‘It was like being gaslit on national TV’ – Katie Maloney finally breaks her silence on Tom Schwartz’s podcast claims as she accuses ex-husband of rewriting history and blames years of emotional neglect behind closed doors - suong

Katie Maloney has had enough — and she’s finally speaking out.

In a raw and emotional moment during a private event in Los Angeles earlier this week, the 37-year-old reality star opened up for the first time about ex-husband Tom Schwartz’s recent podcast appearance, where he suggested that Vanderpump Rules didn’t cause their divorce — but implied that its environment of “televised therapy” accelerated their downfall.

Katie, who was seated alongside co-star Ariana Madix at the live taping of the Hearts of Reality panel, didn’t hold back. “I’m not going to let him rewrite history just because it’s more convenient now that he’s got a podcast mic in front of him,” she said, her voice audibly cracking. “To sit there and call what we went through ‘therapy in front of people’ — that’s not just minimizing. That’s gaslighting.”

According to sources present at the event, Katie went on to explain how years of emotional neglect, broken promises, and public humiliation weren’t just side effects of being on TV — they were the result of Schwartz’s refusal to take accountability behind closed doors.

“He was never willing to deal with the root of our problems,” she said. “But the second cameras were up, he’d suddenly care. Then the cameras would go down and he’d shut down. I felt like I was living in two marriages — the public one and the real one.”

Katie specifically called out Tom’s recent comments on the Off the Vine podcast, in which he stated:

“I think in the past, I might be guilty of scapegoating the show a little bit… But I can’t blame the show. That’s on me.”

 

“He says that now because it suits him,” Katie retorted. “But I remember the nights he cried to me saying the show was ruining his life. I remember when he begged me not to leave because of what people would say. So which version is the truth, Tom?”

Sources close to Katie say she wasn’t planning to address the interview until fans started tagging her in clips with captions accusing her of “dragging the show for sympathy.” One insider shared, “She’s done staying silent while Tom plays the peacekeeper in public and throws her under the bus in private.”

The tension has reportedly reignited old wounds between the former couple, who had remained relatively amicable since their split. While both still appear in the Bravo universe — Schwartz now as part of The Valley and Katie as a staple in the VPR community — insiders say their off-screen relationship is “on thin ice again.”

“Katie feels betrayed all over again,” the insider continued. “She worked hard to heal and move on, and now it feels like he’s spinning a new narrative where he’s the enlightened ex who just ‘grew apart’ from a marriage he emotionally abandoned years ago.”

As of now, Tom Schwartz has not publicly responded to Katie’s remarks. But fans online are already taking sides — with many applauding Katie for finally telling her side. One viral tweet summed it up:

“Katie Maloney was married to a man who couldn’t choose her. Now he can’t even choose the truth.”

If one thing is clear, it’s this: the era of polite silence is over. And for Katie, reclaiming her truth — even in the messiest way — is long overdue.