignited after Taylor received a text from Doute’s then-boyfriend, Luke Broderick, asking if he wanted to talk about “everything he was going through.” After Taylor allegedly “screamed at [her] for hours,” Cartwright packed up and left the house with Cruz.
Does Brittany Cartwright have full custody of her child?
When Cartwright filed for divorce, she requested primary legal and physical custody of her and Taylor’s son, Cruz, who was born in April 2021. She noted that Taylor would be granted visitation. In his response filing, Taylor also requested that his estranged wife be granted sole legal and physical custody of the toddler.
However, his attorney later clarified, “While Jax made errors in filing out forms that are usually done by trained legal professionals, those errors will be amended without delay.”
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During The Valley Season 2 reunion in July 2025, Cartwright confirmed that she had full custody of Cruz. She also revealed that the divorce still wasn’t final and accused Taylor of “prolonging it in case he needed to get alimony” from her if he was kicked off the Bravo show. He admitted, “That’s somewhat true,” but claimed his reason for “prolonging” the process was because of the podcast the two previously worked on together, not the show.
As for their custody situation once the divorce is final, Cartwright added, “I’m going to allow him to have him every Wednesday and every other weekend. And then, like, if I need to go get my nails done or something like that, like, he can watch him, I’m not gonna ever not let him have his son.”
Did Brittany Cartwright actually have a stroke?
No, Cartwright did not actually have a stroke, but concerns about her health surfaced after Taylor was a contestant on House of Villains in 2023.
Following his elimination from the show, Taylor claimed, “I want to say 60 seconds after I was voted off, I got handed a phone. And it was my manager saying, ‘Listen, I didn’t want to call you because I know you’re filming right now but I feel like it’s necessary. Brittany’s in the hospital. She collapsed.’ We didn’t know what it was. The doctors didn’t really know what it was. But it was stroke-like symptoms. I just assumed it was a stroke.”
He added, “I’m panicking. So I raced to Cedars, stayed there for two nights, making sure that my wife doesn’t have cancer, doesn’t have spinal issues, doesn’t have MS. Turns out, she had a small stroke. She’s 33.”
Cartwright then clarified on the then-couple’s podcast in early 2024 that she did not have a stroke and called out Taylor for delivering the news “so matter of fact” when he didn’t really know what was happening. She also shared the real details of her hospitalization.
“My whole right side of my body went completely numb,” she explained. “I couldn’t even hold my cell phone up. I could barely walk. I fell and bruised up my whole side because my right leg gave out. So, it was actually very, very scary.”
She added, “This was filmed months and months and months ago, so I’m completely fine now. I want to make that clear but it was such a scary situation.”
Who is Brittany Cartwright dating now?
Cartwright confirmed in August 2025 that she was in a new relationship. People revealed the identity of her mystery boyfriend as Brandon Hanson. The two reportedly bonded while going through their respective divorces.
Hanson is a very private person. It is known that he is a father, but information about his children is not public.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Season 4 Premiere, Thursday, September 25, 9/8c, Fox
