Vanderpump Rules alum Jax Taylor has revealed that he's "an addict" and has struggled with a long-term cocaine addiction.

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Jax opened up about a cocaine addiction he's been battling for two decades during the March 4 episode of the "Hot Mic" podcast hosted by Alex Baskin.

"I am an addict. I have substance issues -- primarily with cocaine. It's hard to say out loud," Jax shared.

"I've been dealing with this on and off since I was 23. I'm now 45. There were times where I would stop doing it but then there were times where I'd go heavy on it."

Taylor -- who began starring on Vanderpump Rules in 2013 -- noted that many viewers had suspected his drug use over the years.

"[They] could kind of tell that I was on something. Obviously production and [other] people, they didn't know what I was doing," Jax claimed.

Jax said he thought he was keeping his demons "under the radar" but now, looking back, he clearly wasn't doing a good job of hiding them.

"When I watch back I'm like, 'How big are my f-cking pupils? I'm sweating and there's no reason to be sweating in the scene," he quipped.

"Why am I sweating? There were some signs. And they did pull me aside a couple times and say, 'Listen, calm down now.' They didn't know but they thought I was drinking too much."

Jax said he was "on that train" and he couldn't get off, but now he's doing everything in his power to remain grounded.

Jax, for example, said he's no longer drinking alcohol because he's tempted to use cocaine when under the influence.

"I don't necessarily think I have an alcohol problem but the two go hand in hand," Taylor said.

"I can't do cocaine without drinking. So I just gave up both. And I'm proud to say I'm 82 or 83 days sober right now, which is the longest I've ever gone in my life without either."

Now that he's sober, Jax is hoping to set a good example for others and provide people will recovery resources that may guide them to a healthier future and state of mind.

"I just want to let people know this is a really, really tough disease and it's a really tough sickness," Jax said.

"I've never said this in my life. So to come out and say that I have an addiction [and] that I have a sickness that I have to work on the rest of my life is a really big deal for me. Obviously, it's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders."

Jax starred on eight seasons of Vanderpump Rules, which featured his marriage to Brittany Cartwright, and left the show in 2020.

Jax, Brittany, and their now three-year-old son Cruz proceeded to star on Bravo's The Valley in 2024, but the couple is currently going through a divorce.

Jax admitted that he had anger issues and would often take that anger out on Brittany, even though she had done nothing wrong.

"When Brittany and I separated [in 2024], that's when the addiction got worse," Jax admitted.

"I've been doing it for a long time but the addiction got worse during my divorce and during my separation. I literally lost control. I kind of at a point hit rock bottom and I had to go to rehab."

Jax admitted that the day after going on a cocaine binge would be the "worst" and he'd feel "like absolute sh-t."

Jax explained, "You feel at the bottom of the barrel. You have zero serotonin. You are just angry and depressed. Anybody who's done cocaine will tell you that the next day is brutal. It's weird why we do it for two hours of fun and the next 48 hours are miserable," according to Us Weekly.

Jax -- who was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD last year -- said he wanted to change for his son and it took two rehab stints for him to become sober.

But Jax is continuing to work on himself, and he said that work includes co-parenting with Brittany, from whom he lives one mile away.

"[Our dynamic] changes. One day she's happy, one day she's mad... I never know what I'm going to get with her," Taylor said.

"I walk on eggshells constantly -- as I should. I just want her to know that I'm really, really trying. I'm doing everything she's asked."

Jax confessed that he and Brittany "still have hiccups" and he'll probably do more things to "piss her off" but that's because he's "not a perfect human being" and he never will be one.

"I'm nowhere near it," Jax elaborated.

"So I'm still going to have incidents where I make her mad. It'll never be with drinking or drugs again... [I'm] as healthy as I've ever been. I have an addictive personality [but] I'm really into talking to my therapy groups and AA meetings. I just love it."

Brittany broke her silence about Jax's cocaine addiction in a subsequent statement to People.

"I'm glad that he finally admitted to what was really going on," Brittany, 36, told the magazine.

"For the first time, I can speak openly about the extent of trauma he's instilled on our family over the years."

Brittany concluded, "I've tried desperately to help him without success. I pray that one day he completely knocks this addiction, but I'm skeptical. His behaviors are still alarming and his treatment plan seems to be the bare minimum."

Season 12 of Vanderpump Rules is expected to premiere later this year, while Bravo teased last month that Season 2 of The Valley is "coming soon." 
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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