There is a tremendous amount of speculation as to what Tom Schwartz knew of THE AFFAIR. Of course, we are talking about Tom Sandoval’s trysts with Raquel Leviss. Lisa Vanderpump and Kristen Doute are both convinced that Schwartz was in on it. The question is, to what extent?
According to Us Weekly, Schwartz told ET Canada that his best friend pushed him to pursue Raquel. So the onus is off of him right? Well, that perhaps depends on what he knew of the Vanderpump Rules scandal at the time.
“I’m guilty by association,” Schwartz said. “Oh my God. [Sandoval] made me do it. I didn’t want to do it. He’s like, ‘If you don’t do it, you’re a wussy.’ He steamrolled me.”
That all sounds very juvenile. But it doesn’t end there. Sandoval even witnessed them locking lips at Scheana Shay’s wedding.
“I was stoked [about their kiss]. I thought it was fun,” the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner said at the time. “They went behind this little greenery wall and I went and cracked two beers and handed it to them.”
Schwartz’s ex-wife Katie Maloney had a contrasting reaction. After all, she did ask him not to date within their friend group after their split in March 2022.
So, despite the risk of hurting Katie, and potentially knowing what was going on between Sandoval and Raquel, Schwartz did as he was told. Though at the time, he defended the authenticity of the kiss.
“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 previously told Us Weekly. “In terms of any long-term romance with me and Raquel, I don’t know how much chemistry is there.”
Schwartz never regretted the kiss, only that he hurt Katie. How does she feel now that it’s clear Sandoval was using her ex-husband to cover for his own discretion? And while her ex-husband tries to shift the blame, should he take some responsibility?
Pump Rules alum Kristen Doute claimed Tom knew about the affair and kept it under wraps. According to Us Weekly, Kristen revealed that “Schwartz only found out about it a month ago” during her Sex, Love and What Else Matters podcast.
Kristen continued, “[Schwartz] said that he told [Sandoval] he needed to tell Ariana before it blew up in his face and humiliated the hell out of her … Too little too late.”
So Schwartz did not know about the affair when he kissed Raquel. That would vindicate him of all things, except breaking Katie’s dating rule. However, he did know about the illicit love long enough to be called out for keeping it hush-hush. Especially considering his long-running friendship with Sandoval. It is interesting that Schwartz hasn’t issued a statement of condemnation for the affair.
It’s no consolation to Ariana Madix that an insider revealed her alleged relationship woes. A source claimed that the couple was “having problems for a while.” The situation “only came to a breaking point” with Sandoval’s affair with Raquel.
Then, Sandoval received backlash for addressing his restaurant, Schwartz & Sandy’s, prior to posting an apology for Ariana. Finally, he wrote, “I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
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He continued, “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends,” Sandoval added.
For her part, Raquel issued an apology of her own. It reads, “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships. There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.” Perhaps an apology for Schwartz and Katie would be in order since they were indirectly tangled in this mess.
Ariana, meanwhile, is putting the drama behind her. She was spotted in Mexico this week celebrating a friend’s wedding.
TELL US- SHOULD SCHWARTZ SHOULDER ANY RESPONSIBILITY? DO YOU BELIEVE KRISTEN? SHOULD SCHWARTZ HAVE TOLD ARIANA ABOUT RAQUEL WHEN HE FOUND OUT?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo]
