Katie Maloney’s character arch on Vanderpump Rules has presented like a roller coaster. Some people love Katie. Other’s have found her reactions difficult to understand. Personally, I have always been a fan, because Katie is a loyal friend who says what she means.
If you go back and do a rewatch, you’ll see that Katie’s takes have mostly all proven accurate, especially when it comes to Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval. Schwartz does in fact need to grow up and form his own opinions apart from Sandoval. And also, Sandoval’s lack of self-awareness is a problem, to put it lightly. Overall, these two besties have always been problematic, and often Katie was their scapegoat, which sucked.
Katie’s life story shows that she has risen above a lot. This has not only given her grit, but also, a heightened sense of discernment. For one, she suffered a TBI, which can change your reactions to various situations. She’s also been surrounded by toxicity, and now that these behaviors are finally being called out, Katie’s past frustrations make better sense.
Now that we can all (mostly) see Katie for who she truly is, the good in her is apparent. But really, it’s always been there. To see what I mean, let’s go back and recall Katie’s best moments on VPR. Sadly, some of these were likely overlooked in seasons past, as her narratives were often twisted by her fellow Bravo costars.
Katie Rawly Apologized to Lala
In Season 5, Lala Kent and Katie were the opposite of friendly. Actually, Lala stood opposed with most of the females at this point in time. However, at the reunion, Katie was the one who woman’ed up, owning all of her wrongs, while humbly asking Lala for forgiveness.
In reflecting back on Season 5, Katie began by telling Lala “I mishandled my feelings and emotions back then, 100%. I mismanaged my feelings a lot this summer. But when you came and apologized to me about calling me fat, I was not emotionally prepared to accept an apology. I was still, like, those words were hurtful.”
Lala then reminded Katie that she had called her a wh*re, which had hurt her feelings. Instead of clapping back, Katie agreed, telling Lala “I don’t like to sling insults like calling people wh*res. That was an ugly moment for me to watch. I 100% apologize for saying that,” Katie said, as tears filled both her and Lala’s eyes.
Katie then continued on, telling Lala that she had been in a bad place with Schwartz, and even with herself, as her body image had been extremely low that season. She then told Lala that there was no way for her costar to have known this, but that this is why she had taken Lala’s words to heart. As Katie continued owning her wrongs, Lala tearfully began to do the same. This raw moment was so rare, everyone on the stage sat back in awe, taking in Katie’s humility, before finally praising her for her heartfelt actions.
Her “Social Justice Warrior” Check Was Spot-on
In Season 8, Jax Taylor teamed up with Randall Emmett to fake arrest Sandoval. While almost everyone thought that this prank was funny, Katie was the one with enough foresight to realize that in this climate, their bit was actually incredibly tone-deaf. When she vocalized this, Schwartz chewed her out, and then some, as he does.
“Nobody gives a sh*t about your opinion. I’ve never been more turned off in my life,” Schwartz spat at his then-wife, before feigning to puke. Schwartz then declared to the group, “that’s why I don’t have sex with her.” Throughout all of these hurtful bombs thrown her way, Katie held her ground.
Even in the After Show, Schwartz continued to put her down, labeling her a “social justice warrior.” Yet, Katie remained strong, as she knew that police brutality was on the rise, and so through their given platform, they needed to do better. Despite the heat received, Katie stood up for the marginalized, and we love her for this great moment on VPR.
When Sandoval Sucked, Katie Spoke Up
Even though Schwartz rarely stood up for Katie, she tried to have his back as often as she could. Case in point, when the boys were trying to name their bar in Season 9, Sandoval wanted to use their last names, which Schwartz quietly hated. As we all know by now, Sandoval won this battle, and Schwartz & Sandy’s now stands. That said, when Katie tried to explain to Sandoval that Schwartz really didn’t care for this name, Sandoval went off on her, and then Schwartz took his buddy’s side.
In Season 10, Katie again called Sandoval out, but this time, it was for his time spent at the Abby. This foreshadowed his affair with Rachel Leviss. Literally, Katie could not win when it came to Sandoval, but she always remained firm and loyal to her thoughts and her beliefs. We love her for trying to be a voice of reason on VPR.
Post Divorce, Katie’s Refusing To Be Gaslit
Newly divorced from Schwartz, Katie is finally thriving. She’s also removing herself from her exes nonsense, which has been refreshing. I about died in Season 10 when she came to collect their shared dogs, and Schwartz was complaining about his bar. This saw an over-it Katie saying “that sounds awful, see ya” before exiting his apartment.
Additionally, she’s also now refusing to allow Schwartz to twist various narratives. In Mexico, they sat down for a weird post-divorce dinner. Here, Schwartz tried to joke that he’s more “apt to defend” her now, and Katie immediately disproved his words. At this, Schwartz grew angry and then called himself a great husband, which, what?
No longer her problem, Katie got up and walked away, protecting her peace. Katie’s future, both on VPR and off, is bright indeed.
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE A TOP BEST KATIE MALONEY MOMENT ON VPR?
