Tom Schwartz Dishes on Complicated Friendship with Tom Sandoval After Bar Closure

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As a dedicated follower, I’m sharing an unexpected update on the current status of my friendship with Tom Sandoval, my former best friend and business partner, following the closure of our L.A. establishment, Schwartz & Sandy’s. Here’s how things stand between us today.

It appears that the complexity of the longstanding friendship between the former stars of “Vanderpump Rules” has increased slightly following the collapse of their latest business endeavor, as suggested by the reality TV personality.

In an interview for BravoTV.com’s The Valley After Show on April 16th, Schwartz confessed that a significant strain was placed upon our friendship. The financial issues we faced really tested the strength of our bond. Regrettably, it came close to ending our friendship at one point. However, I now feel I have reached a resolution.

Despite almost exhausting all his funds on a business that has since closed (it shut down in November following two years of operation), Schwartz harbors no resentment.

As for Tom Sandoval, he’s more like a kin to me at this point. My affection for him remains unwavering, yet there are underlying issues that persist, but I refuse to let them consume me. Instead, I choose to move forward and focus on the positive aspects of our relationship.

Although the Toms aren’t as tight as they once were, Schwartz has no regrets about the business

In my own words, I can honestly state that I gave it my all, pouring every bit of my resources – perhaps even more than was wise – into that establishment. Regardless of whether we felt truly welcomed or not by the neighborhood, I’m incredibly proud of what we built there.

The co-owner of TomTom is content to depart from the pressures of Schwartz & Sandy’s, as well as the drama of Scandoval, in his rearview mirror.

Schwartz expressed a feeling of tranquility he hasn’t experienced in a while, stating, “It was like an endless, relentless worry – similar to when you’re losing money rapidly. You know that the business bearing your name isn’t thriving, and it’s affecting your employees too. They can’t pay their bills, and it’s just overwhelming.

Speaking about the past, the former SUR-ver commented, “I believe I was overly gentle before that bar. Now, however, I sense a significant increase in life experience within me. I’ve developed more resilience. It’s as if I’ve gained a newfound admiration and gratitude for life. In truth, I feel myself evolving in countless ways. Whether it’s evident in my actions or not, I can certainly feel this change.

Tune in for Schwartz every Tuesday at 9 p.m., only on Bravo’s The Valley. Until then, delve into the most sensational scandals that shook up Vanderpump Rules!

It’s important to remember that the entire series we’re watching today can be traced back to Scheana Shay’s romantic entanglement with actor Eddie Cibrian, who was then married to Brandi Glanville, a star on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Scheana and Brandi were both involved with Eddie at different times, with Scheana dating him while Brandi was pregnant with their second child. Their dramatic confrontation at SUR, orchestrated by Lisa Vanderpump, served as the transition point from an episode of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” to “Vanderpump Rules.” Truly one of the sneakiest (and messiest) crossovers ever!

During the whole first season, Jax Taylor maintained that he hadn’t been unfaithful to his girlfriend Stassi Schroeder. However, in the final episode, he confesses that, indeed, he was untrue to her, having an affair with another woman in Las Vegas and impregnating her.

His confession left Stassi, along with the rest who had supported and aligned themselves with him during their split, utterly astonished.

In the second season of the show, one of its most notorious romantic entanglements occurred when Jax admitted that he had slept with Kristen Doute, a close friend of Stassi. Interestingly enough, Kristen was dating Jax’s best friend Tom Sandoval at the time.

In the end, despite initially denying it, Kristen acknowledged that she and the other person had an encounter (but not a kiss) during the final episode. Notably, this happened as they were watching the film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, with Tom dozing off in another room. The climax of these events saw Stassi slapping Kristen, while Jax and Tom engaged in fisticuffs.

Seasons later, Kristen later admitted to cheating on Tom throughout their six-year relationship.

In the second season, Ariana Madix joined the cast, leading Kristen to harbor suspicions about Tom’s friendship with his colleague bartender. Despite their repeated denials of any romantic involvement while Tom was dating Kristen, an incident occurred where Ariana famously said, “I’m more intelligent than you. I’m more attractive than you. Just move on,” which caused a stir. Later in the season two reunion, Tom admitted that he and Ariana shared a kiss in a pool during their time in Las Vegas.

In response to Andy Cohen’s question about her concerns regarding Tom’s past infidelities, Ariana replied, “I’ve known him for three years and I am quite familiar with him. Such matters don’t worry me in the least.” (A deep sigh.)

Following Tom and Ariana’s public confirmation of their relationship, it was disclosed in season three that a woman contacted Kristen via Instagram, stating she had previously hooked up with Tom during his trip to Miami with Jax and Schwartz. In an attempt to verify the claim, Kristen invited this person, later known as “Miami Girl,” to SUR for confrontation. However, Ariana dismissed the allegations when Tom vehemently denied them, causing the couple to leave the situation unresolved.

