The Vanderpump Rules spinoff The Valley is back after a drama-filled first season, and fans are already looking forward to the information the show will provide regarding the relationship between two of the show’s most popular castmates: Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor. The two are set to return to the Bravo show’s second season, where we will see their relationship deteriorate in real time.
But we’ve already seen that play out in real life, and it has been messy, to say the least. Not just because they two indeed broke up but because their relationship has been plagued with cheating rumors and people taking sides. Not to mention, we still don’t actually know the details. This is probably what the show is counting on because that means we will all have to watch to find out.
So, did Jax Taylor cheat on Brittany Cartwright before their divorce? Was another woman the reason these two called it quits? What was the source of the drama?
Did Jax Taylor cheat on Brittany Cartwright before their divorce?
Yes and no. Or he cheated, but it was a long time ago, and cheating was not the reason for the divorce. Years before they even got married, in 2017, Jax Taylor cheated on Brittany Cartwright with former SUR waitress Faith Stowers. The drama played out on our screens in Vanderpump Rules.
“This isn’t my first time being caught cheating,” Jax admitted at the time. “In the past, I’ve gone through months and months of deny, deny, deny, and that didn’t work for me.” The couple broke up at the time, but they eventually worked on their relationship, got back together, and went on to marry in 2020. But it seems like they didn’t actually work on things as much as they thought they had.
Taylor and Cartwright, who share a 3-year-old son, Cruz, announced their separation in February 2024 after four years of marriage. “Yes, marriages in general are very hard, and I’ve had a particularly rough year this past year,” Cartwright announced on their When Reality Hits podcast. “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’m taking one day at a time,” she said at the time. “I don’t know what the future holds, but right now, my focus is on being the best mom to Cruz.”
And despite the fact that there was previous infidelity, this time, the reason wasn’t another woman, according to Cartwright. “We got into a very bad fight, and I decided to pack up my stuff,” Cartwright told E! News of her decision at the time. “I’m doing it for my mental space,” she added, “and I feel very strong with my decision to get out for a while.”
Meanwhile, Taylor also made clear there was no one else at that time, telling the outlet, “There’s no cheating. There’s no infidelity anywhere. It’s just communication. I know it’s shocking, but people sometimes just don’t get along, and that’s life.”
Someone who wasn’t surprised at the breakup? Lisa Vanderpump. “Everybody predicted that when they got married,” she shared with E!. “They said, ‘Oh this won’t last long,’ but I kind of never liked to draw conclusions.”
“I don’t know what the reason was,” she added, “but I imagine it was probably something to do with Jax’s bad behavior. I’m not sure, but the indicator of future behavior is normally past behavior.” Ouch.
After their separation, Taylor checked into in-patient treatment for mental health issues. In March 2025, the reality TV star shared he was newly sober after a decades-long fight with cocaine addiction. Cartwright officially filed for divorce in August 2024, and though she has admitted to having a ‘fling’ with one of Taylor’s friends, the two haven’t seriously dated anyone since.
