Brittany Cartwright Reacts to RFK Jr.'s Autism Comments
After sharing her son's autism diagnosis, Brittany Cartwright is speaking out against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversial claims about the disorder.
The Valley star, who shares 4-year-old Cruz with ex Jax Taylor, said that while she was "so grateful that a light is being shined on" the topic in general, she was upset by some of what of what President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary had said about the developmental condition at an April 16 press conference.
"He said that autism destroys families," Brittany said on the April 18 episode of her podcast When Reality Hits. "He listed a bunch of things that kids with autism or people on the spectrum in general do not do. And that really upset me because the autism spectrum is so broad."
In his speech, made in response to a newly published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that found that autism rates in U.S. kids has risen, RFK Jr. noted that there are autistic children who will "never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem, they'll never go out on a date" and "will never use a toilet unassisted."
On her podcast, Brittany noted, "But that is not everybody."
She added, "That just kind of like rubbed me the wrong way a little bit. It kind of made me sad because it's just such a public platform and misinformation is a big deal."
Following an online backlash, Kennedy clarified some of the remarks made in his speech, saying on Hannity April 17 that he was referring to the "more than 25 percent of people who have severe autism."
Brittany—who revealed Cruz's diagnosis in a People interview April 9, adding that he is mostly non-verbal and undergoes speech and occupational therapy—follows in the footsteps of several other celebs who have spoken out against RFK Jr.'s comments, such as Eva Erickson, Survivor's first autistic contestant, and Holly Robinson Peete, whose son RJ, 27, has autism.
The Vanderpump Rules alum recently reshared the latter's April 16 Instagram post responding to the politician's speech and said on her podcast she has been communicating with the actress, who on April 18 posted a throwback video of her son—who was diagnosed with autism at age 3—reciting a poem.
"I really think I can learn a lot from her," the 36-year-old said. "She's been going through this for like, 25 years, and she's been an amazing positive advocate for autism."
Brittany also explained why she decided to speak out about her son's diagnosis in the first place.
"I just felt like it was time to talk about Cruz because with the show coming out and everything, I knew people would see notice that he was still non-verbal and everything," she said about The Valley season two, which premiered April 15. "I felt like it was up to me to address it."
Britany added, "I really wanna be a positive advocate for other families and other people that are going through something like that, because he's the most beautiful thing in the world."
After Brittany shared Cruz' diagnosis, Jax reflected on their family's journey.
"My precious beautiful boy," he wrote on Instagram April 9, alongside photos with his and Brittany's son. "I'm so proud to be your father and even though we may face challenges along the way I'll always be your biggest supporter and cheerleader."
Read on to revisit Brittany and Jax's relationship...
Years before they even got married, Jax Taylor cheated on Brittany Cartwright in 2017 when he hooked up with former SUR waitress Faith Stowers.
"This isn't my first time being caught cheating," Jax admitted at the time as the drama played out on Vanderpump Rules. "In the past, I've gone through months and months of deny, deny, deny, and that didn't work for me."
But while a devasted Brittany broke up with him, they got back together months later and eventually wed in 2020.
Fast forward to February 2024, Brittany announced she and Jax—who share 2-year-old son Cruz—had separated after four years of marriage.
"Yes, marriages in general are very hard and I've had a particularly rough year this past year," the Kentucky native shared on their When Reality Hits podcast. "Jax and I are taking time apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health."
"I'm taking one day at a time," Brittany added. "I don't know what the future holds, but right now my focus is on being the best mom to Cruz."
One month later, the cracks in the couple's relationship became much more apparent when Bravo released the trailer for its new series The Valley.
"I don't feel like he's attracted to me, we don't have sex ever," Brittany admitted in the March 11 preview before Jax added, "It's so hard to be married sometimes."
Plus, costar Janet Caperna teased in the clip, "There's a rumor about Jax cheating online."
However, Jax slammed allegations of infidelity days after the trailer release.
"We're just having a little communication issues right now. That's all, there's nothing else," he exclusively told E! News March 14 at The Valley premiere party. "There's no cheating. There's no infidelity anywhere. It's just communication. I know it's shocking, but people sometimes just don't get along and that's life."
"We see each other every single day," he added. "The only thing that's different is we just don't sleep under the same roof. That's it."
Despite rumors, Brittany confirmed Jax cheating did not cause their breakup and shared the true timeline of their separation.
"We got into a very bad fight and I decided to pack up my stuff," the 35-year-old exclusively told E! News March 18, "and I've been staying in an Airbnb since January 24."
"I'm doing it for my mental space," she added, "and I feel very strong with my decision to get out for a while."
Despite their personal drama, the estranged couple agreed on one thing: They are doing what's best for 2-year-old son.
