No love lost here! Tom Schwartz clapped back at ex-wife Katie Maloney during the Vanderpump Rules reunion after she “disparaged” pal Jo Wenberg.
“No, that wasn’t a girlfriend [situation], especially at that point,” Tom, 40, said during part 1 of the season 10 reunion, which aired on Wednesday, May 24, when asked whether he and Jo, 35, were an item in late 2022. “It did evolve into a ‘situationship’ or a ‘friends with benefits’ type thing with clearly defined boundaries.”
The TomTom cofounder claimed that he and Jo were “both coming out of long-term relationships and for a minute there, we were each other’s happy place.” (Tom and Katie, 36, announced their split in March 2022 after more than five years of marriage and 10 years together.)
During a season 10 episode, which filmed in July 2022 and aired in February, Tom told costar Scheana Shay that he was up until 4 a.m. “hanging out” with Jo — but denied that they had ever hooked up.
However, in a deleted scene, which aired in March, the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner told Katie that the hairstylist was temporarily staying at his place. “You look all suspicious and s—t. Jo’s my friend,” he said in the clip, which was taped in summer 2022. “It’s kinda nice having a roommate, actually.”
Tom continued to spark romance speculation with Jo in December 2022 when the pair were spotted at a Los Angeles concert together.
Despite the optics, the Minnesota native exclusively told Us Weekly in February that he was “not living” with Jo and “we’re not dating either.” However, he did gush over their friendship, saying, “She’s just someone who I appreciate on a deep level and she’s a really cool human being, and we’re just hanging out.”
During Wednesday’s reunion, the restaurateur defended Jo’s character after his ex claimed, “Jo is a creep. Nobody likes Jo.”
Tom was offended by Katie’s remarks and warned her to back off. “No she’s not. Katie don’t do that, don’t disparage her,” he said while sitting across from his former spouse. “You’re going to get a cease and desist if you keep attacking her in the comments, too.”
The Something About Her cofounder quipped, “I can say whatever I want,” which led to Tom calling her “a comment troll,” after Katie previously slammed Jo on social media.
The “You’re Gonna Love Me” podcast host later claimed that her ex-husband went on double dates with Jo, Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, citing a January trip to Big Bear Lake, California.
Schwartz, for his part, denied the allegations, insisting that he was “going snowboarding” with Sandoval, 40. Ariana Madix, meanwhile, questioned, “Why wasn’t I invited then, if girls were invited?” hinting that the men were acting shady.
Katie’s ex-spouse claimed that neither Jo nor Raquel, 28, were on the trip to the mountains. “I’m being honest,” Schwartz alleged, but the rest of his costars just “booed” him.
Sandoval and Raquel made headlines in March for their months-long affair. Us confirmed at the time that the Tom Sandoval and The Most Extras singer split from Ariana, 37, as news broke of the scandal.
Vanderpump Rules’ season 10 reunion continues on Bravo Wednesday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET. Part 3 of the reunion concludes on Wednesday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET.
