Jax Taylor

Jason Michael Cauchi, (born July 11, 1979) known professionally as Jax Taylor, is an American television personality, model, and actor. He was a series regular on the Bravo reality television series Vanderpump Rules (2013–2020) for eight seasons and its spin-off series The Valley (2024–present).^[1][2]

Jax Taylor
Born	Jason Michael Cauchi (1979-07-11) July 11, 1979 (age 45)
Occupation(s)	Television personality, actor, model, business owner
Television	Vanderpump Rules
Spouse	Brittany Cartwright ​ ​ (m. 2019; divorced 2024)​
Children	1

Early life and education

Taylor was raised Catholic and attended church until he was 19 years old.^[3] In 1998, he graduated from Eisenhower High School in Shelby Township, Michigan.^[4] He attended Michigan State University and community college, but he dropped out of school to enter the Navy.^[5] He was in the Navy for 6 months, 4 days and was trained at a base in Norfolk, Virginia.^[5][6][7]

Career

Modeling

From 2002 to 2010, Taylor worked as a model in Europe and lived in Miami.^[8] Taylor signed with Ford Models in New York City.^[8] He has appeared in several magazines, including Trump Magazine, V Man, GQ Japan, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, 944 Magazine, Esquire, Instinct, CosmoGirl and Out.^[9] He has also starred in campaigns for Target, Macy's, JCPenney, Old Navy, Nordstrom, Kohl's, Skechers, Paul Mitchell, AussieBum, 2^(x)ist, Taco Bell and Abercrombie & Fitch.^[9][10] In 2018, he resumed his modelling career by starring in a Jack Victor campaign.^[11] In 2014, Taylor collaborated with Xcalibur Brand to create a shoe and sweater collection.^[12][13] In 2014, Taylor also created a fitness application, which was discontinued after a few months.^{[14][better source needed]}

Television

Early in his career, he worked as an uncredited background actor in several television shows such as 2 Broke Girls, The O.C., Arrested Development, Dexter and Will & Grace.^[15] In 2009, he was credited as Hot Guy 2 in Dance Club on Desperate Housewives, giving a drink at a club to Nicollette Sheridan's character.^[15] He started working at Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants SUR and Villa Blanca, which earned him a spot on the reality television series Vanderpump Rules in 2013, following the lives of the SUR and Villa Blanca servers. Taylor and Brittany Cartwright got their own spin-off television series Vanderpump Rules: Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky, which followed the couple's visit to Cartwright's hometown in Kentucky.^[16] The couple have also appeared in three episodes of Vanderpump Rules: Watch with Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor (2022–23) on Peacock.^[17] In November 2023, at BravoCon event, Vanderpump Rules' executive producers announced that Taylor will appear as a guest in the eleventh season of Vanderpump Rules.^[2]

In a May 2023 interview with the Rolling Stone, Taylor confirmed that he had filmed a new reality show titled House of Villains.^[17][18] The series premiered on October 12, 2023 on E!. The show followed ten television villains competing for a $200,000 prize and the title of "America’s Ultimate Supervillain."^[19] He was the first contestant to be voted off the competition.^[20]

On June 28, 2023, Variety reported that a Vanderpump Rules spin-off starring Taylor, Brittany Cartwright and Kristen Doute was in early development at Bravo.^[21] On January 18, 2024, Bravo released a trailer for the reality series called The Valley, which premiered on March 19, 2024.^[22] The series stars five couples, including Taylor and Cartwright.^[23][24] In May 2024, The Valley was renewed for a second season, with the full cast returning.^[25]

"Jax's" Studio City bar

In October 2023, Taylor opened up a sports bar "Jax's" in Studio City, California with wife Cartwright and three other business partners. He worked out a deal with the owners of Rocco's tavern and was able to open extremely quickly due to the bones of a bar being in place from a previous venture. People magazine noted that "Cartwright, a Kentucky native, even incorporated her family's famed "Mamaw's Beer Cheese" into the menu (a plot line when the two were on VPR.)"^[26]

Personal life

He began dating Brittany Cartwright in 2015. The couple got engaged in Malibu, California on June 7, 2018 at the beachside restaurant Neptune’s Net.^[27] The couple wed on June 29, 2019, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.^[28]

In August 2024, Cartwright filed for divorce from Taylor, citing irreconcilable differences.^[29]

In September 2024, Taylor announced on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD and had checked himself into an inpatient treatment facility.^[30]

Filmography

As actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Arrested Development	Diner guest	Uncredited
2006	The O.C.	Party guest	Episode: "Earth Girls Are Easy"; Uncredited[15]
2009	Desperate Housewives	Hot Guy 2 in Dance Club	Episode: "Look Into Their Eyes and You See What They Know"
2011	2 Broke Girls	Guy Carrying Boxes	Episode: "And the Really Petty Cash"
2012	Dexter	Uncredited extra	Episode: "This Is the Way the World Ends"[31]
2016	Sharknado: The 4th Awakens	Guardsman #2	Television film
2022	Savage Salvation	Good Ol' Boy	Film

As himself

Year	Title	Notes
2012–14	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills	7 episodes
2013–20, 2024	Vanderpump Rules	Main cast: seasons 1–8; guest: season 11; 165 episodes
2015–23	Watch What Happens Live!	6 episodes
2015	The Real Housewives of New York City	Episode: "London Calling"; uncredited
2017	Then and Now with Andy Cohen	Episodes: "2003" & "1990"
	Vanderpump Rules: Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky	6 episodes; also executive producer
2019	Basically Stassi	Episode: "Stassi and Beau Go Toe to Toe with Jax and Brittany"
2020	Celebrity Call Center	Episode: "The Shift With the Gen X Tik Tok"
2022	The Doctors	Episode: "Reality Star Gets Brotox!"[32]
2023	Vanderpump Rules: Watch with Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor	3 episodes[17]
	House of Villains	Contestant on season 1; 4 episodes[33]
2024–present	The Valley	Main cast; 12 episodes

Podcasts

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2023– present	When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany	Host	PodcastOne[34]