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8 Jax Taylor is opening up for the first time about his battle with addiction… and for his ex Brittany Cartwright, it’s about time!
During a new episode of the Hot Mic podcast on Tuesday, the reality star revealed he struggles with cocaine addiction — and has for a very long time. He told host and Bravo producer Alex Baskin:
“I am an addict. 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. There was times where I would stop doing it but then there were times where I’d go heavy on it.”
This has been going on for over 20 years?! Wow. We’re guessing a lot of fans of Vanderpump Rules had their suspicions… and he knows it!
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Although this is the first time Jax has admitted it on camera to everyone, he recognizes that folks suspected he had these issues for years:
“[They] could kind of tell that I was on something. Obviously production and [other] people, they didn’t know what I was doing. Everything I was doing was on my own but I was just on that train and I couldn’t get off.”
Now he’s finally coming clean because, well, he’s clean! He announced his sobriety, adding he also no longer drinks alcohol. He declared on the pod that he’s 83 days sober — the “longest” amount of time he has ever been without cocaine or alcohol:
“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. 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.”
That’s great! It was a hard journey to get to this point, though! Learn more about his story (below)…
His ‘Rock Bottom’ Moment
According to Jax, he “lost control” and “hit rock bottom” in January 2024 — when his wife Brittany broke up with him after five years of marriage:
“This year was probably the hardest year of my life. I would say my father’s death was the hardest year until this year. I’m going through a divorce right now, which is extremely difficult. When Brittany and I separated [in 2024], that’s when the addiction got worse. I’ve always been doing it for a long time but the addiction got worse during my divorce – during my separation.”
Even though Jax had been texting other women after the breakup, he claimed the moment things got really bad was when he found out Brittany hooked up with his best friend Julian Sensley:
“I was so hurt and angry. It got really bad when I found out that Brittany was hooking up with my friend Julian [Sensley] two weeks after we separated. I knew in my head that she’s been definitely texting him prior because nobody hooks up with somebody that fast — especially a friend of mine. When I heard that, that was my low and that’s when I was doing all the drugs and drinking.”
Sorry, that’s when he was doing all the drugs and drinking? Is he really trying to blame her for his substance abuse? That he’d been doing for 20 years?! OK, not exactly… but it does sound like he’s putting some blame on her for making it worse.
During that period of heartache, Jax claimed, he was “amped up even more” and would do cocaine “three or four times” a week. Jeez. He continued:
“I was going to call every girl because I wanted to hurt her. I didn’t care. I was so into the drugs and the alcohol and I was so upset that she hooked up with my friend, which is ironic because what have I done over the years? I hooked up with my friend’s girlfriends too. And let’s be honest, I did it to Brittany too. That’s why I can’t be that angry. But I think it’s my ego. My ego gets in the way of everything.”
First off, this man has zero room to talk here given how much he has cheated over the years… And not just on Brittany!
Second… he’s not wrong. His ego is the issue. But is he really past that? Because it still sounds like he’s excusing all his actions as responses to others.
His Rehab Stints
Eventually, The Valley star knew he “had to go to rehab.” Jax shared that he checked into a facility twice before getting sober:
“It didn’t happen the first time. It happened the second time.”
During his first stint, he only lasted 17 days. The television personality said he didn’t think another 14 days was “going to do anything for him” at the time, so he left. However, he only remained sober for “a week or two.” Despite leaving early, Jax said he felt he got “a lot out of it the first time.” However, he shared that “there was an incident” once he got out that changed everything for him — and yes, it involved Brittany. He recalled:
“Brittany and I were actually on the way to a doctor’s appointment for our son and her phone was connected to my car and a man’s name came up. It just triggered me. I did slip after the first incident and I did take substance the night before. I lost it. I went crazy in the car yelling.”
During the freakout, he soon remembered their 3-year-old son Cruz was in the backseat witnessing all this. That’s when Jax realized he had a serious problem and needed to get help fast:
“The worst part about all of this — and this is why I checked myself in — is that my son was in the backseat. That’s when I knew that I have a problem and it’s still there. This was just this utter disgust. The first time I put up a little bit of a fight and the second time I knew I had to go back.”
His second stint in rehab was completely different as he was ready to commit to changing for the first time. Jax added:
“I personally don’t think that drugs and alcohol are the problem for anybody. There’s issues with their lives and people use that to mask the issues that they’re going through. I’m a firm believer in drugs and alcohol are never the problem. People just don’t fix their problems. So they’re too lazy and then they use drugs and alcohol to mask their issues instead of fixing things.”
