Jax Taylor Opens Up About Touching Call to Ex Brittany Cartwright Before The Valley Premiere: Did She Want Him to Attend?
Jax Taylor is reflecting on navigating a premiere night with his ex, Brittany Cartwright, present.
On the Thursday, April 17 episode of Taylor’s In the Mind of a Man podcast, the 45-year-old reality star shared that “the day before” the premiere of their Bravo show, The Valley, he reached out to Cartwright, 36, to ask if she wanted him to attend.
The premiere occurred months after the couple announced their separation in February 2024, following four years of marriage. Season 2 of The Valley resumes nearly nine months after their split, with the show returning to Bravo this month.
“People keep asking how it was with Brittany on the carpet, and I was a little nervous,” Taylor said. “In fact, I called her the day before to talk. I asked, ‘Do you want me to go, Brittany?’ I wanted to ensure she felt comfortable.”
“I decided to go, and my in-laws, my ex-in-laws, were in town. Don and Linda came to the premiere party, and it seemed like they were enjoying themselves. But it felt a little strange,” he recalled.
Taylor admitted that it was “a little bit awkward” for both him and Cartwright to be on the carpet together, but everything went smoothly overall. “Given what we’re going through and now doing press separately, it’s just weird. But she did a great job and looked beautiful,” he commented.
Elsewhere in the latest episode of his podcast, Taylor revealed, “I sat in the corner and cried my eyes out” while watching the premiere of the new season.
“I was so disgusted by what I saw—the shell of a human being I was looking at and how I acted,” he told Tom Schwartz. “It was just utter disgust. Looking at it now, I realize, ‘Wow. I’m glad I watched this because I never want to be that person again.’
Taylor and Cartwright, who share their 4-year-old son Cruz, have been open about their split, both on The Valley and in their lives outside of the show.
During the most recent episode of the Bravo hit, Taylor disclosed that things were not “going well” after the separation, mentioning that they were “allowed to date other people” and describing the situation as “toxic.” Cartwright later revealed that Taylor “flipped the coffee table and it hit my knee” upon discovering a text between her and his friend, Julien.
“We did agree that we could hook up with other people, but a friend? Come on. Julien and I were friends; we hung out regularly,” Jax stated in the episode. “Meanwhile, she’s still hooking up with him, and I had no idea.”
Jax later expressed that he “went full f—— unhinged rage” on Brittany, acknowledging it was “the worst it’s ever gotten.” Since those events, he has undergone 30 days in an in-patient treatment facility for mental health issues. He also shared that he struggled with cocaine and announced in March that he had been sober from both cocaine and alcohol for 83 days. The latest season also documents his experiences with bipolar disorder and PTSD.
Speaking at the season 2 premiere this month, Taylor mentioned that he was “dreading” how fans would perceive him in the latest episodes.
“The last thing I want right now is for you to see what happened to me last year,” he said. “But I have to look at the silver lining; I hope to help someone going through what I did. Men’s mental health is often overlooked, and I want to share my story.”
“It’s going to be bad. It’s going to be really, really bad,” he added. “But you have to remember, this was filmed a year ago. Everyone’s in a different place now, with new relationships and dynamics.”
The Valley airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
