Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz were still on good terms when footage for the season premiere was filmed. They decided to navigate the uncertain waters of being friendly exes. Their Vanderpump Rules costars are still working out the new dynamic.
But viewers know trouble is lurking ahead because of Tom’s hookup with Raquel Leviss. Producers were forced to address the issue in the Season 10 trailer.
Us Weekly reported that during the season premiere, Katie requested that her ex-husband avoid romancing anyone in their friend group. That is her “one rule” for staying friends with Tom. One follower on Instagram challenged Katie on whether she has the right to set such a boundary. “So she wants to divorce him but wants to tell him who he can and cannot kiss. I don’t think breaking up works that way,” the post read.
Katie responded, “When we are sharing custody of dogs and share mutual best friends, creating boundaries is necessary. I wasn’t telling him what to do. I was saying it would create a toxic environment and he agreed. We had seen it play out in our friend group a million times before,” she added.
Despite his ex-wife’s request, Tom locked lips with Raquel while the pair attended Brock Davies and Scheana Shay’s wedding in August 2022.
“In the moment, there was momentary passion in the air. I kind of disappeared into that kiss, I’ll be honest. It was kind of a transformative moment,” Tom said of the kiss. “In terms of any long-term romance with me and Raquel, I don’t know how much chemistry is there.”
The Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner was asked about the fallout after the news went viral. Tom admitted he did “regret hurting Katie.“
He explained, “That was never my intention. Maybe it was a little selfish ‘cause I just felt mired in sadness. I was so sick of having this little rain cloud above my head. … There was love in the air [at Scheana and Brock’s wedding], it was palpable and that kiss was just, like, the cherry on top.” Tom added, “It was a transformative moment. It, like, broke my curse. I was under a spell.”
And the siren song of the spell was Raquel, who ended an engagement to James Kennedy. She previously confirmed that she “made out a few times” with Tom but nothing beyond that.
“It was fun, I enjoyed it. I think he did too,” Raquel said at the Season 10 Pump Rules premiere party. “Schwartz and I only made out, so, I’m literally just like a makeout slut. I think they used to call Schwartz a makeout slut, but I think I [now have] the title,” she added.
None of this will bode well for Tom and Katie’s post-divorce relationship. And certainly not for Katie’s friendship with Raquel, which she confirmed wasn’t “meant to be.” But apparently, Katie did want to salvage things with Tom.
“I have a history with Tom and we have dogs, so I was a little bit more keen to try to repair and work through [everything],” Katie explained. “We’re trying to figure out where the sweet spot is in our friendship that we can remain in each other’s lives, remain friends, but it’s not causing too much rift and all of that.”
TELL US- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KATIE’S RULE FOR TOM? WAS HE WRONG TO HOOK UP WITH RAQUEL? SHOULD KATIE AND TOM KEEP UP THEIR FRIENDSHIP AFTER HIS HOOKUP WITH RAQUEL?
[Photo Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo]
