Tom Schwartz On The Valley's Danny Drama, Tom Sandoval, And Stealing Ex-Wife Katie Maloney's Look! (Exclusive)

Your first season on The Valley is coming to an end. Yeah. You lived it. Now you've gotten to watch it. What was the experience like? What's the review, the grade you would give Tom on The Valley? I love this season. I love watching it. It's such a peek into these complex, rich relationships. These are all my friends, and I hang out with them. But I don't know, sometimes I feel like a peeping Tom. Watching back the show, I'm like, oh my god. I don't know. How would I grade myself? Yeah, not my best showing in terms of growth and stuff and maybe maturity. But it was a healing season, and I had so much fun. What was the surprise for you in coming back after Vanderpump Girls and doing this? Did it feel different? Was there a learning curve, or was it natural to you? Probably one of the more natural transitions of my whole life. It was a beautiful thing, because like I said, I'm friends with everyone on the show. I didn't know Danny and Nia as well, but everyone else. It was very organic. It's seamless. And in the beginning, as you can probably tell watching it back, I can see it. I was very awkward. I was, for the first time maybe ever, a little self-conscious of the cameras. I felt like awkward in my own skin. And I kind of felt like I was the new kid in school. But then I was like, these are my friends. Yeah, it's your territory too. Yeah, I'm like, wait, I know you guys forever. Stop making it weird, Tom. You mentioned Danny and Nia. We're in the middle of all this Danny drama. Yeah. My wife is saying, be very careful. You're making people feel uncomfortable. You cannot dance around people. They all feel uncomfortable around you. You make everybody uncomfortable. What is your read on this? Do you think he acts differently when he drinks? Have you seen behavior that rubs you a different way? Are you asking me if he's a gremlin and you shouldn't give him alcohol after midnight? No, I'm just kidding. OK, like we said before, they have a rich, very complex, beautiful relationship. Way more good than bad. I'm on the record. I want to be on the record saying that. But I understand if, like, as an audience member, when I watch it back, I'll be like, my god, this man might have some, not a drinking problem, but a problem drinking type of vibe. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. And he can be a little bit of a diva and a sassy man and kind of an a-hole. And I think it's good that there's a light being shined on this. And he's becoming more self-aware about it. I don't want to be an apologist for his behaviors. Because I know I'm notorious for that in the past. But yeah, I'm glad he's being held accountable. But like, I don't like the hyper-vilification of Danny. He's a good human being. He is. He just objectively is a good human being. I know he doesn't look great right now. Oh my god, I'm going to get called a man apologist by Keanu again. What I think is sticking with yours is he's, no, I wasn't drinking. And then we can cut to footage of him grabbing a White Claw, heading upstairs to hide and drink, hiding behind a cup at Zach's empty housewarming party. I think in hiding it, he exacerbated the problem maybe, like, exponentially. I don't know if that's too dramatic of a word. But like, he made it so much worse in hiding it. I understand the reasoning behind it. But yeah, I think, I don't know, I think he's learned some important lessons this season. There are times where I go, I think Danny and Mia want the perception to be wonderful. And the reality is maybe not so wonderful. What do you make of your fellow this season newbie, Lala, being the one to kind of step in it and stand up to him and take him on? Yeah. Well, as a friend or as a viewer? I mean. Give me both versions. I mean, as a viewer, it's really entertaining. You know what, like, I think it's a reminder. I talked to Andy about this. I'm like, this is why it's so important to watch the episode. Because it's like, I didn't know, like, how bad some of those moments were and what an a-hole he looked like. And I'm glad that Lala called him out and held him accountable and stuff, you know? But at times, you know, with having not seen the footage, I thought maybe she was overstepping her boundaries or, as they say on the internet, doing too much. But I think, like, for the most part, she was very, like, cool, calm, and collected in terms of, you know, the Lala that we all have come to know. Yes, but I do think this is probably the Lala that shows up to her AA meetings and not the. Are you trying to get popped? As much as I miss the old Lala sometimes, I just feel like she's refined and she's matured and grown into, like, this beautiful woman. She's such a good mom. And maybe sometimes, yeah, she goes a little too far. Like, you know. But, like, listen, I like she has a strong point of view, and she calls it like she sees it. On the flip side of the Lala coin is Kristen, who has been Danny and Nia's defender. Yeah. To a point that it's caused friction with Brittany and Jasmine, who question how real that friendship is between Kristen and Nia. Why are your closest friends being thrown under the bus to protect Danny yet again? That's just hurtful to me. That's some fucked up ----. She don't even hang out with Nia. They're not ******* friends. They're not. Get the **** out of here. They're not. When have they ever hung out? And I tell her that. When have you ever hung out? I said it to her face, and she was like, oh, yes, I do. And I was like, no, you don't. I think Kristen knows the intricacies of their relationship and their love. And she just, yeah, she has the burden of nuance like we do. So I think she's more quick to defend them. So, yeah. I think it's a real friendship. Yeah, what do you think? I'm held up, and maybe reunion clears up some of this. Maybe you guys got into some of this of Britney and Jasmine both seem to believe, like, Kristen, you've never gone to their house when we're