Brittany Cartwright 'Skeptical' of Jax Taylor's Sobriety After Cocaine Addiction Reveal: 'Very Little Trust'

Brittany Cartwright is sharing her response after her estranged husband, Jax Taylor, revealed his addiction struggles. Taylor opened up about his "substance issues," primarily with cocaine during the March 4 episode of Bravo's Hot Mic podcast, in which he claimed he's been sober for 83 days. While he's struggled with substances for the last 20 years, Taylor said he's officially given up both alcohol and cocaine following his tumultuous split from Cartwright. "People ask you, 'Do you have an alcohol problem too?' I don't necessarily think I have an alcohol problem but the two go hand in hand," Taylor said. "I can't do cocaine without drinking. So I just gave up both." Speaking with PEOPLE after the podcast dropped Tuesday, Cartwright said she's glad her ex "finally admitted to what was really going on." "For the first time, I can speak openly about the extent of trauma he's instilled on our family over the years," she continued. "I've tried desperately to help him without success. I pray that one day he completely knocks this addiction, but I'm skeptical. His behaviors are still alarming and his treatment plan seems to be the bare minimum." While Cartwright said she's trying to navigate this "as best I can" for the pair's 3-year-old son, Cruz, "every day is still a challenge and very difficult." "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," she added. Cartwright also noted that she plans to speak more on the subject on the next episode of her When Reality Hits podcast, Friday, March 7. The news of Cartwright and Jax's split broke shortly ahead of their Vanderpump Rules spinoff The Valley's premiere in February 2024. Cartwright filed for divorce six months later, citing irreconcilable differences and requesting legal and physical custody of their son, Cruz, whom they welcomed in 2021. Per court documents obtained by TMZ, Taylor agreed to give Cartwright full legal and physical custody of Cruz in September. Since then, Taylor shared that he had decided to receive in-patient treatment for his mental health before informing his followers that he was diagnosed with both Bipolar Disorder and PTSD. "A little over a month ago, I checked into an intensive inpatient treatment facility scared of the unknown and what I would find out about myself. After many years of knowing something was wrong but not knowing exactly what it was, I recently learned that I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and PTSD," Taylor wrote in a September 2024 Instagram post. "It's been a lot to process and an emotional time for me, however I've come home to my son with a new found sense of peace," he added of returning home from treatment to the pair's three-year-old son, Cruz. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared for the future but my focus is just trying to be a better version of myself than I was yesterday. Mental health is a lifelong battle of not letting it control you but rather you learning to control it." As for the fallout from the pair's split, that's expected to play out in season 2 of The Valley. While a release date for the show's second season has not yet been revealed, the teaser alludes to "all hell" breaking "loose" between the pair.