His Anger Issues
Jax had been dealing with a lot of anger issues over the years. As you may recall, he was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder after checking into an inpatient treatment facility over the summer. But before then, he had “self-diagnosed” with depression and got on Lexapro:
“When my marriage was getting really bad towards the last three years, Brittany was like, ‘You need to go get some help. You need to figure out what is wrong with you.’ To get her off my back, I went to my family physician. I go, ‘Listen, my wife thinks I’m depressed. I am a little bit depressed. Can I have some medication for it?’ She just gave it to me. There was no diagnosis. It wasn’t a psychiatrist. I self-diagnosed myself.”
Jax said the prescription meds “didn’t do anything” except exacerbate his anger issues. Looking back, he realizes now that his problems really hurt his marriage to Brittany in the long run:
“I would store all this anger up throughout the day and then I’d go home for dinner. Who’s in my target line? Brittany. She didn’t do anything. But I’m just so angry with my anger issues that I would just take it out on her and it was not fair. And I knew what I was doing. The only time that Brittany and I really have ever gotten angry is the next day after a bender for me. That’s the only time I’ve ever had a shouting match. I’ve never done a sober shouting match with Brittany ever. But unfortunately, I was doing drugs so much.”
The cocaine, alcohol, and Lexapro all turned into “a f**ing recipe for disaster.” Oof.
California Sober
Thankfully, he is sober now… well, sober-ish. He’s “California sober” — a more permissive version that still allows for marijuana use. Jax said he does “still smoke weed a little bit” in order “to go to sleep.” Hopefully, he can stay on track with his version of sobriety. It does sound like he’s committed to staying down this path, though. He’s now “switched over to Celsius” or has “a cup of coffee” when he goes out. He’s on a strict regimen when he does events, too — not getting so rowdy with fans:
“I’m still doing events and I still do appearances and like that, but I’m very regimented now. I go do my appearances and I’ll take some pictures with people after and [then] I go right to my hotel. Before I would wander around, end up meeting fans at a bar and drinking 25 shots. … I’m just a people pleaser and I just want to make sure everybody has a good time.”
What’s a huge step for Jax? He’s finally going to “therapy once a week” — something fans know he refused to do in the past! He’s even getting drug tested every week, which he chose to do to hold himself accountable, and he sends the results to Brittany. Wow. Like we said, this is a massive step in the right direction for Jax! And speaking of Brittany…
Where He Stands With Brittany
Jax opened up about where the estranged couple stand these days, and the update unfortunately doesn’t sound great! So, get it out of your heads now that these two are getting back together one day! It’s never happening! Even Jax recognizes this, calling any imagined reconciliation a “ticking time bomb.” They can’t even have a friendly co-parenting relationship, so forget about a romantic one! He said:
“We had a little bit of a blowup last night. It’s daily. It changes. One day she’s happy, one day she’s mad. …. I never know what I’m going to get with her. I walk on eggshells constantly — as I should. I just want her to know that I’m really, really trying. I’m doing everything she’s asked.”
Despite their differences, he wants to “be there for” Brittany. He’s even “moved a mile away” from her to help out:
“When I moved, I wanted to be a five minute drive away. I wanted to always be there for her. Even if and when she starts dating and being with somebody, I’ll always still be there. I wanted her to see that. We still have hiccups and I still do stuff that pisses her off. I’m not a perfect human being. I’m nowhere near it. So I’m still going to have incidents where I make her mad. It’ll never be with drinking or drugs again.”
Fingers crossed, now that he’s working on his sobriety, they can have an amicable co-parenting relationship one day for Cruz. Their son is ultimately what’s most important for Jax here. He expressed:
“[I am focused on] one day at a time. The big thing here is my son. He’s my drive and he’s my No. 1 driver for this. Obviously, I’m not the type of person who can have one drink and be OK. It’s just not in my cards and I had to stop. I was going to lose custody. I’m embarrassing my ex-wife and I’m embarrassing myself. Nobody’s looking at me seriously. I want to do it for myself. I take care of my son as much as [Brittany] allows me to. I don’t know what else she wants from me. I’m doing everything that she’s asked for just because I respect her and I want to make her happy. I’m going above and beyond to show her that I do care and I want to be in my son’s life.”
Watch part of the podcast episode (below):
Brittany’s Reaction
While Jax says he’s “going above and beyond” to prove he’s better than ever, Brittany isn’t buying it!
According to the now-single mom, her ex has been doing the “bare minimum” when it comes to his treatment, and his behavior has not improved. Yikes. She told People on Tuesday:
“I’m glad that he finally admitted to what was really going on. For the first time, I can speak openly about the extent of trauma he’s instilled on our family over the years. I’ve tried desperately to help him without success. I pray that one day he completely knocks this addiction, but I’m skeptical. His behaviors are still alarming and his treatment plan seems to be the bare minimum.”
If true, this sounds like the complete opposite of what Jax said on the podcast. It’s concerning. No matter what you think about the guy, no one wants to see him struggling with his mental health or slipping back into his addiction.
Ultimately, we are wishing him the best of luck on his sobriety journey. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
