Amidst the glitz and glamour of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, The Valley’s Jax Taylor opened up about his recent split from estranged wife Brittany Cartwright. The 44-year-old reality star discussed his personal journey and the possibility of reconciliation.
Speaking to ET at the event in Washington D.C., Taylor expressed gratitude for being there. “I’m overwhelmed. I’m just in awe that I’m here. That I was invited to something so extravagant. Like I said, I’m speechless, I’m honored to be here.”
When asked about Cartwright’s presence at the event and if the two are having a date night or just friends, Taylor quipped, “Depends on how much we have to drink tonight.”
“We’re just trying to figure things out,” Taylor admitted in all seriousness. “I’ve given you real-time, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I am definitely working on myself right now.”
Jax Taylor attends the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner at The Washington Hilton on April 27, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Jax Taylor attends the 2024 White House Correspondents Dinner at The Washington Hilton on April 27, 2024 in Washington, DC. – Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Addressing rumors of infidelity, Taylor clarified, “No no, and everybody just assumes when there’s a split there’s infidelity and there’s cheating. Believe it or not, there are other reasons too. I know I don’t have the best track record but no this was just a communication thing.”
Reflecting on the separation, Taylor admitted, “The separation has definitely been good for me, but I do miss her. I miss her a lot. So, I don’t know, we’ll see if she’ll take me back.”
Taylor also addressed speculation about his relationship with his publicist, dismissing it as hearsay. “Oh, that, not again. That was all just hearsay, and it’s just a shame that that happened. But yeah, no, nothing happened there.”
Transitioning to his new show, The Valley, Taylor emphasized its focus on real-life issues beyond the realm of reality TV drama. “I always said no matter what I’m always gonna put the good even if there’s bad cause people are dealing with these things and I want to be able to share.”
Taylor discusses what he’s learned about himself watching the show back, acknowledging, “I need to communicate better. My delivery’s really awful. I have a very short fuse. I need to learn to live in the moment, be present. I need to learn patience. I got a lot of work to do.”
Teasing the upcoming reunion for The Valley, Taylor hinted at some surprises in store, admitting, “It’s gonna be a little crazy, and when I created this show that wasn’t my intention.”
Taylor and Cartwright first met in 2015 and endured their share of ups and downs, including a brief split after Taylor cheated on Brittany with former SURver Faith Stowers. Despite the challenges, they eventually tied the knot in 2019 and welcomed their first child in 2021.
Cartwright announced her separation from Taylor in February, and The Valley star responded by picking up the cameras to catch the fallout for the tail end of its freshman season. Amid rumors about the reason for their split, Cartwright addressed the situation in an interview with ET, admitting that she hit her “breaking point” with Taylor.
“I want to make it very clear that this is not a publicity stunt. I feel like this would be the most disgusting way to publicize your show, so I want to make that very clear that’s not what’s going on here,” Taylor told ET in a separate interview. “People go through tough things in their marriage, we’re trying to figure things out a little bit. But it doesn’t stop us working together. We’re adults.”
Then, during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Cartwright shared that a “horrible fight” led to the separation, explaining, “It was like a veil was lifted, and I noticed everything wrong.”
“It got to the point where we fought about everything, it could be about anything at that point,” she said. “It was just a very toxic situation that I felt like I needed to remove myself from.”
The Valley airs Tuesdays on Bravo.
