Jax Taylor has turned the tables on Brittany Cartwright with a restraining order of his own.
The “Valley” star, 44, filed legal paperwork against his estranged wife days after she secured a domestic violence restraining order against him, and his filing claims her actions destroyed a lucrative television opportunity. Taylor was set to compete on Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” after being hired in April, but the network cut him loose shortly before filming began.
According to the filing, Cartwright, 35, contacted Fox directly and criticized the network for “giving a platform to an abuser.” She allegedly threatened to trigger public backlash if the show moved forward with her ex-husband as a contestant.
Taylor claims Cartwright’s campaign extended beyond the Fox competition. The filing alleges she spread falsehoods about him online and reached out to potential employers to sabotage brand deals and contracts. The combined effect, he argues, has left him virtually unemployable in the entertainment industry.
“His savings are rapidly diminishing,” the filing reads. “His mental and emotional calm, rebuilt at great personal cost through recovery, has been destroyed.”
The financial picture Taylor paints is stark. His sole regular income is a $5,000-per-month deal scheduled to expire in November, and the filing states he “has no employment and no employment prospects.” The lost “Special Forces” gig alone represented $175,000 in forfeited earnings, according to his claims.
The dueling restraining orders mark a dramatic escalation in the couple’s public split. Cartwright had previously filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Taylor, which was approved, prompting his counter-filing. The pair, who married in 2019 and share a three-year-old son, Cruz, have aired their deteriorating relationship on “The Valley,” the Bravo spinoff that follows former “Vanderpump Rules” cast members navigating adulthood in the San Fernando Valley.
Taylor has been open about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health, completing a stint in rehab in 2024. His filing emphasizes that the stability he worked to rebuild through recovery has now collapsed under the weight of Cartwright’s alleged interference.
The competing legal actions place both parties under court scrutiny as they navigate separation while co-parenting. Neither has publicly addressed the specific claims on social media since the counter-filing emerged.