Self-deprecating as ever. Tom Schwartz has no problem laughing at himself when it’s warranted. As ever, the laid-back Vanderpump Rules star can take some criticism with a smile.
Certainly, Schwartz’s behavior of late is worth critiquing. Defending his bestie, Tom Sandoval, hasn’t done him any favors. Sandoval conducting a seven-month-long affair with Raquel Leviss behind his girlfriend’s back is not defensible. Even for this crowd. And the public agrees.
So it’s no surprise that a comment posted to Schwartz’s Instagram called him out on his questionable appearance on Watch What Happens Live. He told Andy Cohen that VPR fans should “hug“ Sandoval if they see him.
After the WWHL episode aired, Schwartz’s ex-wife Katie Maloney suggested he get “media training.” And it was this comment that a follower referenced when they commented on Schwartz’s social media post.
Us Weekly reported that on April 22, 2023 Schwartz posted photos of himself and the dogs he shares with Katie. He captioned the images, “Post a pure pic with the pups please? Absolute honor to be a part of your book supporting @wagsandwalks. Featuring my two favorite creatures on planet earth.”
A follower responded with a snarky comment. “I see we suddenly hired a PR team,” the fan wrote. “You can tell from my unhinged interviews I don’t have a PR team Lexi,” Schwartz responded.
Schwartz definitely took the heat for trying to defend his Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner. Sandoval even managed to screw up an apology to Ariana Madix by addressing the backlash against his restaurant first.
When the Missouri native finally got around to addressing his ex-girlfriend, he created an intricate word salad and served it up on Instagram.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” Sandoval wrote. “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. 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.”
It was about a month later that Schwartz appeared on the infamous WWHL episode. During the interview, he revealed exactly when he found out that Raquel and Sandoval hooked up.
“I learned about the affair in August. The one-night stand was in August and then it became, from my point of view, it became an emotional affair,” Schwartz explained. “Which is still inappropriate, but I didn’t think it was linear. [Then] in January, he came to me and told me that he was in love with Raquel.”
As for what Schwartz said in defense of his friend, it bordered on self-sabotage. “First of all, Ariana, love you. I know you don’t love me right now, but I still love you. And also, Tom, I know the whole world hates you. But I’m not going to abandon you, old buddy. I’m not going to abandon you. He knows he’s a monster for what he did,” Schwartz explained. “If you see him, maybe give him a hug. Even if he doesn’t deserve it, give him a hug. He’s down bad.”
Later, Andy shared some advice for the reality TV star on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy. “Now what I told him was, ‘Here’s how this works in an interview,’ and ‘This is difficult when you’re being interviewed.’ I am a talk show host who likes to fill dead air.” Andy continued, “However, I am also someone who has said too much, many, many times. … When there is a topic, I am not looking to make trouble for myself over or I think maybe I want to be concise here or I don’t want to get in trouble. I don’t want to get anyone else in any trouble. I need to be careful with my words that would have been the Tom Schwartz moment on Wednesday.”
Andy addressed Schwartz’s over-sharing and rambling. Something that Schwartz’s friend, Summer House star Kyle Cooke, thought was an interview strategy.
“So what you do, I told Tom Schwartz is, ‘You answer the question, and then you stop talking,” the WWHL host added. “And when you stop talking that means I have to say something and then I will either change the subject and ask a new question because you theoretically answered the question.’”
I mean, the dogs are cute. But Schwartz still needs media training.
TELL US- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE COMMENT? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SCHWARTZ’S CLAP BACK? DOES HE NEED MEDIA TRAINING?
[Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia/Bravo]
