has given full legal and physical custody of their 3-year-old son, Cruz, amid their divorce proceedings.
Taylor, 45, represented himself in response to Cartwright’s divorce filing, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, October 2. The reality star also asked that his and Cartwright’s shared property, which consists of their Los Angeles home, be divided “at a later time.” Us has reached out to Taylor and Cartwright’s reps for comment.
Taylor’s response comes after Cartwright filed for divorce in August citing irreconcilable differences. She listed the pair’s date of separation as January 24 and requested primary legal and physical custody of Cruz.
The former couple started dating in 2015 and tied the knot at a castle in Kentucky in 2019. Their relationship was documented on Vanderpump Rules before they left the Bravo reality show after season 8 in 2020. Taylor and Cartwright announced their separation weeks before their reality TV return; the VPR spinoff The Valley premiered in March and documented some of the pair’s relationship struggles.
While confirming that she and Taylor were “taking time apart” and living separately during a February episode of the duo’s joint “When Reality Hits” podcast, Cartwright assured fans that the split was not “a publicity stunt” to promote The Valley.
“We filmed The Valley months ago — months and months and months ago,” she said at the time. “And we’re super excited for this to come out, and there’s been so many changes that [have] happened in every single couple’s lives — every single couple on the show.”
Cameras are currently rolling for season 2 of the Bravo series, and Cartwright recently teased that viewers will learn more details about her and Taylor’s divorce from The Valley’s next installment.
“You will see how everything plays out once the show airs, but I will say this: This season has been the most difficult season I have ever had to film,” she said during an August episode of her podcast.
Cartwright also shared that her decision to file for divorce was not an impulsive one.
“[This decision] wasn’t made lightly or quickly. It’s taken me many, many years to get to this point where I gained enough courage and strength to do what’s best for me, get myself out of a toxic relationship and ultimately see my worth,” she said. “It’s been very difficult, but I’m stronger than ever. … My motivation is my son, my Cruzie, who deserves a happy and healthy mommy. Moving forward, Jax and I will be doing the podcast separately.”
Taylor, meanwhile, said during a September episode of the podcast that his and Cartwright’s split “is the right decision for our family,” noting that he will “always love and care” for Cartwright.
“She’s the mother of my beautiful son. All I want for us is to be amicable and even hopefully really, really good friends. One day,” he said. “I know I’m an amazing father and I know that I will make an excellent ex-husband.”
Taylor also addressed his experience in a 30-day mental health treatment program over the summer.
“It was a very, very scary step for me, but it really needed to happen. It’s something I’ve been holding onto for many, many years,” he said. “I’ve known for years that there’s been something wrong but I just didn’t want to know. During my stay, I found out a lot about myself. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. … I now have a little bit better understanding of my mental health struggles.”
