Jax Taylor previously said he doesn’t believe in divorce, amid Tuesday’s news that his wife Brittany Cartwright filed paperwork to end the couple’s five-year marriage.
The 45-year-old reality star born in Shelby Township, Michigan, and Cartwright, 35, who are parents to three-year-old son Cruz Michael Cauchi, spoke with People about their views on how to maintain a healthy marriage almost a year and a half ago.
“I don’t believe in divorce,” Taylor said of her marriage to Cartwright, which began in June 2019. “I don’t believe in that. Marriage is work. I’m not saying every day is wonderful.”
After Cartwright said she felt every day was “amazing,” Taylor, who spent time in an inpatient facility earlier this summer, said she felt there was a give-and-take aspect to a healthy marriage.
“There are good days and bad days, but that’s what marriage is like and that’s what makes the relationship stronger,” she said. “We love each other so much. We fight so much. It’s amazing.”
Jax Taylor, 45, previously said he doesn’t believe in divorce, amid Tuesday’s news that his wife Brittany Cartwright, 35, filed paperwork to end the couple’s five-year marriage. The estranged couple was photographed in March 2023 appearing on Watch What Happens Live
Taylor, photographed in April in Washington, DC, said: “I don’t believe in divorce. I don’t believe in that. Marriage is work. I’m not saying every day is wonderful.”
Taylor cited her parents — her late father Ronald Cauchi and estranged mother Marie Cauchi — in providing details about her values when it comes to marriage.
“My parents didn’t get divorced,” Taylor said in the March 2023 interview.
In the exchange, Taylor said he and Cartwright, former Vanderpump Rules co-stars, had been “best friends” and added that she is the “only one” who was able to “put up with him.”
Taylor said: “We have so much fun together. I honestly can’t imagine my life with anyone else. Like I said, she’s kind of the ying to my yang.”
In the interview, Taylor said Cartwright had the “patience” and understanding to complement her personality, which she admitted could be difficult at times.
“I’m a tough guy, so it takes a special person to deal with my problems,” Taylor said. “Even through all of this, and even though my life is a lot better now, I’m still hard to deal with.
“I think she’s the only one who can really stand me.”
In the People interview, Cartwright said that parenting was also a key component in keeping the marriage together: “I think becoming parents also made us stronger because I love seeing him as a dad… it just makes you love him more.”
Taylor cited her parents – her late father Ronald Cauchi and estranged mother Marie Cauchi – in relation to her values when it comes to marriage, saying, “My parents didn’t divorce.”
Cartwright said she and Taylor split on January 24. Photographed in Las Vegas last year.
Cartwright said in the 2023 interview that people had underestimated their ability to stay together.
“When we got married, we always heard people say, ‘They’ll be together for a year’ or whatever,” Cartwright said. “Now we’ve been together for eight years, almost four years married. We’re moving forward.”
Cartwright acknowledged that she and Taylor had split on a Feb. 29 edition of the estranged couple’s podcast. When reality hits.
“I know I mentioned in my last podcast that a lot of marriages go through tough times,” Cartwright said. “Yes, marriages in general are very difficult and I’ve had a particularly tough year this past year.
‘Jax and I are taking some time apart and I made the decision to move into another house to give myself some space for the sake of my mental health.’
Cartwright, in court documents reviewed by Dailymail.com, said “irreconcilable differences” were the reason behind her decision to file for divorce on Tuesday.
Cartwright, who said she and Taylor separated on Jan. 24, asked the court for primary legal and physical custody of their son, adding that she would not object to Taylor having visitation with the boy.