Brittany Cartwright calls Jax Taylor split ‘helping’ for son Cruz

Brittany Cartwright is embracing a new chapter of life—one filled with peace, milestones, and the kind of strength only a mama bear can know. The Vanderpump Rules alum recently opened up about how her home life has changed since her separation from estranged husband Jax Taylor, and it turns out the shift is doing wonders for both her and their son, Cruz.

“The peace in my house is something that I feel like is helping him,” Cartwright told Us Weekly on April 29. 

“It’s helping me. It’s helping everything. Because whenever I had to deal with that negative energy every day, I mean, it was wearing on me. He deserves a happy mama.”

Now that she and Taylor, 45, are no longer under the same roof, Brittany is focusing on crafting a calm and nurturing environment—especially crucial as Cruz navigates life with autism. 

The 3-year-old, who is mostly nonverbal, is making gentle strides, and his proud mom couldn’t be more thrilled.

“He’s starting to say a couple more words,” she said. 

“He is just such a good kid. He’s so happy. He’s always smiling and laughing, and he’s just catching up in his own way. It’s beautiful to see because whenever you have a kid on the spectrum, you celebrate every little milestone because you wait for it — and then it happens and it’s the best day ever. I’m so proud of him every single day.”

Earlier this month, Cartwright bravely shared Cruz’s autism diagnosis with her fans, and since then, she’s been flooded with messages from parents who see themselves in her story. The outpouring of support, she says, has been both comforting and eye-opening.

“There’s just so much that I’m still learning as I’m going, and there’s so many other parents that have reached out to me who I can also learn from,” she said. 

“I think it’s just been so beautiful, and I really want to help other families and mothers that are going through something like that.”

And Brittany is all in on using her platform to raise awareness and spread positivity about the autism spectrum. 

“I really want to be a positive advocate for the autism spectrum, the whole community,” she shared. “It is very broad.”

One thing’s clear—Cruz has a mama who’s not only his biggest fan but also determined to be the sunshine in both their lives.