The Valley’s Jax Taylor — self-proclaimed No. 1 Guy in the Group — was forever the loudest voice in the room, a force to be reckoned with. “I’ve always been the lead singer of the band,” he acknowledges to Us Weekly. But more than 100 days into sobriety, “I’m taking a backseat. I’ve become the guy who plays the triangle. It’s hard because I’m so used to being Jax Taylor, this alpha male, but that guy doesn’t exist anymore. He can’t, or he is going to die.”
Born Jason Cauchi, he rebranded as Jax Taylor when he started modeling in the early 2000s because “it’s a cool f—ing name.” He branched out into background actor work (did you spot him on Desperate Housewives? Will & Grace?), and by 2013, Taylor was tending bar at Lisa Vanderpump’s L.A. hotspot SUR. Enter reality television: In eight seasons of Vanderpump Rules, “He created so much story, drama, conversation,” assessed Andy Cohen. Next, the spinoff Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky culminated in his 2019 wedding to sunny Southerner Brittany Cartwright. Their son, Cruz, was born in April 2021.
The small screen beckoned again: After a shockingly short 2023 stint on E!’s House of Villains, VPR spinoff The Valley arrived, with Jax and Brittany in starring roles. Viewers saw a rocky marriage, and behind the scenes of the 2024 hit, Taylor was facing dangerous struggles of his own.
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In July 2024, he checked himself into an inpatient treatment facility, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD. But even that was not the full story. In March, Taylor revealed he’d been battling a cocaine addiction — helped along by his alcohol consumption — for the past two decades.
With a second rehab stint behind him, he is laser- focused. “If I have a drink, I’m looking for a bag of cocaine, so I had to quit both,” he tells Us. “I know for a fact I’ll never touch it again. People are like, ‘Well, you don’t know.’ No. I know.” Ahead of The Valley’s return (Bravo, April 15, 9 p.m.), Taylor sat down with Us to talk bad times, good times and the son who motivates him every day to be better.
What led you to acknowledge your addiction publicly?
It’s really embarrassing, especially at this stage of my life being a father, being 45 years old, but I wanted it to come out of my mouth — exactly in my own words. This was the right time for me.
I’m fresh out of rehab. I’m doing the therapy. This is a good place.
Were you hesitant about how the public would react?
If you’ve watched me on the show, you could tell there was something going on. I didn’t hide it that well. I don’t really care what people think — this is more for me and for my son. Seeing that I’m doing this, hopefully other people can come out and say they’re struggling with issues too.
How many days of sobriety do you have now?
I’m between 107, 110, somewhere in there. I try not to count anymore. I just wanted to make it to 100. That was important to me.
How are you doing?
My life has changed dramatically. I’m probably the healthiest I’ve ever been, I feel the best I’ve ever been. And I don’t put myself in situations I’m not comfortable with. I know it’s weird because I do own a bar, but I’m a very strong person. If I say I’m not going to do something, I’m not going to do it.
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What’s changed?
I have an addictive personality, so when I stop one thing, I dive into another. I go to the gym; that’s my sanctuary. I love to lift weights, look at different fitness regimes, eating routines. It’s fun to me. That and my podcast, “In the Mind of a Man.”
Was there a specific breaking point that led to your getting sober?
[After my separation], I found out Brittany was talking to my friend [Julian Sensley]. It was a serious slap in the face — I brought this person into my circle! When I found out, I collapsed.
Was that your rock-bottom?
No, that was [earlier], when she left [in early 2024]. I was in my house by myself for months. I wasn’t eating. I was drinking and doing enough cocaine to kill a small horse. I went on a full-on tear. I was so depressed. I felt like I lost everything. The devil on my shoulder was louder than that angel on my shoulder.
In the trailer for the new season, we see her reacting to a thong on the bathroom counter. What’s the story?
We did these bar crawls, and girls sometimes leave us with things. And that’s what that was. [If I had brought a girl home], I would own it. What am I hiding? I was hooking up with girls then. So what is the difference if there’s underwear there or not?
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You went to rehab for the first time in July 2024. Do you think you got everything out of it that you could have?
It was the middle of filming [season 2, and] I knew I was the topic of conversation [for the cast]. My mind is going a mile a minute. My ego is larger than life in there, like “I don’t need to be here.” They allowed me to have my phone, so in between group therapies, I’m rage-texting. I didn’t give Psyclarity a chance. I rushed it.
So after your 30 days, you ended up falling back into your old habits.
I relapsed shortly after my first stay and in November. Brittany’s phone was plugged into my car, I saw another man’s name and lost it. Unfortunately, my son was in the car. I had flashes of everything you’re not supposed to do as a parent. She was like, he needs to go back. I didn’t put up a fight.
You did another 17 days in treatment. What did you learn from rehab?
I thought I was depressed, but they told me, “You’re not — you’re bipolar. You’re on the wrong medication.” Since I’ve been on that, I let things roll off my back. I don’t go nuts like I used to.
How far back do your substance issues go?
I’ve been in and out of using cocaine for a while. There would be months I would take off, and then I would do it maybe two, three times a month. It got really bad, though, when the divorce started happening. [Cartwright filed last August.]
Looking back, how much do you estimate you’ve spent on cocaine over the years?
I could probably buy a house for the amount of money I’ve spent on drugs. It’s sickening to me. My parents did not raise this kind of person.
