Jax Taylor Says He Was a 'Late Bloomer' and Reveals When He Lost His Virginity During 'Very Conservative' Upbringing

Jax Taylor is opening up about his more “conservative” childhood.

Taylor, 45, spoke about his sex education with sex therapist Dr. Emily Morse during the March 20 episode of his In the Mind of a Man podcast and revealed when he lost his virginity. He opened up the conversation by telling Morse that he “grew up in a very conservative neighborhood.”

Comparing his hometown of Shelby Township, Michigan to the neighborhood in the 1950s sitcom, Leave It to Beaver, Taylor said: “I don't even think I had the sex talk with my dad... I also was a very late bloomer.”

The Vanderpump Rules alum then explained that his high school experience was similar to that of 1999 comedy film American Pie. “That was my neighborhood. Very [much like] my friends,” he said. “People left their doors open. It was just nothing went wrong.” 

“Sex wasn’t really a big thing then,” he told Morse. “I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 19.” 

“That's good. Sounds like you waited till you were ready,” Morse replied before cheekily adding, “And then you never stopped.”

As their conversation continued, Taylor, who recently opened up about his substance abuse struggles, said that his dating life goes hand in hand with his alcohol and drug consumption. 

“Because I was invincible when I go on dates, I have everything to talk about. I'm the life of the party. Now I'm taking the back seat and all that. I'm scared because I feel like I'm not gonna be as fun or interesting,” he explained.

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This isn't the first time this week that Taylor has gotten candid about his struggles. On March 19, Taylor opened up on PodcastOne's The Adam and Dr. Drew Show, where he admitted that he also previously considered himself a bit of a sex addict in addition to his substance issues.

"I think I dabbled in it a little bit," he said. "I'm not in recovery for that, no. I'm just kind of sticking with the substance abuse right now and trying to figure that out. Maybe we'll branch into that later. I'm
trying to fix one problem before I get to the other problems. I'm trying to patch it."

"And to me, to be honest with you, I think I have some other deep rooted issues. I personally don't think alcohol and drugs were the problem," he continued. "I was just masking my issues with the drugs and alcohol. I don't think I have an alcohol problem, but I do have a substance problem, but they go hand in hand, so I had to quit both."

Taylor added that his struggles were "a trigger for me," explaining, "I'd have two drinks and I'm looking for who's got the bag, who where is it at? And like I said, I was masking all the issues that I've gone through over the years. I've had a lot of trauma in my life."

"Instead of dealing with it head on, going to therapy, I would mask it by doing drugs and then it would have been a being worse because in the next 72 hours, I'm coming down from that, you know, and I feel like absolute s---. So I was like, why am I doing this?" he added.

Taylor's struggles ultimately impacted his marriage to Brittany Cartwright, who filed for divorce in August 2024 after four years of marriage. The two share a 3-year-old son, Cruz Michael Cauchi.

After the reality star revealed his substance abuse struggles on Bravo's Hot Mic Podcast episode on March 4, Cartwright shared an exclusive statement with PEOPLE, where she said she was "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," she wrote. "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."

She continued, "I'm trying to navigate this as best as I can for my son and I, but every day is still a challenge and very difficult. Jax has caused an enormous amount of damage and I have very little trust in him at this point. My only hope is that one day, he will be a better person for his son.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.