Jax Taylor Through the Years: All the Highs and Lows of ‘The Valley’ Star

Jax Taylor has put it all on camera — for better or for worse. Ever since he made his Bravo debut on Vanderpump Rules in 2013, the former SUR bartender hasn’t been shy about sharing the good, bad and outright dramatic parts of his life with the world. It was no different in March 2025 when Taylor opened up about his cocaine addiction for the first time on Alex Baskin's "Hot Mic" podcast. “I am an addict,” he shared. “I have substance issues — primarily with cocaine. It's hard to say out loud. I've been dealing with this on and off since I was 23 and now I'm 45.” [ami-related id="1817472" pwaid="" url="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jax-taylor-and-brittany-cartwrights-ups-and-downs-over-the-years/" title="" hiddentitle="Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s Ups and Downs Over the Years" target="" thumb="true" imgsrc="" imgid="" format="gallery" flag="" channel="1" showpromotitle="true" source_type="AI" source_by="502"] As he prepares for season 2 of The Valley, Taylor is committed to being a better person and dad to his son with estranged wife Brittany Cartwright. “This past year has been the hardest year of my life but also the most eye opening and transformative,” Taylor said in a statement to Us. “Coming to terms with my many mental health challenges and being honest about my addiction — both with myself and others has been a crucial part of my healing. It’s been a day-by-day process, but I’m committed to my recovery and working towards a healthier future in order to be a better person and someone my son will be proud of one day.” Keep reading to look back on all of Taylor’s highs and lows from the moment he agreed to become a Bravolebrity:  

Jax Taylor has put it all on camera — for better or for worse. Ever since he made his Bravo debut on Vanderpump Rules in 2013, the former SUR bartender hasn’t been shy about sharing the good, bad and outright dramatic parts of his life with the world. It was no different in March 2025 when Taylor opened up about his cocaine addiction for the first time on Alex Baskin's "Hot Mic" podcast. “I am an addict,” he shared. “I have substance issues — primarily with cocaine. It's hard to say out loud. I've been dealing with this on and off since I was 23 and now I'm 45.” [ami-related id="1817472" pwaid="" url="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jax-taylor-and-brittany-cartwrights-ups-and-downs-over-the-years/" title="" hiddentitle="Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s Ups and Downs Over the Years" target="" thumb="true" imgsrc="" imgid="" format="gallery" flag="" channel="1" showpromotitle="true" source_type="AI" source_by="502"] As he prepares for season 2 of The Valley, Taylor is committed to being a better person and dad to his son with estranged wife Brittany Cartwright. “This past year has been the hardest year of my life but also the most eye opening and transformative,” Taylor said in a statement to Us. “Coming to terms with my many mental health challenges and being honest about my addiction — both with myself and others has been a crucial part of my healing. It’s been a day-by-day process, but I’m committed to my recovery and working towards a healthier future in order to be a better person and someone my son will be proud of one day.” Keep reading to look back on all of Taylor’s highs and lows from the moment he agreed to become a Bravolebrity:  

Lisa Vanderpump and a group of workers at her SUR restaurant in West Hollywood, California, come together to create a spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills titled Vanderpump Rules.

Featuring Taylor, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, Stassi Schroeder, Katie Maloney and more staff members, the show quickly became a hit for Bravo. While Taylor left the show after season 8, it wasn’t before he proclaimed to be the “No. 1 guy in the group.”

For much of season 2, Doute and Taylor denied that they ever had a romantic relationship. During the finale, however, the pair admitted to having sex twice.

The shocking confession came when Taylor was trying to win back his ex-girlfriend Schroeder. As for Doute, she was dating Taylor’s close friend, Sandoval.

While filming a Vanderpump Rules cast trip in Hawaii, Taylor got into legal trouble after he took a pair of sunglasses from a local store valued at more than $300. He was later charged with theft in the second degree and entered a no-contest plea.

"Obviously I feel absolutely horrible about it. I am human. I made a mistake. I apologized to everybody," he said on the show. "It's cost me a lot of money and I just kind of went into the mentality where nobody can touch me. And I kind of needed to be knocked down a little bit. It was a humbling experience. So it was good. Some good came out of that, what happened in Hawaii."

In season 6 of Vanderpump Rules, cameras rolled when it was revealed Taylor had slept with Faith Stowers while he was dating Cartwright.

“I didn’t accept any other advances at that time,” Stowers told Us in December 2017 when confirming she only hooked up with Taylor once. “He told me that he would let me know as soon as they were broken up, that he would come tell her soon, and boom, that’d be the end. It’s all good. That was a lie.”

Cartwright and Taylor pushed through any cheating allegations and decided to get married in front of family and friends in Kentucky after a year-long engagement.

“We’re stronger and happier than we’ve ever been,” Cartwright told People just before the big ceremony. “We’ve been through a lot, but we came out on the other side. I feel like we’ve just gotten stronger and stronger.”

Taylor and Cartwright officially became parents after their son was born.

“April 12th at 1:51pm, our lives changed forever in the absolute best way possible,” Cartwright shared via Instagram. “Our beautiful son Cruz Michael Cauchi was born and we have never been more in love. He is the most precious gift and I am so blessed to be his Mommy. 💙 We are soooooo so happy, he is a dream come true!! 😭🥰💙- Both Mommy & Baby are doing great!”

In an episode of her “When Reality Hits” podcast, Cartwright announced her separation from Taylor.

“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,” she said. “I won’t get into too many details right now because this is still really hard to talk about.”

Six months later, Cartwright officially filed for divorce from Taylor after five years of marriage citing irreconcilable differences.

Nearly four years after leaving Vanderpump Rules, Taylor and Cartwright returned to reality TV to star in The Valley. The show aims to follow a group of close friends as they trade bottle service in West Hollywood for baby bottles in the Valley all while they navigate bustling businesses, rocky relationships and feisty friendships.

Taylor chose to put his health first by entering an inpatient facility for mental health treatment.

“​​A little over a month ago, I checked into an intensive inpatient treatment facility scared of the unknown and what I would find out about myself,” Taylor wrote via Instagram. “After many years of knowing something was wrong but not knowing exactly what it was, I recently learned that I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and PTSD.”

In a candid podcast interview with The Valley’s executive producer, Taylor opened up about his struggles with addiction and where he stands today.

"People ask you, 'Do you have an alcohol problem too?' I don't necessarily think I have an alcohol problem but the two go hand in hand," Taylor said on the March 4 episode of the “Hot Mic” podcast. "I can't do cocaine without drinking. So I just gave up both. I'm proud to say I'm 83 days sober right now, which is the longest I've ever gone in my life without either."

"I'm the No. 1 sober guy in the group," he added. "I do still smoke weed a little bit. I need that to go to sleep. I prefer to do that over pills. So I'm what you call California sober and that's fine."

One week before The Valley’s season 2 finale was set to air, Taylor announced he would be taking a step back from the show for season 3.

“After an incredibly challenging year and many honest conversations with my team and producers, I’ll be stepping away from the next season of The Valley,” he exclusively told Us Weekly on July 16. “Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting. Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself — especially for our son, Cruz.”

Taylor is expected to still appear in The Valley season 2 finale and reunion special.