Ariana Madix may have to film with Tom Schwartz — but that doesn’t mean she has to be his friend.
After several Vanderpump Rules cast members shared photos on Saturday, August 5, of the group filming at Ariana, 38, and Katie Maloney’s sandwich shop, Something About Her, fans questioned whether Ariana was now on good terms with Schwartz, 40, because they were seated near each other.
“Whole cast is missing Sandoval. And I thought Ariana said we can’t be friends with Schwartz???” wrote one social media user in the comments section of a post from QueensofBravo’s Instagram.
Ariana clapped back at the assumption that she forgave Schwartz for his involvement in Tom Sandoval‘s cheating scandal with Raquel Leviss. “I’m not friends with Tom Schwartz,” she replied with a shrug emoji.
The costars have been on the outs since news broke in March about Sandoval’s infidelity, which led to his split from Ariana following nearly a decade of dating. Schwartz was accused of helping Sandoval, 41, cover up his romance with Raquel, 28.
“I learned about the affair in August. The one-night stand was in August and then it became, from my point of view, it became an emotional affair. Which is still inappropriate, but I didn’t think it was linear,” Schwartz, who had his own makeout with Raquel in August 2022, said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in April. “[Then] in January, he came to me and told me that he was in love with Raquel.”
Schwartz raised eyebrows after he used the interview to ask Bravo fans to forgive Sandoval, adding, “First of all, Ariana, love you. I know you don’t love me right now, but I still love you. And also, Tom, I know the whole world hates you. But I’m not going to abandon you, old buddy. I’m not going to abandon you. He knows he’s a monster for what he did. If you see him, maybe give him a hug. Even if he doesn’t deserve it, give him a hug. He’s down bad.”
During the season 10 finale, which picked up shortly after the affair was exposed, Ariana told Schwartz on screen that she didn’t plan to continue their friendship. She later recalled getting emotional watching Schwartz and Sandoval allude to the affair while cameras were rolling.
“That was the first time I cried in a long time because watching Tom Schwartz fully cosign and alley-oop the whole thing disgusted me to my core,” she said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in May.
Since Vanderpump Rules started filming season 11 last month, Ariana and Schwartz have filmed alongside costars Katie, 37, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay and James Kennedy. Sandoval, however, will presumably not share the screen with Ariana after she said she had no plans to cross paths with him or Raquel.The former beauty queen has not been spotted filming season 11 at all so far.
Sandoval, who still lives in the same home as Ariana, recently poked fun at the former couple’s new normal.
“We don’t really look at each other too often,” he joked to TMZ on Thursday, August 3. “We don’t even look at each other when we have sex anymore, it’s crazy. I’m just kidding.”
Before returning to film season 11, Schwartz admitted that he was nervous in the aftermath of the drama.
“I’m always slightly terrified when we start a new season. We’ve been through so much with this group and we’re a volatile crew,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in June. “We’ve always been a volatile group of friends. I don’t think I’ve ever had an argument outside of this group, to be honest. We have a lot of history together and there’s been trials and tribulations, but it comes from a place of love.”