Jax Taylor has filed new divorce papers against Brittany Cartwright, this time with the help of a lawyer. He worked with attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan to submit the updated divorce request in a Los Angeles court on October 3. This came after Jax’s representative said he made mistakes on the forms he filled out himself, which should have been done by a trained legal professional.
In his original filing last month, Jax mistakenly checked a box saying he and Brittany were never legally married. However, the new petition does not include this error. Brittany responded to the mistake on social media, saying, “We are legally married. I’m guessing paperwork is hard for some people.”
Lance Bass, who officiated their wedding in 2019, also confirmed Brittany’s statement by saying, “I can confirm this. Pastor Lance signed the papers.”
In Jax Taylor’s new divorce filing, he changed some things regarding their son, Cruz. In his previous papers, he checked boxes saying he wanted Brittany to have legal and physical custody of Cruz. However, in the updated documents, he now requests that they share joint legal custody of their 3-year-old son, with Taylor also asking for visitation rights.
The new paperwork also includes a note saying that the final decision-making authority will go to Jax, but only after discussing it with Brittany.
Brittany filed for divorce from Jax in August, six months after they announced their separation following five years of marriage. In her divorce papers, she mentioned that they separated on January 24. Jax initially stated that they separated on September 26, the same day he filed his papers, but in his new filing, he changed the date to match Brittany’s.
Jax Taylor also made some changes in other parts of his divorce filing. He had originally asked the court to decide later about spousal support for Brittany. In his updated filing, he now wants both of them to give up any claims for spousal support.
Jax is asking that any property he owned before his marriage to Brittany and after their separation be considered his separate property. He mentioned that the details about what they own together and separately are still unclear.
Brittany has talked a bit about their breakup and how it affects their son, Cruz. In September, she told E! News that she and Jax are co-parenting Cruz. At the 2024 Daytime Beauty Awards in L.A., she said, “Obviously we’re both going to put him first. It’s going to be fine no matter what, because we both love him so much. So, even if Jax and I are fighting, it’s never going to come between Cruz. It’s never going to be a thing.”
You can also check out a timeline of Jax and Brittany’s breakup.
Jax Taylor’s first cheating scandal happened years before he married Brittany Cartwright. In 2017, he cheated on Brittany by hooking up with former SUR waitress Faith Stowers.
During the drama on Vanderpump Rules, Jax admitted, “This isn’t my first time being caught cheating.” He explained that in the past, he would deny cheating for months, but that approach didn’t work for him.
Although a heartbroken Brittany broke up with him after the cheating, they got back together a few months later and eventually married in 2020.
In February 2024, Brittany Cartwright announced that she and Jax had separated after four years of marriage. They share a 2-year-old son named Cruz.
On their podcast When Reality Hits, Brittany said, “Yes, marriages in general are very hard, and I’ve had a particularly rough year this past year.” She explained that she and Jax are taking time apart and that she decided to move into another home to help her mental health.
Brittany added, “I’m taking one day at a time. I don’t know what the future holds, but right now my focus is on being the best mom to Cruz.”
A month later, it became clear that Brittany and Jax’s relationship was falling apart when Bravo released a trailer for its new series, The Valley.
In the preview that aired on March 11, Brittany said, “I don’t feel like he’s attracted to me, we don’t have sex ever.” Jax responded, “It’s so hard to be married sometimes.”
Additionally, their co-star Janet Caperna mentioned in the clip, “There’s a rumor about Jax cheating online.”
After the trailer was released, Jax Taylor denied the cheating rumors just a few days later.
At The Valley premiere party on March 14, he told E! News, “We’re just having a little communication issues right now. That’s all, there’s nothing else. There’s no cheating. There’s no infidelity anywhere. It’s just communication. I know it’s shocking, but sometimes people just don’t get along, and that’s life.”
He also mentioned, “We see each other every single day. The only thing that’s different is we just don’t sleep under the same roof. That’s it.”
