VANDERPUMP Rules’ Tom Schwartz has opened up about his thoughts on ex Katie Maloney’s new boyfriend after she revealed she’s dating a 25-year-old.
“I will support whoever she wants to date,” Tom exclusively told The U.S. Sun while hosting Nola’s Bar & Lounge one year anniversary celebration at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City on Saturday, November 5th.
5
“Listen, of course on some level it kind of stings but I just want Katie to be happy. You know what I mean?” the Vanderpump Rules star added.
Katie‘s boyfriend has been revealed as actor Satchel Clendenin, according to Us Weekly.
As to whether the co-partner of Tom Tom Restaurant & Bar has met Satchel, he spilled he has met him “briefly.”
Tom told The U.S. Sun, “I got to meet him briefly. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this, but I liked him. And then people will be like ‘oh well you like everyone.’
“I don’t like everyone, but I liked him, and I just want Katie to be happy. That’s all, you know. I will support whoever she wants to date as long as they’re not an a**hole.”
Tom, 40, and Katie, 35, got married in August 2016 after five years of dating.
The famous couple finalized their divorce on October 12th after filing in March 2022.
They went their separate ways, moving into new homes in Los Angeles while sharing custody of their two dogs.
Most read in Entertainment
“I still consider [Katie] one of the closest friends in my life and love her. But man, yeah, we definitely ran the gauntlet this year,” Tom shared.
“She has a completely different outlook and perspective on our relationship I think [but] I still get excited every time I see her. I still love her. Not like in love [though].”
DATING APPS
While Katie has moved on, Tom, for his part, has “zero desire to date anyone” and said “dating apps scare me.”
He explained: “Not because I’m on a show or anything. They just scare me…It’s just a foreign language I’ve never learned to speak. I think I just want to be selfish for a while, and I mean that in the best possible way.
“Focus on myself and my family and my career. I’m not that interested in romance,” he continued. “If it finds me, if it comes knocking on the door, I’ll open it and I’ll say hello. I don’t know if I’ll let romance in, but I’ll open the door.”
The TV personality, who was linked to “friend” and co-star Raquel Leviss, went on to describe his type, too.
He remarked: “I’ve always been drawn to people that are hard, in my opinion, to put in a box. Great sense of humor, intelligent. My favorite thing right now and always low-key, I really always appreciate humility. I like self-deprecation…I like strange people.”
“A little quirky yeah but I don’t know if I have a physical type,” the Bravo notable added.
TOMTOM
Days before traveling together to Atlantic City, Tom and bestie Tom Sandoval held a soft opening of their new bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, in Franklin Village, California, where they invited close friends.
Current and former cast from Vanderpump Rules showed up including Raquel, Scheana Shay, Ariana Madix, Stassi Schroeder, and Kristen Doute.
Katie was noticeably missing despite helping work on it with the Toms.
“I think Katie just wanted to be a part of it,” Sandoval told The U.S. Sun at Nola’s Bar & Lounge.
“And, you know, obviously there’s certain people that work together. Katie has a very strong personality, and so do I, so obviously we butted heads and I’m actually really stoked that she sort of found her thing with Ariana (referring to their new sandwich shop).”
Katie’s ex said that opening Schwartz & Sandy’s put his friendship with his pal Sandoval “to the test,” but he’s “really proud” of what they accomplished — even if it left him with a few grey hairs, which he laughed about and blamed it on “the stress of opening a new bar and divorce.”
5
5
5