The Bubbas may be over, but the Tom Tom bond is totally unbreakable.
E! News caught up with Tom Sandoval at the 2022 iHeart Radio Awards in Los Angeles on March 22, and the Vanderpump Rules star shared how his longtime BFF Tom Schwartz is dealing with his breakup from wife Katie Maloney. Answer: staying busy.
"Honestly, Schwartz and I have been really busy with opening up Schwartz and Sandy's," Sandoval exclusively said of the duo's new bar. Schwartz also has "stuff going on with his dad," Sandoval said.
As his pal navigates both the split and family issues, Sandoval has been on-call, assuring his bestie, "When you need me, let me know, hit me up. But otherwise, respectfully, I won't bug you. I don't want to bring stuff up. I don't want to be a constant reminder of anything. But I'm here."
Schwartz and Maloney announced they were going their separate ways after 12 years together on March 15. She officially filed for divorce at the Los Angeles Superior Court on March 22, a fact that Sandoval's longtime girlfriend and co-star Ariana Madix was shocked to learn at the iHeart Radio Awards. "That's crazy," Madix told E! News. "So it's like real real."
"Well, we love both of them very much," Madix added. "So, so much."
She didn't reveal how Maloney is dealing with the breakup, but she did say the newly single Bravo star is "very excited for what's next for her," including the sandwich shop she and Madix plan to open.
Whether or not that venture will be documented by Vanderpump Rules' cameras is still up in the air, though. Asked about a potential season 10, Sandoval admitted that with all of the cast break-ups—not just Schwartz and Maloney's, but James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss' too—it would "be a s--t show as usual." Both he and Madix admitted they "don't know" if another season is happening.
Should Bravo actually move forward with the show, James and Raquel seem like they'd be cordial enough to film together. An eyewitness told E! News that the former couple, who ended their engagement in December 2021, was spotted crossing paths and greeting each other at the iHeart Radio Awards. Per the source, they even shared a hug as James' new girlfriend Ally Lewber stood off to the side.
The couple arrived to the awards show with Madix and Sandoval, the latter of which told E! News, "I don't know if it is official, but yeah, Ally, I met her for the first time today. She's really sweet, really nice."
As for Raquel, she walked the red carpet solo after arriving with Vanderpump Rules co-star Scheana Shay. Don't get it twisted, though. Raquel has "been great," Madix said. "I feel like she's really come out of her shell and she's really living life to the fullest. So I love her so much. We're very excited for her."
Catch up with past seasons of Vanderpump Rules on Peacock.
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