Brittany Cartwright addressed the cheating rumors and confirmed that Jax’s infidelity did not lead to their breakup. She explained the real timeline of their separation in an interview with E! News on March 18.
She said, “We got into a very bad fight, and I decided to pack up my stuff.” Brittany revealed that she had been staying in an Airbnb since January 24.
She added, “I’m doing it for my mental space, and I feel very strong with my decision to get out for a while.”
Even though Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright are going through personal issues, they both agree that their 2-year-old son, Cruz, comes first.
Jax told E!, “He’s number one, and we both agree on that. It’s about knowing he has two loving parents who love him to death, and he’s going to have the best life possible, whether we are together or not.”
Brittany also mentioned their increased fighting, saying, “I just don’t want that for our son. I don’t want him growing up thinking it’s normal to live like that.”
In March, Brittany Cartwright shared that she still has hope for a possible reconciliation with Jax, but she needs him to put in the effort.
She told E!, “I don’t think anybody will ever love Jax the way I’ve loved him. Over all these years, I’ve been through so much with him and stood by his side through everything. So I think that if he makes certain changes that I’ve asked for, maybe we could get back together. But right now, I just really need to figure out myself. I felt really strong and proud of myself for stepping out and doing what’s right for me. My mental health is super important.”
Lisa Vanderpump, their former boss at SUR, wasn’t surprised by Jax and Brittany’s separation.
She told E!, “Everybody predicted that when they got married. They said, ‘Oh, this won’t last long,’ but I kind of never liked to draw conclusions.”
Lisa added, “I don’t know what the reason was, but I imagine it was probably something to do with Jax’s bad behavior. I’m not sure, but usually, past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior.”
Scheana Shay, a longtime friend of Jax and Brittany, shared her thoughts on their split. On March 23, she told E! News, “I think it’s for the best. I think Brittany deserves better and needs a partner who’s going to treat her with respect.”
Kristen Doute, a co-star from The Valley, agreed with Scheana and supported Brittany’s decision. She said, “I’m proud of Brittany for setting boundaries and making this choice for herself. I’m hopeful that they can work this out, but that’s up to Jax, not her.”
In the season finale of The Valley on June 4, Brittany confronted Jax about hurtful things he supposedly said to her in private.
Co-star Kristen Doute shared, “Does he say, ‘I know I treat you like crap. I know I’m mean. I know I’ve called you fat and told you that you’re lazy and that you won’t have any friends if you guys break up?’”
Brittany Cartwright shared how she feels about Jax dating again. In June, she told E! News, “We said that, going into this, we could test the waters with other people if we wanted to. I know that seems weird and might be a little crazy for a lot of people, but that’s what we wanted to do.”
In July, Jax Taylor announced that he was entering a treatment facility for his mental health. Brittany had encouraged him to go to therapy for years.
He mainly cited their son Cruz as the reason he sought help. On July 31, Jax posted a photo on Instagram of him kissing Cruz’s cheek and wrote, “Working on getting better for you, buddy. I love you.”
In August 2024, seven months after announcing their separation, Brittany Cartwright officially filed for divorce. In the legal documents, she stated they had “irreconcilable differences.” Brittany asked for primary legal and physical custody of their son Cruz and requested that Jax be given visitation rights.
In October 2024, Jax Taylor responded to Brittany Cartwright’s divorce filing. In court documents, he requested that Brittany be given sole legal and physical custody of their son, Cruz.
Although Jax confirmed that he and Brittany got married in June 2019, he also checked a box saying that they never legally married or registered as a domestic partnership.
His representative later told E! News that Jax had made mistakes in filling out the forms, which are usually done by trained legal professionals, and that those mistakes would be corrected quickly.
After Jax’s confusing response to Brittany’s divorce petition made people wonder if they were legally married, Brittany clarified the situation.
She commented on E! News’ Instagram post about Jax’s mistake, saying, “We are legally married. I’m guessing paperwork is hard for some people.”
