How Many Kids Does Jax Taylor Have?

The Short Answer: One Child

Jax Taylor has one child: his son Cruz Michael Cauchi, born April 12, 2021, who is 5 years old as of October 2026. Cruz’s mother is Jax’s ex-wife Brittany Cartwright, whom he married on June 29, 2019. The couple separated in January 2024, and Brittany filed for divorce in August 2024 — proceedings that were still ongoing in 2026.

There are no other children. Jax has said publicly that he is done having kids: "I don’t think I will further expand my family. I think I just want to spend all my time and all my energy on my son Cruz." In March 2026, the former couple settled on a custody agreement: joint legal and physical custody, with Brittany as the primary custodial parent and Jax seeing Cruz every other weekend and on Wednesday nights.

Below is everything verified about the 5-year-old — his birth, his autism diagnosis, the custody deal, and how fatherhood has reshaped a man once famous for being reality TV’s most notorious villain.

Meet Cruz Michael Cauchi: 5 in 2026

Cruz Michael Cauchi was born on April 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, making him 5 years old in October 2026. He turned 5 on April 12, 2026, and both parents marked the milestone with emotional Instagram tributes. Jax wrote: "I can’t believe you’re already five. Being your dad is the greatest gift I have ever had." Brittany threw a farm-themed birthday party, calling her son "pure magic."

Cruz has grown up partly on camera. He appeared with his parents on The Valley, where storylines around his development became some of the show’s most-watched material, and both parents share milestones on social media. The name Cauchi is the family surname — Jax Taylor was born Jason Cauchi — and the middle name Michael honors family tradition.

Jax, born July 11, 1979, became a father at 41 and is 47 in October 2026. He has called fatherhood the best thing to happen to him — a striking transformation for a man whose Vanderpump Rules era was defined by cheating scandals and bar fights.

The April 12, 2021 Birth

Jax and Brittany announced they were expecting in September 2020, and Cruz arrived on April 12, 2021 after what the couple described as a 27-hour labor. They shared the birth details with E! News, including the meaning behind Cruz’s name, and posted the news on Instagram to an outpouring of fan congratulations.

The timing was symbolic: Cruz was born less than two years after the couple’s lavish June 2019 wedding, at a moment when both were still full-time Vanderpump Rules cast members. Brittany made her first public appearance after the delivery in July 2021, and the new parents settled into a rhythm of sharing Cruz’s milestones — first steps, first words — with millions of followers.

What fans did not know then was that the early milestones would later take on a different meaning. "He crawled early, he walked early," Brittany told People in 2025. "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."

The Marriage and the Split

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright met in 2015, got engaged during a Malibu trip, and married on June 29, 2019. For years they were sold as the reformed-bad-boy love story of the Bravo universe. The marriage unraveled in 2024: the couple separated in January 2024, and Brittany filed for divorce in August 2024 after five years of marriage.

Brittany has said their son was the driving force behind the decision. "My motivation is my son, my Cruzzy, who deserves a healthy and happy mommy," she said on her When Reality Hits podcast. The divorce proceedings were still ongoing as of 2026, with the former couple reportedly clashing over everything from co-parenting logistics to Jax’s relationship with his publicist, Lori Krebs — Brittany’s former longtime publicist and one-time close friend.

The split played out across two seasons of The Valley, where Brittany’s handling of Cruz’s developmental challenges became a central storyline. In July 2025, Jax announced he would step away from the show’s third season: "After an incredibly challenging year and many honest conversations with my team and producers, I’ll be stepping away from the next season of The Valley. Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting."

The March 2026 Custody Agreement

In March 2026, Jax and Brittany reached a formal custody agreement for Cruz, then 4. According to court documents reported by Us Weekly, the former couple share joint legal and physical custody, with Brittany Cartwright as the primary custodial parent. Jax has Cruz every other weekend and on Wednesday nights; Brittany has him the rest of the week.

The agreement includes several notable terms: neither parent will pay child support — each covers all costs while Cruz is in their custody; both parents must remain free of alcohol, marijuana, or other substances while caring for Cruz; and Brittany gets the final say on health decisions if the two cannot agree. The deal also bars Cruz from meeting either parent’s future significant other for six months, and requires the exes not to speak negatively about each other in Cruz’s presence.

Crucially, the agreement did not strip Jax of custody — reports that he "lost" Cruz were wrong. He retained joint custody and regular parenting time, a reflection, his supporters say, of the work he has done since rehab. Both parents have said publicly that they put Cruz first: "He is top priority," Brittany told The Daily Dish, adding that "some days" co-parenting is great and "not so great some other days."

Cruz's Autism Diagnosis

In April 2025, Brittany revealed in a People magazine interview that Cruz had been diagnosed with autism by his developmental pediatrician in the fall of 2024. At the time of the diagnosis he was 3, and Brittany described him as having nonverbal autism — though she stressed that does not mean he will always be nonverbal.

"Our life is going to look a little bit different, but I feel like I was meant to be his mom," she told People. "He is my better half. He is my little partner in crime. He is everything to me, and even though he can’t talk, I know everything that he wants, everything that he needs." The family put Cruz in speech and occupational therapy, and Brittany created a sensory room in her home — a process fans watched unfold on The Valley.

By Season 3 of the show, Brittany confirmed Cruz was thriving and starting to become more verbal. Both parents have framed the diagnosis as a clarifying moment: Jax returned to Instagram after a mental-health break to celebrate Cruz on World Autism Day on April 2, and his April 2026 fifth-birthday tribute praised his son’s "strength" and "big heart." For a child of two reality stars, the autism storyline became something rare — a genuinely affecting portrait of young parents adapting.

Rehab and the Reckoning

The custody agreement did not come out of nowhere. In January 2025, Jax entered a 30-day inpatient facility for mental health and substance abuse treatment. Ahead of The Valley Season 2, he went public about a decades-long cocaine addiction — a revelation that reframed years of erratic behavior for viewers.

"Again, I know it’s late in life to learn all these things about yourself, but I guess it’s better late than never," he said at the time. He moved out of the $1.9 million mansion he had shared with Brittany into his own townhouse, describing it as "brand new, very secure, super safe for Cruz." He also addressed whether he wants more children: "I’m 45 years old. I’m at that window right now that if you do it, you gotta do it now. I think we’re just gonna say no. I’m not gonna have any more kids."

The rehab stay, the sobriety commitment written into the custody deal, and the step back from television form a single arc: a 47-year-old father trying to become, in his words, "the best version of myself — especially for our son, Cruz."

October 2026: One Son, One Focus

As of October 2026, the answer remains unchanged: Jax Taylor has one child — Cruz Michael Cauchi, 5. The March 2026 custody agreement holds, the divorce from Brittany Cartwright is still working its way through the courts, and Cruz continues speech and occupational therapy while, by his mother’s account, becoming more verbal.

Jax has stayed off The Valley since Season 2, keeping his focus on sobriety, mental health, and co-parenting. Whatever the future holds for his career, the family math is simple and, by his own account, complete: one son, born April 12, 2021 — and no plans for more.

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