Jax Taylor is setting the record straight about his divorce from Brittany Cartwright.
The 45-year-old “Vanderpump Rules” alum and current “The Valley” star is fighting back on the claims that his estranged wife was the one to initiate the breakup.
According to Taylor, it was originally his idea, but she was quicker to the punch.
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“The second weekend of rehab, I emailed Brittany and said, ‘I’m getting a mediator,’” he shared during a Nov. 14 appearance on Bravo’s “Hot Mic” podcast.
Taylor was referring to his 30-day stay at an in-patient treatment center, which he completed in August, according to TMZ.
“People don’t realize that I’m the one that initiated this,” he said of the divorce, per People.
“So when I emailed her, and I got a mediator, and I put that, I emailed Brittany, she was like, ‘Oh, no, I’m getting a divorce lawyer.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, whatever,’” he explained.
Taylor went on to argue that they were’t going after each other financially, so getting a mediator would “save some money.”
Three days after sending his email, he was served with divorce papers.
He says it wasn’t very surprising and assumed that Cartwright wanted to be the “first one” to serve the papers.
“I think she wanted to get ahead of it while I was in there. I think she wanted to be the first to publicly say, ‘I’m divorcing him,’ when, in all honesty, I was the one that initiated it.”
Taylor was ready for the relationship to end
Taylor didn’t seem to care who served who, but admits that the divorce “needed to happen” and that he likely “blindsided” Cartwright with his email.
“I think she really, really wanted me to work on the marriage. I think that was her goal,” he said. “And I just was so checked out. By that time, I was just really checked out. I just couldn’t come back anymore.”
Taylor and Cartwright met at a Las Vegas bar in 2015, according to People. He was starring in the third season of “Vanderpump Rules,” while she was a waitress.
Their romance was documented on ensuing seasons of the show, as well as their spinoff “Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky.”
The couple announced their engagement in 2018 and tied the knot in 2019 before welcoming their one and only son, Cruz, in 2021.
Breakup rumors began in February, the divorce was filed six months later, and they’ve been co-parenting ever since.
When asked if he views reconciliation as a possibility, Taylor said no—and that makes him sad.
“I just know myself, even if we did go back, I would just always be, you know, the things that happened, it would just take one argument for us to go back to the old ways,” he said.
“I just think Brittany and I have changed over the years. I think I’ve changed over the years. I think I did a lot of negative things that really just tarnished our relationship, which is sad,” he added.
Nonetheless, he says he’s happy at the moment and he still has a lot of love for Cartwright, who will always be the mother of his child.
“I will always be there for her for the rest of my life. I just don’t think I can love her like she needs to be loved,” Taylor added.
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The couple’s divorce will be documented in the second season of “The Valley,” but a premiere date has yet to be announced.