For Brittany Cartwright, the Jax Taylor and Lori Krebs romance is not simply another post-separation relationship. Krebs was her publicist, friend and trusted confidante for more than a decade, making the news feel less like routine reality television fallout and more like a personal breach of trust.
Cartwright, 37, addressed the relationship directly in a video published by People on August 4, less than two weeks after reports confirmed that her estranged husband was dating Krebs.
“I never wish bad for anybody but they have to be absolutely miserable,” she said, “and I hope they are.”
She also offered a blunt assessment of Taylor, 47: “My honest opinion is that my ex needs a mommy.” Of Krebs, she added, “I've never seen another publicist want to be the center of attention like she did.”
Representatives for Taylor and Krebs had not publicly responded to those remarks at the time of reporting.
How Taylor and Krebs confirmed the relationship
Taylor stopped short of naming Krebs when he acknowledged that he was no longer single. Responding to a fan who suggested he appear on The Bachelor beneath a July 29 Instagram post, he wrote, “No thanks I’m taken.”
E! News, People and TMZ subsequently reported that Taylor and Krebs were dating. TMZ published photographs of the pair embracing during Taylor’s July birthday trip to Puerto Vallarta and reported that they had also been seen together at a Florida restaurant in May.
Sources cited by E! News and TMZ said the relationship did not begin until Taylor and Krebs had separated from their respective spouses. One E! News source rejected claims of “a years-long secret affair,” saying their friendship became romantic only in recent months.
That account has not ended speculation, because reality television audiences are rarely known for closing a case when told there is nothing more to see. Still, no report located has substantiated allegations that Taylor and Krebs carried on a long-term affair.
Taylor had already denied being romantically involved with Krebs in April 2024. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he said “nothing happened there” and insisted infidelity was not the reason for his separation from Cartwright.
Why the publicist connection changed the stakes
Cartwright and Taylor married in June 2019. She announced their separation in February 2024 and filed for divorce that August, ending five years of marriage. They share a 5-year-old son, Cruz.
The most sensitive part of Taylor’s new relationship is Krebs’ former role in their lives. TMZ reported that Cartwright fired Krebs after more than a decade as her publicist. During that period, Krebs was not merely someone issuing statements or arranging interviews. According to people close to Cartwright, she had become a trusted friend with access to private family and career matters.
There is no public evidence that Krebs misused confidential information. Even so, a longtime publicist dating a former client’s estranged spouse creates an obvious trust problem. The issue is not just when the romance began, but what each person knew before it did.
That distinction helps explain why Cartwright’s response has focused on betrayal rather than solely on jealousy or divorce. On the July 17 episode of her podcast, When Reality Hits, she said she would speak when ready.
“All I’m going to say about this at this moment is I will be speaking my truth, the truth, on this matter very soon whenever I’m ready,” she said. “As of right now, I am focusing on me and the most important thing in my life, which is my beautiful son.”
What reportedly brought Taylor and Krebs together
Sources speaking to TMZ offered a more sympathetic explanation for how the relationship developed. They said Taylor and Krebs connected through several difficult experiences they had in common:
- Going through divorces
- Parenting children with autism
- Taylor’s addiction recovery
- Krebs providing support for his sobriety
Those details give the relationship an emotional context beyond its awkward professional history. Shared struggles can create closeness, particularly during divorce and recovery. But for Cartwright, that explanation does not erase the fact that Krebs had spent years inside her family’s trusted circle.
The competing accounts are not necessarily about different timelines. Taylor and Krebs’ supporters describe two separated people finding support in each other. Cartwright and her friends describe a paid confidante crossing a boundary that should have remained firmly in place. Both perspectives center on trust, but only one comes with a decade of private history.
How their friends have reacted
Cartwright is not the only person from The Valley circle criticizing the relationship. Kristen Doute called Taylor “diabolical” and described Krebs’ conduct as “totally deceitful.” She stressed that Krebs had been Cartwright’s paid confidante, friend and effectively “part of the family for the last decade.”
Zack Wickham said he had previously defended Krebs when rumors circulated about her and Taylor. After seeing photographs of them together, he changed his position and said, “She’s made her bed.”
Those reactions show why the story has resonated beyond the usual interest in who a reality star is dating. For viewers familiar with Cartwright and Taylor’s troubled marriage, the new relationship adds another layer to an already public divorce. For Cartwright, it also raises the harder question of what happens when someone trusted to protect your public life becomes part of your private pain.
No substantive new comments had emerged from Taylor or Krebs after Cartwright’s August 4 interview. The timeline may remain disputed in public, but Cartwright’s position is now clear: whatever happened after the separation, she views the relationship as a profound betrayal.
