“The Valley” star Jax Taylor is opening up about his son, Cruz’s autism diagnosis.
In an April 9 Instagram upload, Taylor shared several pictures of his nearly 4-year-old child, mothered by his estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright.
In the caption of the post, Taylor described Cruz as his “precious beautiful boy.”
“I’m so proud to be your father and even though we may face challenges along the way I’ll always be your biggest supporter and cheerleader and make sure that you and other families on similar journeys affected by autism knows that the sky is the limit even though life may look a little different 💙,” read the caption of the post.
Several fans took to the post’s comments section to share words of support.
“Love is the same no matter how life looks ❤️❤️❤️,” wrote one commenter.
“You can see so much love between you & your son❤️❤️,” shared a different person.
“Praying that you are the best version of you that you can be for Cruz and for @brittany as y’all navigate co-parenting this sweet baby boy – because he is such a beautiful blessing and deserves all of it. 💙,” commented a social media user.
Brittany Cartwright Let Fans Know About Cruz’s Diagnosis in an April 2025 Interview
Cartwright let fans know that her son received an autism spectrum diagnosis in late 2024 during an interview with People magazine, published on April 9. According to Cartwright, Cruz could say several words until “he got closer to 2.”
“We started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely,” said Cartwright to the publication. “It can be difficult because I’ve never heard him say, ‘I love you,’ but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day. He is such a mommy’s boy.”
She also said while raising Cruz “might be challenging at times,” she “couldn’t imagine [her] life being different.”
“It can be sad at times because you want them to live life to the fullest, and he does, he just does it in a different way,” said Cartwright during the interview. “What I really want people to understand about autism is he sees the world so much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will. It doesn’t mean that he’s not going to be the smartest in his class. It doesn’t mean he is not going to work for NASA one day. There aren’t any limitations to what he can do.”
In addition, Cartwright said her son is going to therapy sessions and preschool classes with a therapeutic companion as part of “early intervention.”
“This is the time he’s building his brain. I’m just trying to do everything I possibly can to help him live the happiest life ever. I feel very blessed that I’m able to give him everything that he needs, and that’s why I want to help as many mothers as I can. I have learned so much over the past couple years,” said Cartwright.
Brittany Cartwright Spoke About Her Split From Jax Taylor in a May 2024 Interview
Cartwright spoke about her split from Taylor in a May 2024 interview on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast. She said she felt it was necessary to end her marriage to Taylor because of their constant arguments.
“I feel like we were just arguing in front of [Cruz]. That was one of the main reasons I was like I have to get out of here. Because [Cruz] doesn’t deserve that. So once I had [Cruz], a veil was lifted and I could just see everything,” said Cartwright during the podcast interview.
In a March 2025 interview on “Bravo’s Hot Mic” podcast, Taylor said that for the last two decades, he had “substance issues — primarily with cocaine.” According to Taylor, he has been sober from alcohol and cocaine for nearly three months.
Cartwright addressed Taylor’s admission in a March 2025 statement to People magazine. She said that while she “pray[s] that one day he completely knocks this addiction” she is “skeptical.”
“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,” stated Cartwright. “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.”