Did being in the entertainment industry make it worse?
When I was 23, I moved to Miami, where I was modeling, and that stuff’s just accepted. People were doing it in restaurants. Someone introduced it to me, and I thought it was the best thing in the world. It was drugs, alcohol, parties, selfishness, egos. I thought, This is how I’m supposed to act.
You’ve been open about your PTSD and bipolar disorder, and more health professionals are linking substance abuse with mental health issues. Do you think they go hand in hand?
I do, 100 percent. If you’re bipolar, or [have] ADHD, alcohol and substances just heighten it and make it worse. If you have these things, you shouldn’t be doing these things. I know it’s weird coming from me.
Do you think your mental health struggles drive you to your substance abuse?
Definitely. Drugs and alcohol are never the problem for anybody — we’re using this to mask our issues. I lost my father [in 2017 to esophageal cancer], I’ve gone through some crazy s— in my life. Let’s just drink and mask it. For those two hours, I’m not thinking about bills or divorces or my father’s death or not talking to my mom.
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Do you also struggle with social anxiety?
The alcohol and the drugs gave me, like, a superpower: I could talk to everybody and anybody. Now I have a hard time being in social situations. I’ve been doing this for so long that my body just is craving it — like, where’s the stuff? How am I going to be a social person without my crutch? I worry, are people still going to like me?
Are you scared that the sober you will be too boring for reality television?
I’m nervous people are not going to accept this laid-back person. We all know I’ll never be fully laid-back — it’s not my DNA. But the old me is not there. I’m exhausted from the arguing, the conniving, the lying. I’m surrendering, and if you don’t like me, fine. But I’m hoping people can watch it and be like, it’s about f—ing time.
If you had to choose between sobriety and fame, what would it be?
Sobriety, for sure. If you were to ask me in the beginning, I’d be like, no, fame is great, I love it, I don’t have a [substance] problem. Now I’ve stopped and feel the healthiest I’ve been in 25 years. I don’t want to f— this up.
What will you tell your son about your struggles when he’s older?
I grew up like a lot of guys — we don’t talk about our feelings. I’m going to break that cycle. I want my son to talk about whatever he wants to talk about. Let’s be open. It’s OK not to be OK. I just couldn’t take the weight anymore. The pressure. I don’t want my son to feel like that. I want him to be open and honest. I will never judge him at all. I’ll be his biggest cheerleader.
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Has he been the motivation for turning your life around?
I solely believe that I’m only here right now because of him. He’s the light of my life, my everything, my angel, my heartbeat. Everything I do is for him. He’s the reason I went to rehab. I want to be here for him the rest of my life. I want him to go, my dad had a problem, he confronted it, he was open about it. If he can be proud of me for that, that would be amazing.
In the new season, we see a heated moment between you and Brittany where she says Cruz cannot grow up to be a person like you. How did it feel to hear that?
I will never talk negatively about Brittany, but I’m angry with some of the things she’s done. It takes two to fight. A marriage is a team thing — you’re partners. We were in deep, and both of us threw in the towel. She was so hurt, she was throwing daggers. There were scenes I couldn’t even get through; I had to walk out because I was crying. I deserve a lot of it, but some of the things she said just gutted me.
Do you still question why the marriage ended?
You know, if it was so bad all these years, why did she stay? Why did she ask me to have another kid last year? This is the problem. I know I angered her a lot, and I’m not blaming her. It’s more like, why didn’t she say, “Hey, why don’t we go to therapy? Why don’t we fix this?” Or “Why don’t we go away and figure out these problems?”
How are you two currently?
Every day is something different. I’m walking on eggshells. I’m trying my best to be amicable. I want us to say, the marriage didn’t work, but we’re great parents and have a beautiful son. Nothing else matters.
Brittany has expressed skepticism about your recovery due to your past behaviors.
I voluntarily take drug tests. There’s absolutely no way I could be on drugs when I’m taking two drug tests a week. She’s reacting on emotions. She’s angry. She’s hurt. I get it.
What is the future of your bar, Jax’s Studio City?
I have a sickness, but I’m not that bad to where I can’t be around it. [When I smell alcohol], I’m like, “ugh.” I want my friends to drink around me. I want ’em to have fun. I don’t wanna blame it on the bar. I make my own decisions. I’m not a 20-year-old kid.
What does your dating life look like now?
It’s nonexistent. It’s not a priority. I don’t think I’m mentally there yet. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I need to be good for myself and my son before I can be good for anybody else.
Friends have supported you through this journey. What about your family?
My mother reached out to me — we haven’t talked in six, seven years. That was interesting. I wasn’t really ready to open that up yet. I was glad that she reached out, and my sister too.
Is that a relationship you’d like to explore?
I want my mother to meet her grandson — that’s my main priority. We’ll see.
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Do you think hitting rock bottom was necessary for you to get where you are now?
I may kick myself for saying this, but I really have to thank Brittany, who [took] action and [said], “You need to go to rehab.” Putting me in there was probably the best thing that’s happened.
What’s next for you? Goals?
I’m excited for my podcast tour. I want people to watch the whole season [of The Valley] before they say, “This guy’s an effing asshole.” I want us to be amicable parents, and I’m looking forward to Brittany and I getting on the same page. There’s hiccups, but we’re getting there. The main goal is that little boy.
For more on Jax, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
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