Tom Schwartz Makes Surprising Confession About His Friendship With Tom Sandoval on ‘Stars on Mars’: “I’m Stepping Away From It Permanently”

By Samantha Nungesser @samjnungesser
Published June 12, 2023, 9:23 a.m. ET

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Tom Schwartz has been Tom Sandoval‘s right-hand man for over a decade. But following the aftermath of Sandoval’s affair with their fellow Vanderpump Rules co-star Raquel Leviss, it sounds like Schwartz is officially ready to take a break from his BFF/business partner.

During a confessional on the new FOX reality game show Stars on Mars — where celebrities compete against each other in a Mars-like simulation — Schwartz opens up about the affair that swept the nation.

“There’s this thing with my friend back home, it’s just incredibly messed up and it seems each time I weigh in or try to talk about it — ramble on about it, drivel on — I inevitably sound like I’m somehow justifying it or making excuses for it,” Schwartz says. “And I’m not. Because you know, there’s just no excuse for it.”

Schwartz — who made out with Leviss after her affair with Sandoval had already begun in August 2022, despite his ex-wife Katie Maloney requesting that he not hook up with anyone in the friend group — has ultimately been lumped in with fan hate.

While he first learned of the “one-night stand” when it happened over the summer, Schwartz revealed on Watch What Happens Live that Sandoval didn’t admit to being in love until this past January.

“Any sort of version of [Sandoval’s] side of the story has become obsolete because of the way he handled it,” Schwartz says on Stars on Mars. “And ultimately, that’s his life. I did not have an affair. I am not him. And it’s just so strange that I’ve been absolutely mired in this.”

Pointing out that Scandoval has “taken a life of its own,” Schwartz says that he’s “stepping away from it permanently.”

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Elsewhere in the upcoming episode — which is set to air tonight — Schwartz opens up about the “angst” he feels toward his friend while speaking to fellow contestant Natasha Leggero.

“It’s been a huge source of angst in my life,” he says. “I’ve been in this extended funk.”

On keeping the cheating scandal from Sandoval’s then-girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix — who was also a groomsman in his 2019 wedding with Maloney — Schwartz adds, “It’s horrible and I feel complicit because I didn’t cover for him, but I had his back. He came to me and confided in me that he was in love with someone else.” 

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of Schwartz’s plans to step away from Sandoval, who’s been off touring with his band since the news broke back in March. He echoed similar sentiments while speaking with former co-stars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright on their When Reality Hits podcast.

“I’m taking a break from Tom right now. I haven’t seen him in a while,” he said, before later adding, “He made a big mess and he left it for us to clean up back at the businesses. It’s hard for me not to feel resentful of him.”

We’ll believe it when we see it!

Stars on Mars airs every Monday at 8/7c on FOX. Plus, you can stream Vanderpump Rules on Peacock.