Brittany Cartwright told People magazine that the relationship between her estranged husband Jax Taylor and their former publicist Lori Krebs is a "complete, complete betrayal."
The 37-year-old star of The Valley and the 47-year-old Taylor filed for divorce in August 2024, four years after they married. They share a five-year-old son named Cruz.
Taylor was photographed with Krebs in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in mid-July. Cartwright said the situation left her "shaking."
"I mean, this person was not only my publicist, she was like a sister to me for 10 years," Cartwright said.
Cartwright and Taylor met Krebs 10 years ago through manager Ryan Revel. Revel still manages Cartwright, but he fired Taylor in May. Krebs worked with Cartwright on Vanderpump Rules between 2015 and 2020, and on The Valley, which is currently in its third season. They also vacationed together in Mexico and the Bahamas.
Text messages from Lori Krebs
Krebs sent Cartwright text messages hours before the Puerto Vallarta photographs were published, warning that the news was "going to be incredibly shocking and painful." Cartwright read the texts out loud during her People interview.
"I understand that you will feel betrayed by this, especially because I was there during one of the hardest times of your life," Krebs wrote. "I cared very much about you and Cruz then, and I still very much do. None of that care or support was ever insincere."
Krebs explained she and Taylor grew closer in recent months. Cartwright had previously asked about rumors of a relationship between them. Krebs wrote to Cartwright: "When you asked me about the rumors, I told you they weren't true, and I will always stand by that."
"I understand you may not believe what I'm saying to you, but I'm telling you truthfully that this only developed in the past few months," Krebs wrote.
"I wanted to tell you sooner, but I struggle a lot with how to handle this," Krebs continued. "It's important that you know that professionally I have never discussed your work, your business, your personal life, or our private conversations with him, and I never will. I know this will forever change how you see me and I understand and accept that. I just feel you deserve to hear this directly from me."
Cartwright said her "heart sank" when she received the messages, and she asked Krebs how the relationship with Taylor had changed.
"Then I said something like, 'Lori, this is so disgusting. This is horrible. You're dead to me,'" Cartwright said. "She turned her phone off, and we have not spoken since."
Cartwright said it "broke my heart" to hear reports that Taylor and Krebs bonded over their divorces and raising children on the autism spectrum.
"Knowing everything that I do for my son, knowing how hard this divorce has been on me, knowing everything I have gone through, that's what you're going to say you bonded over? It's absolutely disgusting," Cartwright said.
Career sabotage accusations
Taylor accused Cartwright of career sabotage in an Instagram post regarding a brand deal that turned out to be fake. He issued a statement on Friday about a campaign with Smartwater.
Taylor wrote he thought he received a "legitimate" proposal from marketing platform VideoForce.ai.
"A few weeks ago I accepted what I believed was a legitimate campaign opportunity through a third party influencer platform like many creators use," Taylor wrote.
Taylor said he "trusted" the platform, but removed the content when he learned the "campaign was unauthorized." He had posted a since-deleted photograph of himself in a pool with a bottle of Smartwater, adding the hashtag "partner."
"I have never and would never intentionally misrepresent a partnership," Taylor said.
Taylor accused Cartwright of turning "an honest mistake" into "pure entertainment in an attempt to humiliate me."
"My ex-wife chose to publicly mock me and embarrass me instead of handling it privately," Taylor wrote. "Regardless of where we stand personally, we're still the parents of a young child and there should be a certain level of respect."
Taylor alleged he "stayed quiet for a long time out of respect for her as the mother of our son," but feels there are "constant attempts to tear those opportunities away" no matter how hard he works.
He claimed Cartwright "directly contacted networks and brands," preventing him from working and "affecting my ability to earn a living." He wrote he "never wanted to make any of this public," but could only stay silent for so long when "she continues to lie about so many things and doesn't ever seem to stop."
Responses to Instagram posts
Cartwright had addressed the fake deal on her podcast, When Reality Hits, and accused Taylor of "trying to flip his image." After he posted his statement, she denied his allegations on her Instagram stories in a since-expired post.
"I opened that dm [about the situation] LIVE while recording a podcast," she wrote. "Blame people for their awful actions, not the person who is having to live with it daily."
"I'm done. I'm the one who REALLY has stayed quiet," Cartwright added. "Keep blaming me with no accountability for your own actions. Not anymore. I speak facts and truth. Always. Leave my son out of your ridiculous statements. The countless 'sources' and fake accounts [are] hardly staying quiet."
Taylor told Us Weekly in an article published on Saturday that the situation was "just another example of Brittany going out of her way to publicly embarrass and humiliate me."
He alleged Cartwright "chose to contact the brand, laugh about it on her podcast, and post false accusations on social media, turning something that could have been handled privately into a public spectacle."
Taylor told the outlet he has "worked incredibly hard on my sobriety, my mental health and becoming the best father I can be." The star, who has been sober for almost two years, said staying quiet "for the past year out of respect" for his son "has been incredibly difficult."
A source close to Cartwright told Us Weekly she "is and always has been the victim."
"The accountability lies with Jax, yet he continues to lie, deflect, and refuse to take responsibility for the damage he's caused," the source said. "If he's struggling to book jobs, it's because of his own actions - both on and off camera - not because of Brittany."
The Daily Mail reached out to representatives for Taylor and Cartwright.
New relationship confirmation
Taylor confirmed he is in a new relationship following the Mexico vacation. He replied to a fan in the comments of the Smartwater photograph who suggested he should be the next Bachelor. Taylor responded: "No thanks I am taken," and added a red heart emoji. He did not explicitly name Krebs.
Cartwright fired Krebs after the news of the Puerto Vallarta photographs broke. The founder of LoriK Public Relations currently has a deactivated Instagram account.
Cartwright told The Valley co-star Zack Wickham on her podcast that she will speak the truth "very soon whenever I'm ready."
"As of right now, I am focusing on me and the most important thing in my life, which is my beautiful son," Cartwright said. She added she was "trying to protect my son and my peace," and said: "I think everybody kind of understands what's going on."
Page Six reported that the photographs left Cartwright feeling "betrayed" by Krebs. A source told the publication Cartwright is upset with her publicist because she "doesn't expect much from him at this point."
"When the Jax-Lori rumors first started swirling two years ago, Brittany chose to believe Lori that nothing was going on," the source said. "She continued to work with her and trust her, and this is how Lori repays her?"
A source told People that Cartwright was "very upset" but "not surprised" because she "could tell" the bond was "more than client-rep." The source said Krebs "inserted herself into moments that should be about her clients," but "crossed a line she cannot come back from."
Cartwright and Taylor announced their split in February 2024. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live in July 2025, Cartwright said the divorce was dragging out because "we both didn't send in all of our stuff at the right time," adding that "a lot of stuff... happened."
