Tom Schwartz has finally responded to the viral speculation that he was mentally and emotionally checked out during The Valley After Show — and according to him, it’s all a big misunderstanding.
In a new interview with Us Weekly, Schwartz insisted he was not disassociating during the chaotic reunion-style taping, despite looking — as fans described it — like “a man having an out-of-body experience while still physically present.”
“I wasn’t disassociating,” he told the outlet with a laugh. “I was just trying to be mindful, really take it all in, and choose my words carefully.”
But fans watching at home weren’t convinced — and haven’t been for weeks. Schwartz’s vacant stare, slow blinks, and prolonged silences became memes in real time as the After Show aired. Social media lit up with comparisons ranging from “a hostage blinking out an SOS” to “someone trying to astral project out of a Bravo contract.”
“Tom Schwartz was either solving quantum physics in his head or actively detaching from reality,” one viewer wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Either way, man was GONE.”
Even the cast appeared visibly confused by his energy. While Kristen Doute raged, Jax Taylor deflected, and Brittany Cartwright emotionally unraveled, Schwartz sat mostly still, blinking slowly, occasionally offering a soft “I hear you,” before falling back into what fans dubbed the Schwartz Stare™.
For many, it wasn’t just one moment — it was a pattern. “This is vintage Schwartz,” one Reddit commenter noted. “Whenever things get tense, he mentally exits the building and leaves his body behind. It’s his favorite coping mechanism.”
This isn’t the first time Schwartz has been accused of checking out during intense moments. From the Vanderpump Rules reunion after the Scandoval affair, to his frequent glazed-over expressions during marital arguments with Katie Maloney, viewers have long speculated that emotional withdrawal is Tom’s default defense mode.
But in this case, Schwartz insists it’s all being misinterpreted. “Sometimes I get reflective,” he told Us Weekly. “I think the camera catches me when I’m just deep in thought, or trying not to say something reactive.”
Still, body language experts — and legions of Bravo fans — aren’t so sure. “You can say you weren’t disassociating,” one TikTok user replied, “but your pupils, posture and pulse said otherwise.”
And perhaps most ironically, Schwartz’s denial came off exactly the same way his After Show performance did: subdued, vague, and not entirely convincing.
As one viral post put it: “If he wasn’t disassociating, then that makes it worse. Because that means he was 100% present — and still said nothing.”
Whether Schwartz was mentally on a beach in Tulum or simply overwhelmed by the Bravo madness around him, one thing’s for sure: viewers won’t be forgetting that stare anytime soon.
