Tom Schwartz is only making cameos on The Valley right now — and that’s how he prefers it.
“Time will tell. But they want to keep — this is my interpretation — The Valley pure,” Schwartz, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly at the L.A. Art Show Opening Night on Wednesday, February 19. “I think it is good the way it is.”
Schwartz said he will still make appearances every now and then, adding, “I am sure they will sprinkle me in at times. I just love the Bravo family so of course I would love to be a part of whatever world I fall into.”
Despite not playing a large role on screen, Schwartz is excited to watch the drama unfold.
Several Vanderpump Rules stars have stepped away from the Bravo series over the years. Cameras started following the staff at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant SUR in 2012 after she rose to fame on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Season 1 of Pump Rules, which premiered in January 2013, starred Lisa, Stassi Schroeder, Jax […]
“They might pepper a little Schwartz in here or there. We will see. What I do know just because they are my friends and I know what is going on, it is going to be a hell of a season,” he teased. “Obviously I wasn’t there all the time. But just from talking to my friends who were on the show, it is going to be a doozy.”
He continued: “It is going to be a hell of a season. Maybe one of the best second season debuts ever — from what I am hearing.”
In addition to Schwartz, Scheana Shay, Brock Davies and Lala Kent are also expected to appear on the Vanderpump Rules spinoff. Schwartz appeared on Vanderpump Rules since season 1 as Bravo fans saw his highs and lows over the years.
The Valley, which premiered in 2024, featured an appearance from Schwartz before Bravo confirmed Vanderpump Rules would be going through a cast overhaul for season 12. The network originally put the new Vanderpump Rules season on pause after the cast ended up at odds due to Tom Sandoval’s split from Ariana Madix following his affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
While the new cast list has yet to be announced, Schwartz is one of multiple stars who have opened up about being ready for a change.
“I’m at peace with it. I kind of knew [the announcement] was coming. But I don’t necessarily love the way [season 11] ended,” he shared with Us in December 2024, which was one month after his exit from Vanderpump Rules was announced. “It was a little heavy, a little toxic, a little fractured.”
Schwartz argued that there should have been “one more season” with him, Sandoval, Ariana, Lala, Katie Maloney, Scheana and James Kennedy before Bravo introduced a new group to take over.
“But I mean, the network made the right decision, I guess,” he continued. “And we got 11 seasons. That’s insane. I’m so grateful for that. So I have nothing to gripe or complain about. It was probably 11 of the best years of my life. I got to travel the world. And yeah, man, it was exhilarating.”
Schwartz admitted he felt “nostalgic” and “sentimental” since news broke that he wasn’t coming back for season 12, adding, “I still talk to everyone — mostly everybody. Everyone’s thriving, everyone’s doing their thing.”
While Schwartz isn’t officially joining The Valley cast, his former VPR castmates are excited to share the screen with him again. (Jax Taylor, Kristen Doute and Brittany Cartwright became leads on The Valley after past stints on Vanderpump Rules.)
“Why not bring them in there and have them around once in awhile,” Jax, 45, told Us on Wednesday. “I don’t mind. They live in The Valley so it makes sense and they are our friends.”
With reporting by Sienna Leone