not filming kind of thing. They do question, like, the stakes of their friendship. But, yeah, I don't know. To be fair, Santa Clarita is a hike. We are far, y'all. They have Uber helicopter from Santa Clarita back to LA. Are you joking? No. You did shoot the reunion. Yeah. Who was in the hot seat the most? Probably Danny. I think Danny and Kristen and Luke had some beautiful but tough moments together. Yeah, it was, I mean, it's a big cast. Yes. There's a lot of things I think I wanted. You were all the way at the end of a couch, I think. I loved it down there, just where I belong. My happy place. It was a good reunion. Like, I just felt like it was very much a healing season. Yeah. Without spoiling anything that happened, what was the takeaway for you of reunion day? I honestly was just happy to not be doing seasons 10 and 11 of Vanderpump Rules reunion. Why don't you just f*** them? Okay, we're f***ing in Sydney. Get on a CO-free card for everything. You're a f***ing, yeah, it is the card this year. You mustache prick. Hey, just for the record. Pussy ass bitch. I was kind of a little happy-go-lucky, you know? Then there is the Janet of it all. Yeah. In this group. Obviously, your apology was complete bullsh**. Janet, you didn't mean that. She did. She just said it right now. I know, but that was a- Acting like this wouldn't have come out if it weren't for me. It would have been out. It's not coming out. Where do you land on that? Does she have good intentions or is it unnecessary meddling? I think she's pure with her intentions. I think she's a natural meddler. Okay, so two things can be true at once. This is the season of two truths, Bryce. Yeah, two truths. She is a bit of a meddler, but I still have a lot of love for Janet. I do. Also on this Mexico trip was the triple birthday experience. God. One look of yours, the emo goth look. There's this whole commentary online that it's, did he steal Katie's aesthetic? Katie said, bitch stole my look. What is your reaction to Katie thinking you were cosplaying as her in Mexico? Well, I was in Canada for the 4th of July and Katie and her boyfriend had the dogs and I had just picked them up and then I saw that like the next day. I wish she would have addressed that with me in person because it's so funny. I would literally cackle when I saw that meme and I'm like, oh my God, it's kind of uncanny. And I'm like, somewhere along the lines did I like subconsciously internalize her? Yes, spending so much time with someone via osmosis. Did her style somehow kind of come through me? I don't know. But it's more akin to her current post-your-relationship style than it is the style she had when you two were married, so. Interesting. Something to unpack in therapy one day. That's funny. What do you make of her soon-to-be reality TV return with Stassi over on Hulu? Highly anticipated. I think it's an absolutely deliver. You just make your world smaller and smaller and smaller to the point where it's like, if, I don't know, they didn't come out of you or they're not married to you or they're not on your payroll, they don't get to be in your life. Damn, this bitch is good. I think Stassi is one of the most iconic reality TV stars. She's just such a natural. She's so funny. And man, she's got like that acid tongue. And I'm happy to see Katie back. I just, I feel like they belong on our TVs. Yes. I'm very, very, very happy for them and hyped for the premiere of The House of Stassi. As for the future of The Valley, I think some people were hopeful that those two might pop up on future seasons of this show. That kind of cancels out that, at least in the immediate future. But we still have some OGs like Sheena and Sandoval who could pop in. Would you like to see either one of them join? I mean, obviously Sandoval's going through it right now. Yeah. But aside from that to compartmentalize, I guess. He does make great TV. He always commits to it. Sheena, I just hung out with her the other day, worked out with Brock. And we were in her studio and I was listening to some of her new music. And I love that she's still out there in the studio making great music. She's got some bangers. I love Sheena and I love the meme-ification of Sheena. I like every new headline that pops up, one of the top three comments is, how will this affect Sheena? And I think it's so funny. I like that she- Has anyone checked on Sheena? That's it. And I think she, I love that she can laugh at it too, along with all of us. Yeah, I don't think people realize Sheena's always in on the joke. She really is. And I'm listening. Like all the OGs, I hope to see them back on TV in some capacity. You mentioned everything Sandoval's going through. He's split from Victoria. There's this kind of wild video that's out in the world. Yeah. Protective orders, all this stuff. Have you talked to him? What is your kind of view of this situation? Today's actually Tom's birthday. Oh, wow. It's, how do I view the situation? I think it's awful. It's an awful situation all around. It feels very heavy and dark. And I don't know, I think there's still legal proceedings going on. So I, and I'm not just, to be honest, Bryce, I'm not well-informed enough to really weigh in on it. I know what you guys know, and it's just really unfortunate. I hope they can find a way to make peace and not war. It just looks pretty heavy, man. Yeah. Kind of, maybe it's, I don't know. Just a reminder for people out there to just be careful who you bring into your life. Yes. And be very, I don't know. If there's a lesson here. He is a complicated creature. But I just, yeah, I just, I hope they can find a way to make peace. You found the best for all parties involved. My God. It's very heavy, very heavy. Now, you were both at the Vanderpump Hotel opening a few weeks ago. Yeah. I was there, talked to Lisa. She said, there is an interested buyer in TomTom after they put it on the market. What's the update there? Do you know what the future of that place looks like? Could you still be involved even under new ownership? I don't