A nice distraction. Tom Schwartz joined the cast of Winter House season 2 amid his split from Katie Maloney, and his castmates think the show was a great way for him to take his mind off things.
The TomTom co-owner, 39, and the “You’re Gonna Love Me” podcast host, 35, called it quits in March after more than a decade together. The duo initially tied the knot in 2016 before realizing the ceremony wasn’t official, so they legally wed in 2019.
When season 2 of the Bravo crossover series filmed, however, the pair hadn’t yet announced their breakup. “I think it was good for him,” Craig Conover told Us Weekly ahead of the show’s Thursday, October 13, premiere. “You get to see the beginning of that unfortunate circumstance, but we were running on reserves when they got there, and [Schwartz and Tom Sandoval] came in with fresh ideas.”
The first season of Winter House featured cast members from Summer House and Southern Charm, but the inclusion of Schwartz and Sandoval, 39, incorporates a third Bravo series: Vanderpump Rules. “It was a breath of fresh air,” Conover, 33, told Us of the bartenders’ involvement in the new episodes. “I’m stoked, man. I love it. Three pretty great franchises to intermingle, in my opinion.”
Us confirmed on Thursday that Schwartz and Maloney finalized their split less than six months after the former SURver filed for divorce from her husband. According to legal docs obtained by Us, the former spouses split the profits from their home, which they sold in August for more than $2 million. The Bravo stars divided the rest of their assets based on which item is in which person’s name.
Though the Schwartz & Sandy’s cofounder was dealing with the aftermath of his split when Winter House filming began, Amanda Batula told Us that her new costar didn’t open up too much about the breakup. “At the time, it was something personal that the two of them were going through,” the Loverboy entrepreneur, 31, explained ahead of the Winter House premiere. “So, there was only so much that he was going to share.”
Despite his emotional state, however, Schwartz still managed to serve up some serious cocktails for his housemates — with help from his business partner. “We definitely drank our faces off,” Ciara Miller told Us. “They made us amazing drinks. They’re amazing bartenders.”
Season 2 of Winter House premieres on Bravo Thursday, October 13, at 9 p.m. ET.
Keep scrolling to see what the Winter House cast had to say about Schwartz’s mindset when he joined the show.
