Katie Maloney is shedding more light on her split from Tom Schwartz.
More than two years after filing for divorce, the Vanderpump Rules cast member spoke candidly about some of the factors that led to the decision. Katie reiterated that Tom, whom she legally married in 2019, spent years struggling with major commitments — so much so that she became increasingly concerned about his personal growth.
Katie on her decision to divorce Tom: "There was a lot of hurt"
“A lot of times, I think he is still the same person that I married. And that person is wonderful. But that person, I also fell in love with when I was 25 years old,” she said during a recent appearance on the Brutally Honest Anna podcast. “I’ve grown a lot. I feel like I really had to drag him through a lot of phases in life… committing, moving in together, getting engaged, getting married, talking about having kids. All of those things… I don’t know why I did that. He was just so unsure.”
Katie said she “normalized bad behavior” that she “didn’t deserve,” and finally called it quits after determining the situation was unlikely to improve. She told the host she wanted a partner with the “same goals and intentions” and a similar vision for their future. That, unfortunately, wasn’t Tom.
“I’m not saying I was innocent in all of it, of course,” she admitted. “I can be very difficult. But, ultimately, I was just with somebody that didn’t know how to be a partner… Maybe I was still in love with him, but emotionally, it became very difficult to be with him.”
She continued: “There was a lot of hurt that was built up. He cheated on me in the past — and so there were things I hadn’t healed from that were definitely weighing on me and affected my feelings towards him. But, all in all, I was still very much in love with this person and wanted to be with them but they just didn’t know how.”
Where do Katie and Tom stand today?
While their marriage didn’t work out, Katie and Tom have remained good friends and co-parents to their adorable dogs Butter and Gordo. The former SURver said she always thought it was "sad" when couples broke up and became "strangers," which is why she's maintained friendly communication with her exes, including Tom.
“With Tom and I, our problem was never our friendship. We had a great friendship,” she continued. “It was when I needed him to step up to be a partner, that’s where he struggled the most. So when we broke up, there was no longer that pressure on him or and I or on this marriage… We just kind of have been able to have this fun banter and talk. That fun little part of what we had is still there, even though it’s not romantic.”
Katie reveals if she's open to another marriage
The interview premiered just several weeks after Katie confirmed she had a new boyfriend. Although Katie has already used the L-word, it’s unclear if she’ll ever tie the knot again.
“If it means not having to get divorced again, then I will avoid marriage,” she explained. “[Divorce is] really devastating no matter who asks for it, no matter how necessary it is, it is really just a mindf—k to go through that with somebody. But if I met someone and I fell in love and they were like, ‘I really want marriage. That is super important to me,' then I would do it for them. But for myself? No.”
