Vanderpump Rules: What Really Led To Tom Schwartz And Katie Maloney's Divorce
Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney seemed like they were in it for the long haul. Viewers were first introduced to the ultimately doomed couple during the first season of "Vanderpump Rules" when everything seemed just fine. Maloney and Schwartz were happily dating and working as part-time actors/part-time servers at Lisa Vanderpump's L.A. restaurants. But, unfortunately, things didn't stay that way for long.
Loyal fans may remember the infamous episode of "VPR" in which the cast traveled to Mexico, and Maloney and Schwartz got into a fight. Things escalated to the point that Schwartz dumped a beer on Maloney's head. Incredibly, they didn't break up. A few years later, they even got engaged — though that wasn't easy either. Schwartz cheated on Maloney multiple times before the wedding, but they still made it down the aisle. At this point, if dumping a beer on your partner's head and cheating on her (repeatedly) didn't break them up, it seemed like nothing would. However, in 2022 after 12 years together, they announced their plans to split. "I'm not the victim. Not gonna write too sad a song. Fully respect Katie's decision, and we've had healthy, productive conversations about it," Schwartz wrote in an Instagram post informing fans of the decisions. "It would be far sadder if she decided to stay with me whilst not happy."
So, what actually happened to drive Schwartz and Maloney apart? Below, we break it all down, from why they fell out to where they stand today.
It was a long time coming
Although they seemed determined to power through their problems, Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz's divorce was inevitable. "It just needed to happen. That's just what everything inside of me was saying," Maloney reportedly said during an episode of her podcast, "You're Gonna Love Me" (via Us Weekly). "For months, it was building up. I felt just disconnected. I felt like I was drifting further and further away."
After feeling increasingly uncomfortable about Schwartz's refusal to address any of the issues in their marriage, Maloney was forced to take a step back and take stock of her situation. "There was kind of a moment where I did kinda wake up, and things started coming to view," Maloney said during a 2022 appearance on the "The Viall Files." "It's like this voice inside me woke up and said, 'You don't want this, and you need to be honest with yourself that these are probably things that are going to be present forever," Maloney said. The reality star claimed that many of their issues came from Schwartz's failure to prioritize her. "I felt like I came dead last to everyone else in the room," she said. "I didn't feel I was seen or heard or supported on an emotional level or intellectual level."
Unfortunately for Maloney, even as she decided to prioritize herself and leave, she was further disrespected by her ex in the divorce – and how quickly he moved on with a close friend.
Katie is fed up
After more than 12 years together, splitting up wasn't easy for Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz, but as far as Maloney saw it, it was necessary. For a while, things were copacetic but took a major turn when Schwartz started hooking up with a mutual friend, Raquel Leviss, who used to date James Kennedy. "It just made me realize that this person, under no circumstances, will never respect me and will just continue to humiliate me," Monkey told ET.
According to Maloney, she and Schwartz agreed not to date each other's friends — out of respect. "It felt like just such a slap in the face," she said. "He's free to do what he wants, but it was the fact that we really had had multiple conversations and were pretty much on the same page about it all, and I couldn't wrap my head around it." As for Leviss, Maloney assured the interviewer that her opinion of her former friend "couldn't be lower."
For Schwartz's part, he doesn't exactly feel bad about moving on. "It was only a kiss. I don't regret it," he told Page Six, though he did add the timing may not have been great. "In the moment, I was so caught up in my own little world," he said. "Something was in the air. ... I regretted it in the sense that it hurt some people that I care a lot about, like maybe James and Katie — not so much James, but Katie."