Years earlier they adjacent got married, Jax Taylor cheated connected Brittany Cartwright successful 2017 erstwhile helium hooked up with erstwhile SUR waitress Faith Stowers. 

"This isn't my archetypal clip being caught cheating," Jax admitted astatine the clip arsenic the play played retired connected Vanderpump Rules. "In the past, I've gone done months and months of deny, deny, deny, and that didn't enactment for me." 

But portion a devasted Brittany broke up with him, they got backmost unneurotic months aboriginal and yet wed successful 2020.

Fast guardant to February 2024, Brittany announced she and Jax—who stock 2-year-old lad Cruz—had separated aft 4 years of marriage. 

"Yes, marriages successful wide are precise hard and I've had a peculiarly unsmooth twelvemonth this past year," the Kentucky autochthonal shared connected their When Reality Hits podcast. "Jax and I are taking clip isolated and I made the determination to determination into different location to instrumentality immoderate abstraction for the involvement of my intelligence health."

"I'm taking 1 time astatine a time," Brittany added. "I don't cognize what the aboriginal holds, but close present my absorption is connected being the champion ma to Cruz."

One period later, the cracks successful the couple's narration became overmuch much evident erstwhile Bravo released the trailer for its caller bid The Valley.

"I don't consciousness similar he's attracted to me, we don't person enactment ever," Brittany admitted successful the March 11 preview earlier Jax added, "It's truthful hard to beryllium joined sometimes."

Plus, costar Janet Caperna teased successful the clip, "There's a rumor astir Jax cheating online."

However, Jax slammed allegations of infidelity days aft the trailer release.

"We're conscionable having a small connection issues close now. That's all, there's thing else," he exclusively told E! News March 14 astatine The Valley premiere party. "There's nary cheating. There's nary infidelity anywhere. It's conscionable communication. I cognize it's shocking, but radical sometimes conscionable don't get on and that's life."

"We spot each different each azygous day," helium added. "The lone happening that's antithetic is we conscionable don't slumber nether the aforesaid roof. That's it."

Despite rumors, Brittany confirmed Jax cheating did not origin their breakup and shared the existent timeline of their separation.

"We got into a precise atrocious combat and I decided to battalion up my stuff," the 35-year-old exclusively told E! News March 18, "and I've been staying successful an Airbnb since January 24."

"I'm doing it for my intelligence space," she added, "and I consciousness precise beardown with my determination to get retired for a while."

Despite their idiosyncratic drama, the estranged mates agreed connected 1 thing: They are doing what's champion for 2-year-old son.

"He's no. 1 and we some hold connected that," Jax told E!. "It's astir knowing he's got 2 loving parents that emotion him to decease and he's gonna person the champion beingness possible, whether we are unneurotic oregon not."

As for their accrued fighting, Brittany agreed, "I conscionable don't privation that for our son. I don't privation him increasing up reasoning it's mean to unrecorded similar that."

Brittany admitted successful March that "there's ever hope," but she conscionable needs Jax to enactment successful the work.

"I don't deliberation anybody volition ever emotion Jax the mode I've loved Jax," Brittany told E!. "Over each these years, I've been done truthful overmuch with him and I'm stuck by his broadside done everything. So I deliberation that if helium makes definite changes that I've asked, possibly we could get backmost together. But close now, I conscionable truly request to fig retired myself. I felt truly beardown and truly arrogant of myself for being capable to measurement retired and bash what's close for me. My intelligence wellness is ace important."

One idiosyncratic who wasn't truthful shocked by Jax and Brittany's separation? Their erstwhile SUR brag Lisa Vanderpump.

"Everybody predicted that erstwhile they got married," the Real Housewives alum shared with E!. "They said, 'Oh this won't past long,' but I benignant of ne'er liked to gully conclusions."

"I don't cognize what the crushed was," she added, "but I ideate it was astir apt thing to bash with Jax's atrocious behavior. I'm not sure, but the indicator of aboriginal behaviour is usually past behavior."

And the couple's The Valley costar Kristen Doute agreed with Scheana.

"I'm arrogant of Brittany for mounting boundaries for making the prime for her," Kristen admitted. "But I'm precise hopeful that they tin enactment this out. But that's connected Jax, that's not connected her."

During The Valley's June 4 play finale, Brittany confronted Jax astir insults helium allegedly hurled astatine her down closed doors.

As costar Kristen Doute recounted, "Does helium say, 'I cognize I dainty you similar s—t. 'I cognize I'm mean. I cognize I've called you abdominous and I've told you you're f--king lazy and that you're not going to person immoderate friends if you guys interruption up?'"

In July, Jax shared helium was seeking in-patient attraction for intelligence health issues aft Brittany had begged him to spell to therapy for years.

The VPR alum chiefly credited lad Cruz arsenic the crushed helium saught nonrecreational help.

"Working connected getting amended for you buddy," Jax wrote successful an Instagram station July 31 alongside a photograph of him planting a buss connected the small one's cheek. "I emotion you."

In tribunal documents obtained by E! News successful October 2024, Jax requested that Brittany beryllium granted sole ineligible and carnal custody of their lad Cruz.

Though Jax confirmed successful his filing that helium and Brittany wed successful June 2019, helium besides checked a container connected the papers reading, "Respondent contends that the parties never legally married oregon registered successful a home partnership."

His rep aboriginal told E! News, "While Jax made errors successful filing retired forms that are usually done by trained ineligible professionals, those errors volition beryllium amended without delay."

After Jax's conflicting effect to Brittany's divorcement petition led radical to question whether they were legally married, she acceptable the grounds straight.

“We are legally married," she commented connected E! News' Instagram station astir Jax's effect snafu. "I’m guessing paperwork is hard for immoderate people.”