Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Parenting Brittany Cartwright Says Jax Taylor Has Done 'Irreparable Damage' to Their Son Cruz, 3, After He Reveals Cocaine Addiction 'The Valley' star shared a public statement after Taylor came forward about his addictions By Hannah Sacks Hannah Sacks Hannah Sacks is a writer/reporter for the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since May 2023. Her work has previously appeared in The Toy Insider, The Toy Book, The Pop Insider, and Saratoga Living. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 5, 2025 11:57AM EST Comments Brittany Cartwright (left) and Jax Taylor (right). Photo: Steven Simione/FilmMagic; Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Brittany Cartwright is seemingly done standing by Jax Taylor – especially when it comes to their son. After news broke on Tuesday, March 4, that Taylor has been dealing with substance issues, Cartwright released a statement on her Instagram Stories, sharing that her former husband's addictions have caused "irreparable damage" to herself and their 3-year-old son Cruz Cauchi. "His addiction unfortunately has done irreparable damage to my son and I. I've spent years trying to help him," Cartwright wrote. "I wish more than anyone I could say how proud I am of him today but I'd be lying. His actions will speak for themselves." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Jax Taylor Says He Watches Son Cruz, 3, Whenever Brittany Cartwright 'Allows' After Revealing Cocaine Addiction: 'I Respect Her' The reality TV star then went on to address questions she'd been receiving about why she stayed with Taylor when she knew he had a problem. "You can't help who you fell in love with. I've done absolutely everything in my power to get him the help he desperately needed," Cartwright went on. "Unfortunately, I was naive and believed his empty promises and his pleads to change for years." "Once you have a child with someone it's not easy to leave," she continued. "It took everything in my power to gather the strength to walk away. For those that have been through similar, you get it. For those that question me...that's okay. I'm in a much better place now." Earlier this week, Taylor appeared on Bravo's Hot Mic podcast and told host Alex Baskin that he's had "substance issues — primarily with cocaine" for the past 20 years. He shared that one of the reasons he's striving to get sober is for his son. "The big thing here is my son. He’s my drive and he’s my No. 1 driver for this,” the former Vanderpump Rules star candidly shared. "Obviously, I’m not the type of person who can have one drink and be okay. It’s just not in my cards, and I had to stop. I was going to lose custody," he went on. "I’m embarrassing my ex-wife and I’m embarrassing myself. Nobody’s looking at me seriously. I want to do it for myself.” Taylor went on, saying that he's currently only able to see his son when Cartwright allows him to. “I take care of my son as much as [Brittany] allows me to. I don’t know what else she wants from me." he said. "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.” If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP. Close Leave a Comment