Heavy/NBCUniversal Tom Schwartz on "Watch What Happens Live."
Tom Schwartz received a lot of flak following his April 2023 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” but one Bravo star has his back.
After Schwartz rambled to Andy Cohen on the Bravo talk show, some viewers accused him of being “about the pasta,” which is known as a drug reference to “Vanderpump Rules” fans. “He was wasted. But I loved all his truths coming out,” one commenter wrote of the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner.
But “Summer House” star Kyle Cooke called out critics who questioned Schwartz’s state of mind during the interview.
“Ya’ll jump to conclusions when we are verbose, energetic, or unhinged,” Cooke wrote in an Instagram comment. “I know Tom well and don’t even think he was buzzed for this. Def no 🍝…. You should just thank him for a stream of consciousness on a topic that has most people picking their words wisely.”
“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 bc there’s an itinerary for each episode,” he added. “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.”
Cooke’s explanation about how WWHL works came days after former “Vanderpump Rules” star Jax Taylor spoke out about the fast pace of the show.
“You’re asked questions so fast by the time like you’re like in the middle of answering one of his questions [Andy’s] already lined up with another question,” Taylor said on his “When Reality Hits With Jax & Brittany” podcast on March 28, 2023.
Tom Schwartz Was All Over the Place on WWHL & the Aftershow
During his WWHL appearance, Schwartz was in the hot seat as Cohen fired off endless questions about Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ cheating scandal. The two co-stars had a months-long affair behind Ariana Madix’s back.
On WWHL, Schwartz went back and forth regarding the timeline of his best friend’s affair, first saying he found out about it in August and then in January. He explained that he thought the August hookup was a one-night stand and that when Sandoval confessed to him in January 2023 that he was “in love” with Leviss he was “flabbergasted” — but that it had been an “open secret.” But he also revealed that Sandoval “smuggled Raquel in” with him on a trip to Big Bear. The trip to the ski resort took place in January 2023, as seen in photos posted on Schwartz’s Instagram page.
Elsewhere in the interview, Schwartz said Sandoval is “infatuated” with Leviss and that she is “his heroin.” He also said it would be “a miracle” if their “toxic” relationship lasts, but then suggested that maybe love would prevail.
Some commenters felt that Schwartz couldn’t keep his story straight.
“What kind of answer is this? It’s so dark about how toxic their relationship is but at the end, he’s just like ‘but we’ll see if love prevails!’” one commenter wrote.
Other commenters labeled Schwartz a clown for “his word salad and evasive non-answers on whhl”
“So let me get this straight Schwartz knew about a one night stand between Rachel and Tom in August which means he lied about when he knew at the reunion but somehow it’s OK because it was an open secret by January anyways and Tom has ADHD and he didn’t think it was linear whatever that means,” came another comment.
Katie Maloney & Lala Kent Slammed Tom Schwartz Following His WWHL Appearance
Casey Durkin/ BravoLala Kent and Katie Maloney.
At the end of the WWHL appearance, Schwartz vowed to stand by Sandoval’s side and urged people to give him a hug if they see him in public because he’s “down bad.”
Schwartz’s ex-wife Katie Maloney responded to the idea on Twitter with, “You’re the only that wants to hug him dude. READ THE ROOM!!!”
Maloney also advised her ex to get “media training” before talking again.
Co-star Lala Kent also had a strong reaction to Schwartz’s WWHL appearance. On her Instagram story, she said expressed disbelief at his suggestion that fans should hug Sandoval.