JAX Taylor has revealed a cocaine addiction he’s battled in private for 22 years.
The former Vanderpump Rules star announced he was 83 days sober in an interview on Tuesday.
Taylor, 45, came clean about his sobriety journey on an episode of Alex Baskin’s podcast Hot Mic on March 4.
“I am an addict,” the reality star said.
“I have substance issues – primarily with cocaine.”
He said the news was “hard to say out loud.”
“I’ve been dealing with this on and off since I was 23 and now I’m 45,” he continued.
“There was times where I would stop doing it but then there were times where I’d go heavy on it.”
Taylor starred on the hit Bravo series for eight seasons.
The show captured his relationship with co-star Brittany Cartwright.
After the couple was married in 2019, Cartwright, 36, filed for divorce in August 2024.
“This year was probably the hardest year of my life,” Taylor said about his marriage ending, according to Us Weekly.
Jax Taylor breaks silence on rehab and reveals two mental health diagnoses after Brittany Cartwright files for divorce
He said the addiction got worse when the former couple separated.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time but the addiction got worse during my divorce and during my separation,” he said.
“I literally lost control. I hit rock bottom and I had to go to rehab.”
Cartwright filed for divorce after Taylor’s second stay in a rehab treatment center.
Obviously, I’m not the type of person who can have one drink and be okay. It’s just not in my cards and I had to stop. I was going to lose custody. I’m embarrassing my ex-wife and I’m embarrassing myself. Nobody’s looking at me seriously. I want to do it for myself.”
Jax Taylor
Taylor was reportedly forced into treatment to keep his job, The U.S. Sun exclusively reported in November.
Following the divorce, he revealed he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and PTSD.
MOTIVATED BY HIS SON
Taylor revealed his main motivation in getting sober is for his three-year-old son, Cruz, whom he shares with Cartwright.
“The big thing here is my son. He’s my drive and he’s my number one driver for this,” Taylor said.
“Obviously, I’m not the type of person who can have one drink and be okay. It’s just not in my cards and I had to stop.
“I was going to lose custody. I’m embarrassing my ex-wife and I’m embarrassing myself. Nobody’s looking at me seriously. I want to do it for myself.”
He said he takes care of his son as much as his ex-wife allows, revealing tensions between the two.
“I don’t know what else she wants from me. I’m doing everything that she’s asked for just because I respect her and I want to make her happy,” he said.
“I’m going above and beyond to show her that I do care and I want to be in my son’s life.”
MOMENT OF REALIZATION
He revealed that the incident that made him realize he needed to get sober was in between his first and second stays in rehab.
Taylor and Cartwright were in the car together on the way to a doctor’s appointment for their son when he saw a man’s name on Cartwright’s phone.
“It just triggered me. I did slip after the first incident and I did take substance the night before,” he admitted.
“I lost it. I went crazy in the car yelling.”
He continued, “The worst part about all of this – and this is why I checked myself in – is that my son was in the backseat.
“That’s when I knew that I have a problem and it’s still there.”
The reality star said he felt “utter disgust.”
“The first time I put up a little bit of a fight and the second time I knew I had to go back,” he said.
‘BOTTOM OF THE BARREL’
Taylor said cocaine’s side effects took a toll on him after he used the party drug on and off for years.
“The next day is the worst. You feel like absolute s**t,” he said.
“You feel at the bottom of the barrel.”
He said the drug left him “angry and depressed” with “zero serotonin.”
“Anybody who’s done cocaine will tell you that the next day is brutal,” he added.
“It’s weird why we do it for two hours of fun and the next 48 hours are miserable.”
Taylor said he plans to speak more about his sobriety in his new podcast series, In the Mind of a Man.
“I just want to let people know this is a really, really tough disease and it’s a really tough sickness,” he said.
“I’ve never said this in my life,” he said, adding that opening up about his addiction is a “really big deal.”
“Obviously, it’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” he said.
Taylor and Cartwright left Vanderpump Rules in 2020 to focus on their family.
The former couple returned to Bravo and starred in The Valley in 2024.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
