Taking the good with the bad. Tom Schwartz got real about his darkest times following Katie Maloney split — and where he stands now.
“In this moment right now? I feel fantastic,” the 39-year-old Vanderpump Rules star exclusively told Us Weekly on Saturday, October 15, while attending BravoCon 2022. “But, you know, coming out of [the breakup], I was a hot mess. I really was.”
Schwartz, who announced his split from Maloney, 35, in March, revealed he was “a little self-indulgent” at times while processing the divorce.
“I was kind of wallowing in my new little bachelor pad, and I didn’t unpack for like three months,” Schwartz told Us, noting that the heartbreak wasn’t all bad. “I think I was able to appreciate it as a life experience, if that makes sense. It’s not a good feeling, but it was a strong feeling. And one I hope I don’t experience again, but still feeling. I felt very alive.”
The TomTom cofounder joked: “I should have wrote, like, some songs or something. Maybe a few poems.”
Tom Sandoval recalled how “hard” it was watching his best friend go through the ups and downs of the broken marriage. “That was a tough year for you, dude,” the 39-year-old TV personality told Us on Saturday.
Schwartz agreed, adding, “Timing was just really rough. When it rains the pours.” He noted that his dad “almost died” and his brother got cancer all while he and Maloney were trying to sell their house following their split. Plus, the Florida State University alum was looking for somewhere new to live.
“It’s been a really interesting year,” he told Us, adding that despite all the rough patches, he didn’t ever second guess filming for Vanderpump Rules.
“At this point I kind of look forward to being, like, radically honest about it. It’s kind of therapeutic,” Schwartz said. “Although in some moments I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, what have I said? What have I done?’ You’re pacing around; You’re agonizing; You’re questioning every decision you’ve ever made in your life. Right? And that’s not exaggerating. But then I think ultimately at the end of the year, it’s very therapeutic.”
The Minnesota native concluded: “I’m as healthy as I am now because of it, but in the moment, it sucks. I’m not gonna lie.”
Schwartz and Maloney tied the knot in 2016 but revealed three years later that they lost their initial marriage license, so the union wasn’t legal. The pair wed for a second time in July 2019, which fans watched on season 8 of the Bravo series.
Earlier this month, Us confirmed that the restauranteur and the “You’re Gonna Love Me” podcast host finalized their divorce after separating in March.
The former spouses are splitting the profits of the sale of their Valley Village, California home, which they sold in August for more than $2 million, according to court documents.
The Schwartz & Sandy co-owner will divide up the rest of his and Maloney’s assets — including cars and jewelry — according to which item is in each person’s name.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
