- - Tom Schwartz Says He Liked Filming “The Valley” Without Tom Sandoval: 'I'm Not a Sidekick'

Brianne TracyJanuary 1, 2026 at 10:35 PM

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Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz -

At BravoCon 2025, former Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz discussed filming season 3 of The Valley without friend Tom Sandoval by his side

Season 3 of The Valley will be Schwartz's first as a full-time cast member

"I'm not a sidekick," Schwartz told the crowd

Tom Schwartz is stepping into his main character era.

During a BravoCon 2025 panel in Las Vegas on Nov. 14, Schwartz said it's "been nice" filming the upcoming third season of Bravo's The Valley without his fellow Vanderpump Rules alum Tom Sandoval.

"That’s not a dig at Tom," said Schwartz, 43. "But it's nice to establish my own identity. You know what I mean? I'm not a sidekick. I'm not riding in the sidecar anymore."

Schwartz made clear though that he still considers Sandoval, also 43, family: "For better or for worse, I love Tom."

In addition to filming Vanderpump Rules together for more than a decade, Schwartz and Sandoval co-own the Los Angeles bar TomTom with Lisa Vanderpump. Their bar Schwartz & Sandy's closed in 2024.

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Tom Schwartz

While Schwartz has previously appeared on The Valley, season 3 will be his first as a full-time cast member.

"It's been really fun," he said. "I feel like everyone here really embraced me. I didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. You guys took me in like an old rescue dog. That's what we talked about backstage. I feel like an old rescue dog, and I found a new home."

During the BravoCon panel, Schwartz also spoke about his girlfriend, model Kiana Carroll, calling her "the love of my life."

"I feel like I’m under a love spell right now.” Schwartz said. “I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud."

After the public declaration, Schwartz confirmed to PEOPLE that he is indeed "in love" but didn't mean to call his partner "the love of my life" on stage.

"I'm sorry. It came out wrong. I do love her. She's amazing. And shoutout to Kiana, but I didn't mean to say that. Oh my God. I feel like she's gonna leave me after this," Schwartz said.

He reiterated that she "is" the love of his life, although it's a "kinda scary" thing to hear.

"I don't know," he said. "She is the love of my life. I just felt like I shouldn't have said it on stage, damn it! I don't wanna scare her away."

on People

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