Credit: Bravo
Tom Schwartz reacted to Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd‘s decision to sell TomTom during an interview on Wednesday.
As he also recalled taking a “long break” from his friendship with Tom Sandoval, 43, following the Scandoval-induced fallout at their now-shuttered bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, and confirmed where they stand today, Schwartz, 43, admitted to having a feeling that Lisa, 65, and Ken, 80, would close TomTom.
“TomTom is officially on the market. Ken and Lisa reached out to me, and they said, in the sweetest way possible, and I kind of knew this was coming, [because] it’s been tough,” Schwartz explained to Entertainment Tonight on April 1. “So many places are going out of business on Sunset Boulevard. West Hollywood’s been struggling. The bar/restaurant industry is decimated … But I kind of knew this was coming.”
Although Schwartz was understandably disappointed, he described his time working with Lisa and Ken as “amazing.”
“I learned so much about the business and myself. And I got to be in business with Lisa Vanderpump and Ken. They’re OGs. They’ve been doing it their whole lives, successfully, and yeah, it was a formative experience for me,” he shared. “Also, it’s cool to have your name on the side of a bar in West Hollywood.”
Moving on to Sandoval, whose affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 31, behind the back of Ariana Madix, 40, led to the boycott and ultimate closure of Schwartz & Sandy’s, Schwartz said that after taking some time apart, they’re now in a better place.
“We took a long break from each other after the fallout with Schwartz and Sandy’s and everything. But it was a healthy break,” he revealed. “I still love Tom. We’ve been through so much together. He’ll always be a brother or family to me. And it’s good to be friends again.”
According to Schwartz, who was added to The Valley cast for season three, he received a “sweet and genuine” message from Sandoval.
“He reached out to me, and he’s like, ‘Dude, I’m so happy for you,'” he shared.
“[But] it was cool to just, to not be kind of a sidekick,” he continued of his full-time addition to the show. “I think a lot of times I got relegated to sidekick status, which I didn’t mind. I liked being in the sidecar, but I guess I’m in the driver’s seat this season.”
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The Valley season three airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.