In that moment, it appeared as though Jax betrayed his friend by supporting the allegation. Furthermore, following Tom and Ariana’s split in 2023, Jax, who departed the program in 2020, posted a mysterious tweet.

He wrote, “On that show, I’ve often said things others doubted, but everything I’ve stated has ultimately proven to be accurate.

Following their marriage in 2016, Tom Schwartz admitted that he had kissed one of Lala Kent’s friends while under the influence, during season six.

When asked about the incident, Schwartz stated that his recollections were hazy. In a 2018 episode, he said, “I’m positive it didn’t happen. No, there’s no way,” referring to making out with someone at The Bungalow. However, he does recall attending the venue and getting extremely drunk that night, but he insists he doesn’t remember kissing anyone.

Later on, Schwartz expresses his bewilderment in a confession, stating, “I genuinely can’t figure this out.

However, Schwartz had previously cheated on Katie when intoxicated as well, confessing to kissing another woman during his drunken state in season three.

After 12 years together, Katie and Schwartz announced their breakup in March 2022. 

In a 2014 broadcast, Jax accused Katie of infidelity by “motorboating” an unidentified man, having learned about it from Scheana. Katie was outraged by this accusation, and ultimately, Scheana apologized to her fellow cast member.

In my own words as a devoted follower, I’d put it this way: “I never accused her of cheating; instead, I shared my observations. Upon discussing the incident with Katie, I now understand that things weren’t as they appeared initially. When she leaned down to remove her shoes, her head happened to be in that area. Additionally, when she was dancing in a drunken state, her movements suggested ‘motorboating’ this guy. However, let it be clear: she did not cheat. I believe she overstepped a boundary – that’s all I meant.

Kristen managed to uncover some facts—such as analyzing Uber receipts—and came to the conclusion that her boyfriend, James Kennedy, had been unfaithful in season four with one of Scheana’s friends. He initially denied it to her directly, merely suggesting a possible kiss, but eventually confessed in an interview: “The reality is, Jenna and I were indeed involved.” Thus, a new memorable GIF was created!

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that James wasn’t faithful to Kristen on just one occasion. In fact, he had affairs with Lala (who thought he was single) and another SUR hostess named Lauren. At the time, Lauren was in a relationship with yet another employee at the restaurant.

Following his split from Kristen, James started seeing beauty pageant contestant and student, Raquel Leviss, in the fifth season. However, their relationship became embroiled in accusations of infidelity when Scheana and Kristen unexpectedly showed up at one of James’ DJ sets with three ex-employees of SUR. These individuals all alleged that they had slept with him during the time he was dating Raquel, even presenting photographs of James asleep.

In a turn of events, James refuted all the women’s narratives and carried on dating Raquel. However, their engagement was terminated in 2021, five years into their relationship. Post their separation, it was later revealed that James had been intimate with Lala at the start of his relationship with Raquel.

In an interview with TopMob News in February, Raquel admitted, “Back then, I was quite innocent and believed James had never been unfaithful. However, I’ve come to realize now that he indeed cheated on me numerous times. That was a tough truth to accept.

2017 saw yet another cheating controversy surrounding Jax, this time involving former SUR waitress Faith Stowers. Contrary to his denial in the season six premiere, he eventually admitted to the affair when his girlfriend Brittany Cartwright confronted him, an incident that took place while he was wearing a Taco Bell sweatshirt.

Jax admitted in a private conversation that this wasn’t his first instance of being caught dishonest. He confessed that on previous occasions, he had spent months denying allegations, but it didn’t prove beneficial for him. He added that his relationship with Brittany had encountered difficulties (as portrayed in their 2017 spinoff, Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky) which ultimately led him to be involved with Faith.

Undoubtedly, when Jax confessed, it left Brittany heartbroken, prompting her to utter her well-known “May you rot in hell!” remark. Initially, Brittany decided to end things with Jax, but they soon made up and tied the knot in June 2019. Two years later, they were blessed with their son named Cruz.

On March 3, 2023, the Bravo Cinematic Universe was thrown into turmoil as news broke that Tom and Ariana had called it quits after nine years together, following the disclosure of a seven-month romantic involvement between Tom and Raquel.

In a heartfelt apology on Instagram posted March 8th, one of the co-owners admitted to making mistakes, acting selfishly, and making hasty decisions that caused harm to someone dear to them. No one should have to endure such intense and humiliating pain in such a public manner.

He expressed, “What grieves me most is the disrespect I showed towards Ariana. It was never my intention to let down so many people, among them our cherished family members and friends.

Besides apologizing publicly to Ariana, Raquel admitted that there was no justification for her behavior. In a subsequent message, Raquel spoke about the potential future of her relationship with Tom.

In her statement to TopMob News, Raquel expressed that she is focusing on improving her health, personal development, and learning to embrace solitude. She also mentioned her affection towards Tom, stating that she prefers not to define their relationship or predict the future. For the moment, she emphasized the need for healing.

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2025-04-17 23:23