"He's no. 1 and we both agree on that," Jax told E!. "It's about knowing he's got two loving parents that love him to death and he's gonna have the best life possible, whether we are together or not."
As for their increased fighting, Brittany agreed, "I just don't want that for our son. I don't want him growing up thinking it's normal to live like that."
Brittany admitted in March that "there's always hope," but she just needs Jax to put in the work.
"I don't think anybody will ever love Jax the way I've loved Jax," Brittany told E!. "Over all these years, I've been through so much with him and I'm stuck by his side through everything. So I think that if he makes certain changes that I've asked, maybe we could get back together. But right now, I just really need to figure out myself. I felt really strong and really proud of myself for being able to step out and do what's right for me. My mental health is super important."
One person who wasn't so shocked by Jax and Brittany's separation? Their former SUR boss Lisa Vanderpump.
"Everybody predicted that when they got married," the Real Housewives alum shared with E!. "They said, 'Oh this won't last long,' but I kind of never liked to draw conclusions."
"I don't know what the reason was," she added, "but I imagine it was probably something to do with Jax's bad behavior. I'm not sure, but the indicator of future behavior is normally past behavior."
"I think it’s for the best," their longtime friend Scheana Shay told E! News March 23 of the split. "I think she deserves better and she deserves a partner who’s going to treat her with respect."
And the couple's The Valley costar Kristen Doute agreed with Scheana.
"I'm proud of Brittany for setting boundaries for making the choice for her," Kristen admitted. "But I'm very hopeful that they can work this out. But that's on Jax, that's not on her."
During The Valley's June 4 season finale, Brittany confronted Jax about insults he allegedly hurled at her behind closed doors.
As costar Kristen Doute recounted, "Does he say, 'I know I treat you like s—t. 'I know I'm mean. I know I've called you fat and I've told you you're f--king lazy and that you're not going to have any friends if you guys break up?'"
"We said that, going into this, that we could test the waters with other people if we wanted to," Brittany exclusively told E! News in June. "I know that seems weird, it might be a little crazy for a lot of people, but that's what we wanted to do."
In July, Jax shared he was seeking in-patient treatment for mental health issues after Brittany had begged him to go to therapy for years.
The VPR alum mainly credited son Cruz as the reason he saught professional help.
"Working on getting better for you buddy," Jax wrote in an Instagram post July 31 alongside a photo of him planting a kiss on the little one's cheek. "I love you."
Seven months after announcing their separation, Brittany made their breakup official by filing for divorce in August 2024. Citing “irreconcilable differences" in legal docs obtained by E!, she requested primary legal and physical custody of their son Cruz and for Jax to be granted child visitation.
In court documents obtained by E! News in October 2024, Jax requested that Brittany be granted sole legal and physical custody of their son Cruz.
Though Jax confirmed in his filing that he and Brittany wed in June 2019, he also checked a box on the document reading, "Respondent contends that the parties never legally married or registered in a domestic partnership."
His rep later told E! News, "While Jax made errors in filing out forms that are usually done by trained legal professionals, those errors will be amended without delay."
After Jax's conflicting response to Brittany's divorce petition led people to question whether they were legally married, she set the record straight.
“We are legally married," she commented on E! News' Instagram post about Jax's response snafu. "I’m guessing paperwork is hard for some people.”
In November 2024, Brittany confirmed she had a fling with one of Jax's friends following their split and was not apologizing for it.
“We did not have a no dating in the friend group policy,” she told Bravo's Hot Mic Nov. 11. “We never spoke about that because why would we? First off, I didn’t think I was going to hook up with his friend. It wasn’t planned. I wasn’t trying to go after one of his friends. That’s not how it happened.”
As for while she chose to move on with someone in the friend group?
"It was somebody that I felt like I knew and in our world," she added. "It’s so crazy because, like, how do you trust people? And I was single for the first time in L.A.”
Jax called Brittany hooking up with his friend Julian a "slap in the face" and revealed his shocked reaction to their romance.
“I don’t think I would have been bothered by it if it was somebody else that I didn’t know,” he told Bravo's Hot Mic Nov. 14. "I want her to meet somebody, just not somebody I know."
He also recounted finding out Brittany was sending Julian naked photos, adding, "I caught her in a couple of lies."
Jax admitted for the first time in March 2025 that he was newly sober following a decades-long battle with a cocaine addiction. He also shared he was nearly three months sober from drugs and alcohol.
Brittany's repsonse?
"I pray that one day he completely knocks this addiction, but I'm skeptical," she said in a statement at the time. "His behaviors are still alarming and his treatment plan seems to be the bare minimum. I'm trying to navigate this as best as I can for my son and I, but every day is still a challenge and very difficult. Jax has caused an enormous amount of damage and I have very little trust in him at this point. My only hope is that one day, he will be a better person for his son.”
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