Vanderpump Rules alum Tom Schwartz revealed why he and former BFF Tom Sandoval are no longer as close as they used to be during The Valley After Show.
Tom Schwartz is SUR-ving up a surprising update on where he and former BFF and business partner Tom Sandoval stand today after they had to close their L.A. bar Schwartz & Sandy's.
As it turns out, the Vanderpump Rules alums' decades-long friendship has gotten "a little more complicated" since their most recent business venture failed, according to the reality star.
"It put a lot of tension on our friendship," Schwartz admitted during BravoTV.com's The Valley After Show April 16. "The financial aspect really put our friendship to the test. Unfortunately, it almost destroyed our friendship at one point. But I have closure."
But despite pouring nearly all his money into the now-closed establishment—which shut its doors in November after two years—Schwartz isn't holding any grudges.
"He's family for me," the 42-year-old added. "I will always love Tom Sandoval, but of course I have some deep-rooted frustrations still. But not holding onto that s--t."
Although the Toms aren't as tight as they once were, Schwartz has no regrets about the business
“I’m at least proud to say that I can walk away knowing that I put everything I had into that place,” he noted. “Almost all of my money. Lord knows I over-leveraged myself. I feel like we really never were fully accepted or embraced by the neighborhood, but I’m f--king proud of that place.”
Todd Williamson/BravoAnd the TomTom co-owner is happy to leave the stress of Schwartz & Sandy's—not to mention Scandoval—behind him.
“I have a newfound sense of peace that I haven’t felt in a long time,” Schwartz said. “It was like perpetual, constant anxiety—when you’re hemorrhaging money. And you know that this place with your name on the side of the building is not doing as well. Your employees are suffering now. They can’t pay their bills. It’s just a lot.”
“I think I was too soft before that bar," the former SUR-ver added. "If anything, now I feel like I have so much more life experience. I have more grit. I feel like I have just a newfound respect and appreciation for life. I just feel like I’m growing in so many ways. I don’t know if it shows through my actions, but I can feel it.”
Catch Schwartz on The Valley Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo. In the meantime, keep reading to look back at the biggest scandals to ever rock VPR.
Getty ImagesScheana Shay with Eddie Cibrian
Let's not forget that we owe this entire series to Scheana Shay's affair with actor Eddie Cibrian, who was married at the time to former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Brandi Glanville. Scheana dated him while Brandi was pregnant with their second child, and the two women's dramatic sitdown at SUR—coordinated by Lisa Vanderpump, naturally—was the segue from one episode of RHOBH to Vanderpump Rules. Sneakiest (and messiest) crossover ever!
Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesJax Taylor With a Las Vegas Partier
After denying he cheated on then-girlfriend Stassi Schroeder throughout the entire first season, Jax Taylor admits in the finale that, yes, actually he did cheat on her in Las Vegas and got the other woman pregnant.
His admission stunned Stassi and the rest of the cast that had defended and sided with him in the breakup.
Vivian Zink/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesJax Taylor With Kristen Doute
One of the show's most infamous hookups went down in season two, when Jax confessed to sleeping with Kristen Doute, Stassi's best friend who happened to be dating his best friend Tom Sandoval.
Though Kristen initially refuted the claim, she finally admitted that they hooked up (but never kissed) during the finale. Oh, and it went down while Tom was sleeping in the other room and they were watching the Ryan Gosling movie Drive. This all culminated in Stassi delivering her now-infamous slap across Kristen's face, while Tom punched Jax.
Seasons later, Kristen later admitted to cheating on Tom throughout their six-year relationship.
Evans Vestal Ward/Bravo/NBCU Photo BankTom Sandoval With Ariana Madix
After Ariana Madix joined the cast in season two, Kristen quickly had suspicions about Tom's friendship with his fellow bartender. While the pair denied ever hooking up while Tom was dating Kristen—responding to the SUR waitress' continued worries, Ariana infamously declared, "I'm smarter than you. I'm prettier than you. Get the f--Get the f--k over it"—Tom eventually admitted during the season two reunion that he and Ariana made out in a pool when they were both in Las Vegas.
When asked by Andy Cohen if she worried about Tom's past after he confessed to "cheating on Kristen a few times," Ariana said, "I've been friends with him for three years. I know him really well. It's not a thing for me—at all." (Sigh.)
Nicole Weingart/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesTom Sandoval With Miami Girl
After Tom and Ariana announced they were officially together, Kristen revealed in season three that a woman reached out to her on Instagram claiming to have hooked up with Tom while he was in Miami with Jax and Schwartz. Kristen even brought "Miami Girl" into SUR to confront Tom, but Ariana didn't take the allegation seriously after Tom vehemently denied the claims and the couple left.
At the time, however, Jax seemingly threw his friend under the bus by backing up the claim. And after Tom and Ariana's 2023 breakup, Jax, who left the show in 2020, tweeted a cryptic message.
"I've called a lot of things on that show that people never believed," he wrote. "Everything I say always ends being true."
Brian Baer/BravoTom Schwartz With Several People
After Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney got married in 2016, he confessed to drunkenly making out with one of Lala Kent's friends in season six.
When Schwartz was asked about the story, his memory was fuzzy. "There's no way. No, it couldn't have been," he says in a 2018 episode. "Yeah, I remember going to The Bungalow, but I definitely don't remember making out with anybody. I got s--tfaced that night, I remember that."
Schwartz later addresses his behavior in a confessional, admitting, "I truly and honestly am baffled."
But it wasn't the first time Schwartz cheated on Katie while he was blackout drunk, admitting to kissing another woman while he was inebriated in season three.
After 12 years together, Katie and Schwartz announced their breakup in March 2022.
BravoKatie Maloney With a Random Dude?
In a 2014 episode, Jax claimed Katie cheated on Schwartz by "motorboating" an unnamed man, sharing that he'd heard the story from Scheana. Katie was furious over the allegation and Scheana eventually apologized to her co-star.
"I never once said she cheated. I said what I saw," Scheana wrote in a Bravo blog. "After talking to Katie about it, I realize that it wasn't what it seemed. When she bent down to take her shoes off, her head was in that region. Also, in her drunken state when she was dancing shaking her head back and forth it definitely looked like she was 'motorboating' this guy. She DID NOT cheat...I simply felt like she crossed the line."
Nicole Weingart/BravoJames Kennedy With Jenna
After some serious sleuthing—including looking at Uber receipts—Kristen deduced her boyfriend James Kennedy cheated on her with one of Scheana's friends in season four. He denied it to her face, only saying they may have kissed, but later admitted in an interview, "The truth is, Jenna and I were definitely boning." And a new iconic .GIF was born!
But that wasn't the only time James cheated on Kristen, as the DJ also hooked up with Lala (who believed he was single at the time) and another SUR hostess, Lauren, who was in a relationship with another employee at the restaurant.
