Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright went from the Valley to the Capitol when they hit the White House Correspondents Dinner red carpet on Saturday, April 27.
Cartwright, 35, looked glamorous in a black, corseted strapless gown with matching full-length gloves, but she did not have her estranged husband on her arm. She and Taylor, 44, each walked the red carpet solo, just hours after they both attended the White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch in Washington, D.C.
While they didn’t take photos together, they did sit next to each other. Taylor, who wore a black State and Liberty Clothing Co. suit, showed Cartwright via his Instagram Story and vice versa. They were guests of the Daily Mail.
The separated couple’s appearance comes one year after Ariana Madix made her post-Sandoval red carpet debut at the same event. She attended alongside Lisa Vanderpump and Lala Kent last year as guests of the Daily Mail. Taylor and Cartwright’s turn on the carpet comes amid their highly publicized split.
Before Taylor and Cartwright joined Bravo’s The Valley, which debuted earlier this year, they were first introduced to audiences on Vanderpump Rules. Their 2019 wedding was filmed for the show one year before the duo announced their departure. They went on to expand their family with son Cruz, whom they welcomed in 2021.
Amid their small screen return, Taylor and Cartwright surprised fans when they announced their separation in February. However, Cartwright has made it clear that Taylor could win her back — if he makes changes.
“There’s definitely a chance,” she revealed in her Us Weekly cover story earlier this month. “But I won’t waste my time and get back into a toxic situation. Now the veil has been lifted and I see how much I was always cleaning up Jax’s messes. I’m thrown in the middle of all these fights and constantly forced to apologize for him in the media and to friends. It’s hard.”
When asked what exactly he needs to do, Cartwright said there’s a lengthy list. “There are a lot of things, and I’m not seeing enough effort from his side,” she explained to Us. “He needs to go to therapy. He doesn’t need to be staying out at the bar all the time. He needs to respect me more and stop taking me for granted. I was the closest person to him and was kind of like his punching bag. He was always giving me jabs. I can’t deal with that for the rest of my life.”
While Taylor has apologized for various things — from publicly embarrassing her to criticizing on her looks — his wife wants to see actual progress.
“He acknowledged it but then he’s always like, ‘I said sorry.’ He likes to think that just saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ will be fine and we should move on. … I can’t do that now, this is too serious. And if things don’t change, then we can’t be together because we’re gonna be unhappy for the rest of our lives. I don’t want to be unhappy for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be in a sexless marriage for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be arguing with my husband for the rest of my life.”
She even moved out because of the bickering, opting to live in an Airbnb until they figure out their next move.
“The fighting has to stop,” Cartwright said. “We were just constantly digging at each other. We got to that point, which I think a lot of marriages go through, where everything that the other person does is getting on your nerves. That’s a horrible feeling and a horrible way to live. That’s one of the main reasons I knew that we needed space from each other.”
Whether Taylor can fix their marriage remains to be seen, but either way, she’s happy that she took control of her life. “I feel good,” she said. “I feel strong, and I’m proud of myself for doing what’s right for my mental health and my family.”
