Brittany Cartwright is doubling down on her decision to divorce husband Jax Taylor, nearly three months after filing to end their marriage.
On a recent episode of Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast, Brittany spoke with host Alex Baskin (who is also an executive producer of Vanderpump Rules and ‘The Valley’) about the “hard decision” she made to file for divorce from Jax– something she admits she wasn’t sure she’d ever actually follow through with. (As The Ashley previously told you, it was announced in late August that The Valley star had taken legal action to end her and Jax’s union after nearly five years of marriage and a six-month separation.)
“ … Me actually going through and filing was kind of like a surprise, because I wasn’t sure when I was going to do it, how I was going to do it, if I was going to do it,” Brittany admitted.
While Brittany said she thought she’d be emotional after filing for divorce, she actually felt “relieved,” which confirmed to her that her and Jax’s marriage “was done.” She also addressed the timing of her filing for divorce, which happened while Jax was checked into a mental health facility. According to Brittany, it was important that she go ahead and file to end her marriage before Jax got out of the facility, as she feared he would try to convince her to reconcile.
“I was just like … I have to do this now before I back out, before he gets out of the mental health facility and pulls me back in,” she said. “I have to do it now while I’m feeling strong, while I’m so angry, I’ve just got to get it done.”
As The Ashley previously told you, Jax entered a mental health facility in late July, where he reportedly spent less than a month. After leaving the facility, Jax shared with fans that he had been officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.
Despite Jax claiming that he made a lot of progress in the facility, Brittany revealed on the podcast this week that she doesn’t believe her soon-to-be ex-husband made any changes during his nearly one-month stint, as proven by his actions while in the facility.
“I don’t feel like he changed at all in those 30 days,” she said. “And the reason– I mean, I’m sure it’ll be on the show, as well– you know, a lot of rage texting and stuff was still going on the entire time that he was in rehab. So for me, I was just noticing this is just going to be constant. Like, if you’re in therapy seven hours a day and you’re still finding time to call me names and cuss me out and send me rage texts, then you’re obviously not ever going to change … .
“Like, this is bad,” she continued. “I can’t stay in this [marriage].”
Brittany said Jax’s actions while in the mental health facility were “very eye-opening” for her, and she’s now “very happy” that she made the decision to end things. Brittany noted that her friends and family are also happy with her decision to divorce Jax, including her mother, Sherri Cartwright, whom Brittany said has “always been such a Team Jax person.”
When asked about her alleged hookup with Julian Sensley, who was a friend of both her and Jax’s, Brittany claims she and Jax never had a rule that they wouldn’t date anyone within their friend group. Still, she insists that hooking up with Julian “wasn’t planned.”
Brittany went on to reveal that she and Jax did set two rules after they separated, the first rule being that they wouldn’t bring romantic partners around their three-year-old son, Cruz, and the second rule was that they wouldn’t bring romantic partners back to their Valley Village home. (As fans may remember, Jax remained in the couple’s home after the separation, while Brittany proceeded to Airbnb-hop for months. Jax has since moved out of the home and Brittany has moved back in.)
“ … So those were the two rules and I don’t know if he had anybody around Cruz, but he definitely had people at my house because I caught him both times,” Brittany said, adding that she was “sure” Jax actually did this more than twice.
While Brittany claimed earlier in the podcast episode that her hookup with Julian “wasn’t planned,” she went on to reveal that catching Jax bringing people to their house had played a role in her hooking up with his friend.
“ … Whenever I did start hanging out with [Julian], it was because it was somebody that I knew,” she said. “I always thought he was hot and also I was just so mad at Jax so like, I didn’t care if I hurt his feelings about that. Like, why should I care? He never cared about how he hurt my feelings for years. He put me down, he did so much to me.
“So, it’s like, I’m sorry that you’re so upset about who it is, but at the same time, you didn’t give me attention, affection or anything for years,” she continued. “[You] made my confidence this big. So, it was like, you know what? This guy’s really hot … .”
Now that’s she’s (nearly) free of Jax, Brittany said she’s “open to anything” when it comes to her future, including marriage and possibly having more children.
“ … I love kids, I love being a mom, [it’s] the best thing that’s ever happened to me, so if I did start dating somebody and fall in love and we ended up having a baby, that would be fine,” she said. “But I’m not saying that I’m going after that by any means.”
Brittany added that she will “never have another huge wedding” and that she doesn’t know if she’s even open to the idea of legally marrying someone again. If she were to remarry, however, Brittany said she “would definitely sign a prenup” next time.
Brittany went on to comment on a clip from Monday’s podcast episode that was posted to Instagram, telling fans “this has been the hardest year of my life and this is just part of my story.”
“At the end of the day I am learning as I go and trying to be as strong as I possibly can for my son,” she continued. “I hope I can help other women who go through things like I have gone through, to find their strength because it’s nowhere near as easy as it looks.”
While Brittany received some positive comments for finally taking the steps to end her marriage to Jax, many Bravo fans criticized her for choosing to stay with him in the first place, as well as going on to marry him and have a child, despite knowing what kind of person Jax was “from day one.”
“No sympathy she knew what he was when she married him we should all feel bad for them bringing a child into it,” one person commented.
“I don’t feel bad for her,” another added. “I’m sure she was warned about him and she still decided to marry him and reproduce with him, even after he cheated. She willingly walked into that.”
Watch a clip from Brittany’s interview on Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast below.
RELATED STORY: Move Over Jax’s! Brittany Cartwright Confirms She’s Opening Her Own Bar in West Hollywood
(Photos: Bravo; YouTube; Instagram)
One Response
Wow. I haven’t really seen Brittany in years. She looks like a cartoon version of what I remember.
Glad she’s out of that mess finally but it should have never gone forward. Jax will always be Jax.