Tom Schwartz is defending himself online after claims that he looks “unrecognizable” these days.
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The Vanderpump Rules alum, 43, took to his Instagram Story on Thursday, July 23, to respond to an article with the headline, “Tom Schwartz is unrecognizable as he surfaces downcast at 43.” The accompanying photos showed the reality star walking his dogs in Los Angeles as he sported a blue and white striped tee, jeans and dark sunglasses. In one snap, Schwartz appeared to have a frown on his face.
“His trademark breezy ebullience seemed nowhere in evidence,” read the article, which also mentioned that his and Tom Sandoval‘s Hollywood bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, had closed down while the L.A. sandwich shop owned by Schwartz’s ex-wife, Katie Maloney, “remains open.” (The eatery, called Something About Her, is co-owned by Sandoval’s ex Ariana Madix. It opened in 2024.)
Sharing a screenshot of the article, Schwartz wrote to the outlet, “You better sleep with one eye open.” He also added a crying emoji.
Schwartz’s girlfriend, Kiana Carroll, also defended her man by sharing a Boomerang video of the TV personality by a pool with the caption, “It was a bad angle guys.”
Schwartz & Sandy’s, a bar and restaurant in Los Angeles serving American cuisine, closed for good in 2024 after two years in business.
“With a heavy heart, we’ve made the difficult decision to close Schwartz & Sandy’s at the end of December,” Sandoval, 43, announced via Instagram at the time. “This hasn’t been an easy choice for my partners and me, but other priorities and commitments have taken hold.”
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Schwartz explained the decision to close in a statement to People.
“Unfortunately, the current climate for this business is pretty rough,” he shared. “Recovering from all the negativity post-scandal wasn’t easy, and the slimmer margins post-COVID made it even harder to bounce back. There’s not a lot of room for error in the restaurant/bar business.”
Schwartz and Sandoval are also minority stakeholders in L.A. restaurant TomTom, co-owned by Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd. The venue, which opened in 2018, is currently for sale.
Though Schwartz and Sandoval were once close friends in addition to business partners, their relationship was strained after Schwartz & Sandy’s received backlash from Sandoval’s infamous affair with former Vanderpump Rules costar Raquel Leviss.
“We took a long break from each other. I mean, S&S, that almost destroyed our friendship,” Schwartz explained during an appearance on Nick Viall’s “Viall Files” podcast in May.
However, he and Sandoval have since gotten to a better place.
“I actually had a really good conversation with Sandoval yesterday,” he noted. “I talked to him for like an hour – FaceTimed him – and he’s just doing so well right now. It was nice; he sounded so good and optimistic.”
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This story was originally published July 24, 2026 at 1:10 PM.