Jax Taylor Is Taking It ‘Day by Day’ With Mental Health Battle: ‘Divorce Is Like a Death’ (Exclusive)

Jax Taylor is getting candid about his mental health journey amid his divorce from Brittany Cartwright.

“My mental health took a beating,” Taylor, 45, exclusively told Us at the Us Weekly + Pluto TV Reality Stars of the Year Party at the Dream Hotel in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 10, of the difficult time he went through this year. “Divorce is like a death.”

The Valley star went on to detail why checking himself into a mental health facility was the right move for him at this point in his life, telling Us, he “needed” it. (Us previously confirmed that Taylor checked into a 30-day inpatient treatment program in July).

“I was just kind of spiraling, to be honest,” he explained. “[Rehab] was an amazing thing. I’m so glad I did it. I got a lot of help that I needed. I got a lot of tools that I needed, [and] came out feeling so much better. I feel good … Like I said, it’s day by day. There’s good days and there’s bad days.”

When asked how it was filming season 2 of The Valley with Cartwright, 35, amid their split, the former Vanderpump Rules star told Us that it was the most challenging season of a reality show he’s done.

“In the 12 years I’ve been on TV, this was by far the hardest [season] I’ve ever filmed, just because of everything that’s going on. My mental health and my divorce being so public – it’s tough, you know?”

As for what’s next for him, Taylor said he’s focusing on coparenting Cruz, his 3-year-old son with Cartwright, learning to live on his own.

“All I care about is my son. All I care about is hanging out with him, being healthy and being in the right frame of mind,” he told Us. “I haven’t been on my own in 10 years, so this is a new thing for me. And it’s like, it’s scary. So I’m just kind of getting used to it. I just bought a new townhouse. I’m just kind of trying to figure it all out day by day.”

In August, Us confirmed that Cartwright had filed for divorce from Taylor after five years of marriage, listing their date of separation as January 25 this year. The former couple previously announced their separation in February.

“I’m trying to just focus on my son — he is the light of my life,” Cartwright, also in attendance at Thursday’s event, told Us. She added that she’s trying to “stay positive” amid the “most hard time” of her life.

She continued, “We’re having so much fun together. And it’s a lot, but I’m just smiling my way through it all.”

With reporting by Amanda Williams