‘Real Housewives’ Star Says Brittany Cartwright ‘Deserves Better’ Than Jax Taylor

Heavy/NBCUniversal Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor.

“Real Housewives of Orange County” star Emily Simpson shared her thoughts about “The Valley” star Brittany Cartwright’s separation from her husband of nearly five years, Jax Taylor. 

In the May 1 episode of her podcast, “Popping Off,” co-hosted by “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Teddi Mellencamp, Simpson suggested she believed Taylor had been disrespectful toward Cartwright during the first season “The Valley.” She referenced that Taylor and Cartwright, who share a 3-year-old son, Cruz, had a tense conversation about expanding their family in “The Valley” season 1, episode 7. Simpson stated that she believed Taylor may have felt hesitant to have another child because he had already moved on from his relationship with Cartwright. 

“All I can think is how he is probably backed out of that because he’s with somebody else. He doesn’t want to have a second kid. Are you kidding?” said the RHOC star.

Simpson also said she “feel[s] badly for” Cartwright. 

“She’s so sweet. I mean, she deserves better. So Team Brittany,” said the RHOC star.

Emily Simpson & Teddi Mellencamp Discussed Rumors About Jax Taylor

This is not the first time Simpson has given her opinion about Taylor. In the April 25 episode of her podcast, “Popping Off,” Simpson discussed reports that Cartwright unfollowed Taylor and their shared publicist Lori Krebs on Instagram. She and Mellencamp referenced that rumors have circulated that Taylor may be romantically involved with his publicist. 

Simpson stated that she was upset on behalf of Cartwright. The RHOC star said she thinks Cartwright has been loyal to Taylor throughout their nearly decade-long relationship. 

“She has been his ride or die from day one. She is always taking up for him. And that’s hard to find. Even when he’s wrong, she tries to make excuses for him,” said the lawyer.  

Mellencamp agreed with her podcast co-host, stating, “My heart goes out to Brittany.” In addition, the RHOBH alum stated she did not understand the behavior of Krebs if the romance rumors were true.

While speaking to Entertainment Tonight in April 2024, Taylor denied rumors he was romantically involved with Krebs. He also stated that he did not cheat on Cartwright during their marriage. 

“That was all just hearsay, and it’s just a shame that that happened. But yeah, no, nothing happened there,” said Taylor.

He also suggested that he would like to reconcile with his estranged wife.

“The separation has definitely been good for me, but I do miss her. I miss her a lot. So, I don’t know, we’ll see if she’ll take me back,” said the “Vanderpump Rules” personality.

Brittany Cartwright Discussed Her Split From Jax Taylor on Her Podcast

While recording the April 25 episode of “When Reality Hits With Jax and Brittany,” without Taylor, Cartwright shared details about her separation. She suggested she has had some difficulty with continuing to work with her estranged husband. 

“We just have so many up and downs right now,” said the 35-year-old. “That it’s like some days we can act like friends. And do things together And then other days – there’s just so many emotions that come with going through with what we have been going through. It’s like so many ups and downs and feeling so many different types of ways. I can be lonely and sad one minute. And then I’m just happy.”

Cartwright spoke about her relationship with Taylor during the May 2 episode of “When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany.” She said she was proud of herself for standing up to her estranged husband. The mother of two also said she began seeing the cracks in her marriage while filming the first season of “The Valley.” 

“I started waking up. And realizing things as we started going throughout the season. And I think that I just continued to get stronger,” said Cartwright. 

New episodes of “The Valley” air on Tuesdays on Bravo.