From one housemate to another. Kyle Cooke defended his Winter House costar Tom Schwartz after his headline-making appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“Y’all jump to conclusions when we are verbose, energetic or unhinged,” the Summer House star, 40, wrote via Instagram in response to a Bravo and Cocktails post about the Wednesday, April 5, episode of WWHL. “I know Tom well and don’t even think he was buzzed for this. Def no.”
The original post included a screenshot of host Andy Cohen looking concerned in response to something Schwartz, 40, said during his Wednesday interview. “All of us watching Schwartz on WWHL wondering … is it about the pasta?!” read the meme’s text. (The joke was a play on James Kennedy‘s famous line, “It’s not about the pasta,” which some fans have theorized was a drug reference.)
While many viewers were shocked by how much Schwartz shared about Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, Cooke thought his pal did his best to address a complicated situation.
“You should just thank him for a stream of consciousness on a topic that has most people picking their words wisely,” the Loverboy founder wrote. “Also keep in mind that it’s tough to give concise answers on WWHL where the 20 minutes fly by and Andy usually has to cut people off because there’s an itinerary for each episode. In this case, Andy knew what he was doing and let Tom take his time. I think Tom gave honest candid answers and provided a rare unfiltered perspective on this oversaturated topic.”
The TomTom co-owner’s WWHL interview marked his first appearance on the talk show since news of the affair between Sandoval, 40, and Leviss, 28, broke in early March. During the sit-down, Schwartz told Cohen, 54, that he found out about the duo’s “one-night stand” in August 2022. When the Bravo exec said that Schwartz claimed at the reunion taping that he learned of the affair in January, the bartender attempted to clarify the timeline.
“The one-night stand was in August and then it became, from my point of view, it became an emotional affair. Which is still inappropriate but I didn’t think it was linear,” the Schwartz & Sandy’s cofounder explained. “[Then] in January, [Sandoval] came to me and told me that he was in love with Raquel.”
After the episode, Schwartz’s Vanderpump Rules costars slammed him for suggesting that fans give Sandoval a hug if they encounter him in public. “Did Schwartzy really just say, ‘If you see Sandoval in the street, give him a hug?’ We’re atomic wedgie-ing his ass,” Lala Kent said in an Instagram Story after the episode aired. “We’re punching him straight in the d–k.”
Katie Maloney, who finalized her divorce from Schwartz last year, tweeted a clip of the moment, adding the comment: “You’re the only [one] that wants to hug him dude. READ THE ROOM!!!”
During the WWHL aftershow, Schwartz drew further heat for discussing his marriage to Maloney, 36, and calling her a “monster” who “demanded unconditional loyalty” throughout their relationship.
“She’s way better now. Katie, I love you but in the beginning, she was kind of a monster,” the former model said. “She was a monster. She has had a falling out with every single person in her life multiple times. And I just didn’t like getting dragged into all that and I guess I became a little numb when she actually did need me. It’s like the boy who cried wolf.”
After the episode, the Something About Her cofounder called out her ex via social media. “I was called a monster too many times to count,” she tweeted. “Tonight’s #wwhl didn’t phase me. Sadly.”
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Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen airs on Bravo Sunday through Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
