Brandon Hanson and Brittany Cartwright: What Really Happened

Finding out who Brandon Hanson is felt like a scavenger hunt for a second there. One minute Brittany Cartwright is filing for divorce from Jax Taylor, and the next, she's showing up to a red carpet with a mystery man from her past. If you’ve been following The Valley or the endless Vanderpump Rules orbit, you know Brittany doesn’t do things halfway.

She went from a toxic, years-long marriage to a whirlwind romance that basically blew up on TikTok before it even got off the ground.

Who is Brandon Hanson anyway?

Brandon isn't some Hollywood actor or a reality TV veteran looking for a screen-time boost. Honestly, that’s probably why people were so curious about him. He’s a guy from Kentucky—just like Brittany—and they’ve actually known each other for about 15 years. They aren't strangers who met on an app; they were old friends who reconnected when both of their lives were hitting a pretty massive rough patch.

Brandon is a father of three and, much like Brittany, was navigating a messy divorce when they started hanging out. He was separated from his estranged wife, Jasina Stanko, for several months before things with Brittany turned romantic.

He’s kept his life fairly private, which is a stark contrast to Jax’s "everything is a headline" lifestyle. He has a real job, lives about three hours away from Los Angeles, and focuses on his kids. You won’t find much on his social media because he keeps it locked down. That didn't stop the internet from digging, though.

The TikTok drama that started it all

The relationship went public in August 2025 at an event for Narwal, a tech brand. Brittany brought him as her date, and she looked—well, she looked happy. After years of the "Jax and Brit" drama, fans were rooting for her. But the honeymoon phase lasted about five minutes.

Almost as soon as they were spotted together, Brandon’s estranged wife, Jasina, took to TikTok. She wasn't exactly thrilled. In the comments of a video showing Brandon and Brittany on a date, she dropped the "He’s my husband!!!" bomb.

It was a mess.

Sources close to the couple had to clarify that they were both already separated and mid-divorce. It wasn't some scandalous affair, but the optics were definitely "reality TV gold." People started questioning the timeline, wondering if Brittany was jumping into something too fast.

Why Brandon Hanson and Brittany Cartwright didn't last

By October 2025, it was over. Two months. That’s it.

Brittany confirmed the split on her podcast, When Reality Hits. She was super blunt about it. She called it a "whirlwind" and admitted that it hit the press way faster than they wanted. When you’re a public figure, you don't really get to "just date" without the whole world weighing in.

The breakup wasn't because of a big blowout fight. It was mostly about the logistics of real life:

• The Distance: He lives three hours away. Between her filming schedule and his life, the drive was a killer.
• The Kids: Both are parents first. Coordinating schedules with four kids between them (her son Cruz and his three) made a casual romance nearly impossible.
• The Timing: Brittany had just filed for divorce from Jax in August 2024. She was still healing from a decade of baggage.
• Work Stress: Between The Valley and Brandon’s own career obligations, there just wasn't enough oxygen for the flame to stay lit.

Brittany also had to shut down rumors that Brandon paid for her recent "mommy makeover" surgery. She made it very clear that she's a "boss baby" and paid for her abdominal reconstruction and lift herself.

What’s next for Brittany?

She says she’s single and staying that way for a while. After the Brandon situation, she realized she still has a lot of learning to do. It’s hard to go from a high-stress marriage straight into a new relationship without some rebound effect.

Brandon seems to have retreated back into his private life, likely focusing on his own divorce proceedings and his children. He isn't expected to be a main fixture on future seasons of The Valley, though the mention of the relationship will probably pop up in the storylines.

If you're following this saga, the best way to keep up is to listen to Brittany's podcast directly. She’s been very open about the "ups and downs" of co-parenting with Jax while trying to find her own identity again.

Takeaways for fans:
Don't expect a reunion between these two. It was a classic "right person, wrong time" situation that helped Brittany realize she was ready to be treated well, even if Brandon wasn't the "forever" guy. Watch the latest episodes of The Valley on Peacock to see the fallout of her separation and how she's handling the single-mom life in the spotlight.