Jo Wenberg's Relationship With Tom Schwartz Has Layers to It on and off 'Vanderpump Rules'

Hot off the heels of the #Scandoval drama that had everyone's jaws dropping, hairstylist Jo Wenberg suddenly found herself smack dab in the middle of her own Vanderpump Rules scandal! Jo was thrust into the limelight when rumors suggested she was romantically involved with longtime cast member Tom Schwartz.

Speculation surrounding their relationship intensified after Tom openly admitted, during an episode of Season 10 of the Bravo reality series, that Jo was staying with him in his apartment. He initially described her as a friend, but Tom later confessed during the Season 10 reunion that their relationship evolved into something more.

Now, after plenty of twists and turns in the would-be relationship, Tom is finally setting the record straight about his relationship with Jo. And after her appearance in the Season 11 reunion, Jo also shared her side of things.

During the Feb. 20, 2024, episode of Vanderpump Rules, Jo arrived at Tom's apartment to give him a haircut. During their time together, the pair briefly discussed their connection and how the rest of the VPR cast perceived their relationship.

"The entire group thinks you're my secret roommate/girlfriend," Tom told the hairstylist. "I mean, we did spend a lot of time together last summer, so I get the optics of it."

However, Jo pointed out, "We still do."

In a separate interview, Tom opened up further about his bond with Jo, whom he describes as "a light in my life."

"I want to clear things up. Jo was never living with me," he explains. "Was she staying with me sporadically? Yes. She's not my girlfriend, she never was. We had, like, the whirlwind romance, but we're buds now."

Following the episode, Tom made an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where the titular host questioned him about why he mentioned Jo wasn't his girlfriend but they had a "whirlwind romance."

Tom admitted to potentially sending mixed signals, later adding, "We had a lightning-in-a-bottle situation for a while there, and I don't know if it was sustainable, given my mental state of being. I don't know if I was equipped to be in a committed conventional relationship."

Jo appeared again in the March 12, 2024 episode of VPR and dropped a truth bomb that Tom might not have seen coming. After he told producers that he and Jo hadn't been together for a while, Jo admitted in a separate interview that, at the time, they had slept together "a month ago." Eventually, Tom was more forthcoming in the season about his past relationship with Jo. However, he broke things off with her in what will go down as a memorable and hard to watch VPR scene.

During the reunion, Tom's fellow VPR cast members reprimanded him for saying he loved Jo and for leading her on. And from Jo's perspective, their relationship was much more than what Schwartz clearly thought it was.

Following Season 11 of VPR, which saw ups and downs of Jo and Schwartz's friendship and romantic relationship, she took to social media and various live streams to share her side of things. On one such video, she admitted to specific sexual acts with Schwartz. And on another, she claimed that he blocked her on social media. Say what you will about Jo and the addition of her on the show, but most fans can agree that Schwartz did her a little dirty on the show once the cameras started rolling.

On March 15, 2022, Tom Schwartz and his then-wife Katie Maloney announced their split. Just a week later, on March 22, Katie filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the grounds, per documents obtained by People. Their divorce was finalized in October 2022, as reported by Us Weekly.

Despite her seemingly amicable split from her ex-husband, Katie has not held back when it comes to expressing her thoughts on his relationship with Jo. In response to a since-deleted March 2023 post made on an Instagram fan page, Real Vanderpump, Katie made several shocking statements about the hairstylist.

"Jo is spooky. I mean, none of us could stand to be around her. Her energy is on par with a crackhead," Katie wrote, per TikTok creator Stephanie Tleiji (@stephwithdadeets). The reality star went on to deem Jo a "psycho," before suggesting she would "light her on fire" alongside former Vanderpump Rules cast member Rachel "Raquel" Leviss.

Although some of the other ladies were in support of Jo during the reunion, according to former VPR star Kristen Doute, no one talks to Jo anymore. She said in an episode of her podcast Balancing Act that, to her knowledge, no one else in the cast is close with Jo either. And when Schwartz echoed that as a guest during the episode, it became clear that, as quick as Jo entered the chat, she's out.

Watch Vanderpump Rules on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.