‘The Valley’ Stars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright Reveal 3-Year-Old Son’s Autism Diagnosis

The former couple, who share son Cruz, hope to resonate with other families while emphasizing the importance of early intervention.

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright attend a Wrangler event in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2019. Erik Voake/Getty Images for Wrangler

Bravo TV reality stars, Brittany Cartwright and ex-husband, Jax Taylor, are raising awareness about early intervention after revealing their 3-year-old son, Cruz, has been diagnosed with autism.

Taylor, 45, addressed his son’s diagnosis with a heartfelt Instagram post on April 9, after the former couple initially opened up about their search for answers on their hit reality show “The Valley” last year.

“My precious beautiful boy. I’m so proud to be your father,” he shared with a series of photos of the two.

“Even though we may face challenges along the way I’ll always be your biggest supporter and cheerleader and make sure that you and other families on similar journeys affected by autism know that the sky is the limit even though life may look a little different.”

Cartwright and Taylor tied the knot back in 2019 and welcomed Cruz two years later. In February of 2024, Cartwright announced her separation from Taylor during their joint podcast “When Reality Hits,” and officially filed for divorce six months later citing irreconcilable differences.

Taylor’s post comes on the heels of Cartwright’s interview with People magazine on April 9, where the 36-year-old explained she received her son’s diagnosis in the fall when visiting a developmental pediatrician for speech regression.

“He crawled early, he walked early,” she told the outlet.

“He was talking, he was saying, ‘Mommy,’ ‘Daddy.’ He was saying ‘Hot Dog!’ from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then, as he got closer to 2, we started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely.”

While Cruz, who turns 4 years old on April 12, is mostly nonverbal at the moment, Cartwright notes he sporadically says different words and is learning to navigate his diagnosis in different ways.

“It can be difficult because I’ve never heard him say, ‘I love you,’ but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day. He is such a mommy’s boy,” she said.

“It can be sad at times because you want them to live life to the fullest, and he does, he just does it in a different way. What I really want people to understand about autism is [that] he sees the world so much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will.”

Cruz also attends speech and occupational therapy in part of early intervention, along with preschool classes with a therapeutic companion in an effort to help boost his skills.

“This is the time he’s building his brain,” she said. “I’m just trying to do everything I possibly can to help him live the happiest life ever.”

Cartwright hopes that by sharing her son’s story, she will be able to resonate with other families and children going through similar diagnoses and circumstances.

“I feel very blessed that I’m able to give him [Cruz] everything that he needs, and that’s why I want to help as many mothers as I can. I have learned so much over the past couple of years.”

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children is a developmental condition that affects communication and social interactions, which can also impact how they play, behave, or think.

Symptoms or signs of ASD are typically recognized by age two and commonly include reduced eye contact, lack of response to their name, or indifference to caregivers.

As of 2020, approximately one in every 36 children in the United States are autistic, with boys being four times more likely to develop the condition compared to one percent of girls.