'Vanderpump Rules' stars Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney break up after 12 years together
- "Vanderpump Rules" stars Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz have broken up after 12 years together.
- They shared the news in separate Instagram posts, with Schwartz saying Maloney instigated the split.
"Vanderpump Rules" stars Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney announced their breakup after 12 years together in separate statements on Instagram.
"After 12 years on an adventure through life together Tom and I are ending our marriage," Maloney's statement read in part. "This ending is not met with resentment or animosity, no sides to choose."
In his statement, Schwartz implied it was Maloney who had initiated the split. "Well this sucks," he began.
"Not looking to evoke any sympathy here. I'm not the victim. Not gonna write too sad a song," he continued. "Fully respect Katie's decision and we've had healthy, productive conversations about it. It would be far sadder if she decided to stay with me whilst not happy."
As for if the split will be a separation or a divorce, Schwartz added: "I'm not quite ready to use the 'D' word bc it's too painful. Yes, my heart aches but I'll be ok."
Maloney and Schwartz began dating in 2011, about two years before "Vanderpump Rules" aired on Bravo. Their friend and coworker Kristen Doute set them up originally, back when Maloney and Doute were working as servers at Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant SUR.
Fans of the show, which centers around the personal lives of SUR staff, have followed the rollercoaster relationship throughout nine seasons. Maloney and Schwartz originally seemed like a stable couple, but drama began on season two when Schwartz poured a drink over Maloney's head during a trip with coworkers.
Schwartz and Maloney got engaged during season four of the reality series, after working through Schwartz's infidelity, which is chronicled during earlier episodes.
Fans also watched the pair's 2016 wedding on an episode of "Vanderpump Rules," but the couple still had a bumpy road ahead. Schwartz was accused of cheating on his wife again in 2018.
"It was just disappointing that we had been in such a good place," Maloney told Us Weekly about rumors of her husband's infidelity. "I mean, we went to hell and back before we got married, and essentially we'd had to burn our relationship to the ground, and once we had gotten married we'd really recommitted and were on such a good path together that I just would never have expected to hear that."
The couple "remarried" in July 2019 after realizing they had never properly filled out and sent in their wedding forms. That same year, Schwartz told Us Weekly, "I just know in my heart," when asked how he could be sure he'd never cheat on his wife again. "First of all, I don't even know how that happened and it's so regrettable, I'm so embarrassed."
It appeared that Maloney and Schwartz had moved past any infidelity issues and were thinking about starting a family last month when Schwartz told Us Weekly he was open to having kids.
"I love kids. We just never got around to it. It's not too late, I know," he said. Having children was also a plot point on the most recent season of the reality series when Schwartz and Maloney both got their fertility tested after trying to conceive. Maloney also revealed she had an abortion when the pair first started dating a decade ago.
"When it came to Tom and I wanting to open up about our fertility, we had to start at the beginning," Maloney told "Reality Life" podcast host Kate Casey in November 2021, referencing the abortion. "And even now, when we've tried to get pregnant, I haven't wanted to shame myself or be like, 'Is it because I did this ten years ago?' I don't want to punish myself."
Maloney has hinted at flaws in her marriage with Schwartz in an interview with Page Six earlier this year.
"Obviously, we are not perfect. We fight a lot. We don't try to hide our flaws," she said in an interview that took place in January 2022.