Schwartz has largely kept quiet since news broke of Tom Sandoval's affair with Raquel Leviss.
Tom Schwartz is spilling some serious tea on Scandoval.
In a new appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Wednesday, Schwartz said that the alleged months-long affair between his friend and business partner, Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss, started as a one-night stand.
Schwartz admitted that he found out about Sandoval's hookup with Leviss in August, but he didn't find out about the alleged affair -- which ended Sandoval's nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix -- until January.
"It was like a crisis -- midlife crisis," Schwartz explained. "And what happened in the fall, there's a lot of gray area there. Apparently not though. I didn't think it was a linear thing. From my point of view, it became an emotional affair, which is still inappropriate."
What's more, Schwartz revealed that in Sandoval's confession, he admitted not only to the affair but that he was "in love" with Leviss.
"I didn't think it was a linear thing, but in January, Tom came to me -- he came to me in January -- and he told me that he's in love with Raquel," he continued.
As for his reaction, Schwartz said he was "flabbergasted" but not surprised.
"Listen, I think there's a lot of people out there who kind of know it was an open secret," Schwartz insisted, telling Cohen that a lot of people had an inkling about what was going on with Sandoval and Leviss.
"After that, Tom kind of got flagrant. He was brazen," Schwartz said of Sandoval's actions following his January confession. "After he told me he was in love, it was like a release for him."
Schwartz was also sure to note that he was "being fed a narrative" that Sandoval had broken up with Madix or had tried to break up with Madix "many many times," amid his ongoing tryst with Leviss.
As for how he feels about how Sandoval handled the situation, Schwartz said he handled it in the worst way possible, and ended up taking advantage of his kindness in the process.
"He took advantage of my kindness and he put a lot of people, not just myself, in a very compromising situation, where our integrity was at stake," Schwartz shared. "Tom has ADHD, and honestly, he became obsessed. He's notorious for having one singular obsession."
"He continued, "He is addicted, an infatuation of all kinds of infatuation. Raquel is Tom's heroin."
It's an infatuation that he said he believes is still ongoing.
Ultimately, Schwartz said his loves Madix, if she doesn't love him right now, and that even with all the hate Sandoval has gotten and the backlash their businesses have received in the process, he's not abandoning his longtime friend.
He also spoke about his own relationship with Leviss, who he's been linked to throughout season 10, with Wednesday night's all-new Vanderpump Rules showing the pair *spoiler alert* finally locking lips -- much to the disdain of his ex-wife, Katie Maloney.
As for if his fling with Leviss was worth it, Schwartz said in hindsight, it ultimately was not.
"The last time I did a little press tour I said yes, but in hindsight, I don't think it was," Schwartz said. "I never wanted to hurt Katie. And the fallout I got -- the blowback I got from that kiss, my God. "
He did defend the validity of the kiss, however, with many fans believing it was done to distract from Leviss' dalliances with Sandoval.
"I feel like there was a big build-up," he added of the tension between him and Leviss seen on the show. "By the way, I don't want to ruin it, but it wasn't planned. It wasn't a decoy kiss."
Schwartz first broke his silence about the alleged affair on March 11, when he was stopped by cameras as he was making his way through LAX.
In a video, obtained by TMZ, Schwartz said Sandoval's doing "okay relatively speaking" and that he has a sense of profound sadness. That being said, Schwartz says Sandoval "feels like a piece of s**t, and to some extent, he is. But he knows he f***ed up."
As for Madix, Schwartz was adamant that she has a really good support system. "She's with friends," he said. "I hope she's living a good life and indulging. I hope she goes on a living spree."
As for whether he knew about the affair all along, Schwartz deflected, saying he preferred not to talk about it.
"You'll see it play out on the show," he added.
And on the show's season 10 reunion, which just wrapped filming late last month. Cohen, who is hosting the TV special recently teased what viewers can expect, noting that he filmed one-on-one interviews with Madix, Sandoval and Leviss.
"I did separate one-on-ones with Tom, Ariana and Raquel, so that I could get all of their stories just in conversation with me, because I had a sense that I wasn't-- now, by the way, I re-asked a lot of the stuff in front of the group, but wanted to get everyone-- and I also, I had things that I had ... my own concerns, I had my own things I wanted to confront them about, things that I had noticed," he said on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live. "I got to do that, so that's how we started and then we brought them in as a group, OK?"
Cohen added, "So, it was a real reckoning. If you are looking to hear their story, you will. If you are looking for them to be confronted to their face about what they've done in, what I would say, an impressive manner, confrontational manner, you will get it."
And while the official dates of the VPR reunion have yet to be announced, Cohen did reveal that "Peacock is going to release extended versions" of the special.
For more on Scandoval, check out the links below.
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