Tom Schwartz can’t wait for Us to see Jo Wenberg’s debut appearance on Vanderpump Rules season 11.
“Honestly, I feel like Jo is a breath of fresh air. She has a charisma and energy unlike anyone else I’ve ever met in my life,” Schwartz, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly at the cast’s Wednesday, January 17, premiere party. “Not everyone loves that energy. I happen to be fond of it. But, she’s kind of like a superstar in her own right.”
He added, “She’s straight out of the Midwest — Wisconsin [girl] through and through. She’s got a beautiful soul and yeah, man, I’m always rooting for her. Shoutout to Jo [and] if you need your hair done, hit her up. DM her.”
Jo, a hairstylist based in Los Angeles, has been known the Vanderpump Rules group for years, initially becoming friends with Kristen Doute. She grew closer with Schwartz following his divorce from Katie Maloney. (After a decade together, Schwartz and Katie, 37, announced their separation in March 2022. They finalized their divorce in October 2022.)
In a deleted scene from Pump Rules season 10, Schwartz confessed that he was living with Jo, 35. By the season reunion, he revealed that their relationship had evolved into a “situationship” or a “friends with benefits thing” but with clear boundaries. However, the pair are not currently an item.
“I think we’re just friends now,” Schwartz said at the Hollywood Palladium party on Wednesday. “You’ll see that kind of play out this season. I know that’s the lamest answer ever.”
Katie, meanwhile, has never been Jo’s biggest fan. When asked on Wednesday about Jo’s debut on Vanderpump Rules, she played coy.
“Who? I don’t know. Some things aren’t avoidable, I guess,” Katie quipped, trying to recall if they filmed any scenes together. “I don’t know if I did. Maybe I did. Maybe — you’ll see. I forget.”
In addition to Jo’s on-camera arrival to SUR, Schwartz teased that season 11 will be a “good” one.
“It has so much heart, and there’s moments that are very explosive, eruptive, but then there’s also a lot of funny, light-hearted moments. There’s still levity. I know it’s very doom-and-gloom lately. I know there’s kind of this cloud cast over us by you-know-what-avol, but, for sure, there’s a chasm [afterward],” Schwartz said, referring to BFF Tom Sandoval’s affair scandal with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
News broke in March 2023 that Sandoval, 41, and longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix split after he had a months-long affair with Rachel, 29. Both Sandoval and Rachel have since apologized for their actions, with the former beauty pageant contestant opting to leave the show before season 11. The scandal’s fallout also affected the rest of the Pump Rules cast.
“This [separation within the cast] was unlike anything we’ve experienced in our group dynamic. But I’m happy to say, at least speaking for myself, it was redemptive,” Schwartz told Us. “I had a lot of great moments. I reconnected with some people I had strained relationships with.”
Vanderpump Rules returns to Bravo Tuesday, January 30, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Hannah Kahn
