Jo Wenberg and Tom Schwartz Said ‘I Love You’ Before Split: ‘Tired of Feeling Like a Secret’
Tom Schwartz and Jo Wenberg's situationship ended just as randomly as it started.
During the newest episode of Vanderpump Rules, which aired on Tuesday, April 9, Schwartz, 41, and Jo navigated their casual relationship as he ventured back into the dating scene. Jo explained in a confessional that she was hoping for a future with Schwartz.
"I see how much Schwartz loves his friends, and I want to be welcomed into the group if I want to be a part of Schwartz's life forever," she noted. “We got very, very emotionally close when he would cry about Katie [Maloney]."
Jo was initially a major topic of conversation on Vanderpump Rules in the aftermath of Schwartz and Katie's divorce. (The former couple announced their split in March 2022, months before they started filming season 10.)
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Schwartz's close bond with Jo was mentioned in multiple unaired scenes before he confirmed their connection at the 2023 reunion. He has since played off how serious the pair actually were — which viewers got a larger glimpse of on the show.
On Tuesday's episode, Schwartz and Jo ended up in an awkward situation when she invited herself to a singles mixer with him, Tom Sandoval and Kyle Chan. Schwartz's friend group was quick to point out that he couldn't casually date when he was spending so much time with Jo.
"Schwartz and Jo are on two different pages. Jo is looking at their situationship as a glass half full relationship," Sandoval, 41, said. "Schwartz just being Schwartz, he is going to give off signals. It is like part of his superpower, he is charming all the time."
Kyle, meanwhile, offered Schwartz some advice, adding, "You need to be not always with Jo. How are you going to find a girl?"
The outing got even worse when Schwartz started flirting with a woman. The duo shared a kiss, which is when Jo awkwardly left the venue because she got upset that Schwartz was openly flirting.
"I was under the impression that why we were here was to support Tom Sandoval. Then when we got here, he was interested in other women," she told the cameras. "What am I? Chopped liver?"
Jo continued: "I know the truth, and the truth is that we are hooking up. We said I love you to each other. It bothers me that he doesn't really want to share this relationship with his friends. I'm tired of feeling like a secret."
Schwartz subsequently started to question whether his situation with Jo was sustainable, saying, "Maybe it is not as realistic to be this close as me and Jo are and still go out and date other people, hang out with other people and have sex with other people. I am starting to wonder if she's in a little deeper than I am."
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Later in the episode, Schwartz asked Jo if she felt that he was sending "mixed signals" her way.
"Because I know we have such a good time together and we have this undeniable chemistry. That being said, I don't want to be in a relationship at all," he explained to her. "I want to date other people. I am dating other people and I get numbers and I hook up with people."
Jo didn't hold back about how Schwartz's actions hurt her. "Do you imagine how I feel after being around you for the past year and a half? We have been there for each other," she noted. "Are you embarrassed by me?"
Schwartz denied being embarrassed by Jo but he did admit to hearing some rumors, adding, "People are saying that you are saying behind closed doors that we are secretly dating. Maybe we need to not hang out as much."
Instead of pulling back a little, Jo suggested they not hang out "at all," which upset Schwartz.
"To hear her say that is kind of gut wrenching. Me and Jo have had this fantastic voyage full of compassion, support and maybe even love," he admitted. "It would be a f—king tragedy if we never hung out or talked again."
The conversation got emotional when Jo explained how important Schwartz was to her.
"It is so easy. Like, us together would be [so easy]. We would be disgustingly ugly and old and laughing and all those things," she gushed. "That is why I need some time because deep down I do think I have feelings for you."
As the twosome agreed to part ways, Jo started to cry. "I am going to miss that. It only comes around once in a while and it is OK for us to just say, 'Well, maybe we would find it somewhere else,'" she told Schwartz before rushing out of his apartment to deal with her emotions.
Jo elaborated on her love for Schwartz, telling the cameras, "It is really hard. I just want him to be happy. Massively. He is my favorite person in the world and I don't care what he says about me, but that is that goddamn truth. I think the world of him."
Since their onscreen split, Schwartz opened up about why timing was working against him and Jo.
"There were maybe mixed signals there a little bit. We had a lightning in a bottle situation for a while there," he said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in February. "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 conventional relationship."
Schwartz joked he "should have been committed" instead of seeking out a girlfriend, noting, "I was in a very weird place like I have never experienced in my entire life. I'll shut up now."
The TomTom cofounder has since moved on with Sophia Skoro. Jo, meanwhile, has continued to publicly praise Schwartz.
"Been wanting to say this for a while, and give me grace on how I say it - ??Everything about this human makes me happy. Have you ever found a human that just gets you? Makes you laugh and has a genuine love for people the same way I do too. ??that’s Tom," she wrote via Instagram in March. "Tom Schwartz deserves the world — and so do I. I know him so well and I’m so happy and grateful. Maybe I’m not the girl for him, but I get it — he is really a good example of someone living in the moment always and so am I."
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The post concluded: "Blessings to Tom Schwartz for helping me with life. And vice versa, what in tarnations, find a person who can make you laugh all the time — that’s Tom Schwartz (T$) you humans out there are lucky to hang out with him. (He will hate this post because it’s a compliment to who he is) but someone has to say it — t$ has the best laugh, smile, and people should really know how kind he is. I’ll love him forever. Jo, out ??."
In response to comments questioning the lengthy caption, Jo replied, "Why can’t I post about one of my best friends? Just because he is a guy? If this was one of my best girlfriends no one would care! Let’s all be kind and shout out the best people in our lives! ??."
Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
