Bravo’s Brittany Cartwright Opens Up About Her Son’s Autism Diagnosis

Brittany Cartwright is stepping into a new role—not just as a mom, but as an advocate. After her 3-year-old son Cruz was diagnosed with autism, the Bravo star—who now co-parents with ex Jax Taylor—says she’s committed to speaking out, supporting early intervention, and helping other parents navigate what can be an overwhelming and emotional road.

“Our life is going to look a little bit different, but I feel like I was meant to be his mom,” the Vanderpump Rules star told People. “He is my better half. He is my little partner in crime. He is everything to me, and even though he can’t talk, I know everything that he wants, everything that he needs. We’re just so synced, it’s incredible.”

According to Cartwright, Cruz cruised through all of his early milestones, crawling, walking, and even speaking his first words early. But when his speech began to regress at two, she sought out speech therapy and, eventually, a pediatric developmental specialist, who confirmed that Cruz is mostly non-verbal and on the autism spectrum.

She says Cruz will “sporadically say different words,” like “Mommy,” but admits, “It can be difficult because I’ve never heard him say, ‘I love you,’ but he is so loving, and he shows me he loves me every single day. He is such a mommy’s boy.”

Cartwright, who admits she has been constantly learning over the past couple of years, has been focused on "early intervention” as of late. "This is the time he’s building his brain,” she says. “I’m just trying to do everything I possibly can to help him live the happiest life ever. I feel very blessed that I’m able to give him everything that he needs, and that’s why I want to help as many mothers as I can.”

Today, Cartwright says that while things can get challenging, she can’t imagine her life being any different. Ultimately, wants to break down misconceptions about what an autism diagnosis means for a child’s future. “It can be sad at times because you want them to live life to the fullest, and he does, he just does it in a different way,” she said. “What I really want people to understand about autism is he sees the world so much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will. It doesn’t mean that he’s not going to be the smartest in his class. It doesn’t mean he is not going to work for NASA one day. There aren’t any limitations to what he can do.”

At home in Los Angeles, Cartwright has created a supportive environment for Cruz that includes a sensory room, a swing set and pool in the backyard, regular speech and occupational therapy, and a therapeutic companion who accompanies him to preschool to help with social skills.

“I just make sure that he never misses a class, never misses a therapy session,” she explained. “If I have to work, I have the most amazing nanny in the entire world, she is literally my family. I don’t know what I would do without her. Sometimes Jax will take him. I want him to learn things as well, but the majority of the time, it’s me. And I feel like I need to be there, I need to be learning what’s going on, so that I can really work with him at home as well.”

Even with a full schedule of therapies and responsibilities, Cartwright is trying to carve out moments for self-care. “It’s been hard to take care of myself, honestly. It is definitely hard for me to accept help,” she said. “My friends are always like, ‘You need to have a little bit more time for yourself.’ I just feel like I need to be there 24/7. But that’s my new thing in 2025: I need to put myself first more. I need to focus on my health more. Going through this divorce and everything has really made me so much stronger. At the end of the day, everything I’m doing is because of my son.”