know. Maybe they'll want to keep it the same. Yeah. I wanted to crowdsource it. I tried. I was like, you guys, let's all buy TomTom together. It's tough. People want to spend their money on the drinks, not the bar itself. Yeah, exactly. Are you scarred from the bar business or would you do a third? I think I was scarred. I think I'm in a much better place now and I can take a look back and be grateful for all the positive things those experiences have brought into my life. They weren't super lucrative, but I just feel so much more astute from like a business standpoint. How much money did you guys lose on Schwartz & Sandys? Or did you break even at the end of the day? I probably lost. I lost well over a half a million, just myself. Oh my God. That's a lot of money. Never say never, but highly unlikely I would ever open a bar in Los Angeles again. It's a brutal town to open a bar or restaurant, chew you up and spit you out, but maybe Vegas. Okay. Maybe off the strip, down on Fremont Street. Maybe something at the Golden Nugget. Cue that clip of Stassi calling that place disgusting. The Golden Nugget? Yeah. That's like an all-time low. You said on Watch Heavens Live that you're open to a move east too, because your lady is bi-coastal. She is. Are you serious about this? I would love to, one of, well, I guess I'm still, listen, I'm not dead yet. I'm not knocking on heaven's door, but like, if I have any, I have a few regrets in life, but I've always wanted to live in New York. I'm like Alf when I arrive in New York. I'm just so happy everywhere. I want to go everywhere all at once. And she's like, just trust me when you've lived here for almost a decade. Like, it's still magical and it's one of the best cities in the world, but I think she would much prefer to settle somewhere on the west side together. Okay. Is there movement? We're reaching like the one-year mark of this being an official thing. I know. Things are charting in the right direction. Very happy and optimistic about our future. Doing my best not to scare her away. Would you get married again? I mean, yeah, I would. Yeah, I got one more marriage in me. How has she felt about the reality TV of it all? Because you were filming while you started dating her. Yeah. And then she films a little bit. Yeah. She wore sunglasses the whole time. She got so much heat for that. I thought she looked chic. I thought she looked so chic. And you were out on the patio section of TomTom. So the sun is coming into that room. It is. Like, it's very normal to wear sunglasses on the back patio. And she got so much heat for that. She was such a good sport coming into this strange, peculiar world. Does she keep you in line? She really does. I often say she's my karma. When it all started leaking out that you two were together, there was this whole discourse around the age difference. Yeah. But she actually seems more mature than you two. Okay, I'm getting roasted. I didn't know this was gonna be a roast, but you're not wrong. Listen, I'm a late bloomer, okay? I'm learning. You've got a youthful energy, and you should hold onto it. Thank you. I have whimsy. There you go. That's like the word of the moment online right now, whimsy and whimsical. It really is. Yeah, you don't wanna lose your whimsy, though. Season four of The Valley. Do you think she would film more? Be kind of like in a lacy situation where she'd do confessionals and stuff? She has such a good attitude about it. And I think she's well-built for it. She is so effing funny. I love her point of view, and I hope she will. But I don't know. I would have to sit down and have a long, very serious chat about that. We don't know what the future looks like. What do you hope the future looks like? Do you see a Cass shakeup happening after this year? I don't know. I haven't really put a lot of thought into it. I really enjoyed the season. I've seen, I do, you know, I browse around online and on Reddit, and it's been a polarizing season. Last time we chatted, the summer house stuff was just starting to percolate. We didn't actually know what was real or not at that point. Now we know. We know where the chips have landed. Amanda and Wes are off the show. It's official. They're not coming back for this summer. What is your read on how that all played out, knowing you got to watch one version of this story with Scandaval? Yeah. There were some parallels. I don't know. I don't know if they were tantamount or, I don't know. I don't like to compare them. No, it felt like people were chasing like the high of Scandaval, but it's not the exact one-to-one match. Yeah. I mean, I'm friends with most of those guys. It was hard to watch. Would you invite either on Detox or Retox to unpack all of this? I would love a nice, healthy detox with either one of them. I wish them well, because I don't know. Are you asking me, do I think they'll make it? Do you think they'll make it? That seems to be people, the fans seem to be under the impression or pressuring them of like, you got to make this work, because what was it for if not? Yeah. I don't know. That's like the sunken cost fallacy, isn't it? Yeah. I don't know, man. They'll probably just end up being friends. I don't know. I think they'll look back and be like, my God, I kind of turned my life upside down. Was it worth it? I don't know. You warned them too. I did. You got to cherish this. Cherish it. I used to have a happy family in LA, and now everyone hates each other. We all hate each other. You got to cherish this, okay? It's very sacred. As long as Amanda doesn't cheat on Kyle, I think we can get through anything. You said don't, you cherish this, don't mess it up. Am I a jinx? Or a soothsayer? A soothsayer? I don't know. By the way, I owe Canada an apology, because I was there when they lost the hockey game in the Olympics game seven, and I was also there when they got eliminated from the World Cup. So I'm sorry. Okay, so maybe you are a jinx. Maybe I'm a jinx. I'm sorry. And on that note, that's where we'll leave the interview. Thank you.