Vanderpump Rules' Tom Schwartz Reacts to Jax and Brittany's Separation

Toms Schwartz

Tom Schwartz is weighing in on the news that his friends and former Vanderpump Rules costars Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwight are separating after nearly five years of marriage.

The Bravo star, 41, exclusively tells Parade he was unaware of the situation but has hopes that the two will work things out. "I didn't know, but from what I've seen and he's chosen to divulge to me, it sounds super healthy, super responsible, proactive, and like they said, I think their word was 'amicable,'" Tom says. "There's no scandals or anything like that. I think, I don't know. I can't speak on behalf of them and I don't have enough information to really weigh in, but I love Brittany and Jax so much, and I have such a close friendship with both of them."

He continues, "They're like family. I know that term gets thrown around a lot, but I've really spent a lot of time with them, and I love them and they're going to be fine. I mean, I don't know. They're both going to be fine regardless of what they decide to do in regards to their marriage, their relationship, they're going to be fine."

Brittany revealed the couple were living separately during the latest episode of their podcast, When Reality Hits. "Jax and I are taking time apart, and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health," she told listeners.

When asked for comment from Page Six, Jax said that there was "of course" a chance of reconciliation, adding, “I mean this is not divorce. We’re just taking some time apart. Just trying to reassess our situation.”

Tom can relate as he went through a rather tumultuous divorce himself back in 2022 from his longtime love and costar Katie Maloney after spending more than 12 years together.

"Transitioning out of a relationship is always a little messy," the Stars on Mars alum tells Parade. "It ebbs and flows, and then there are days you have – at least speaking from my own personal experience – there are days with conviction that it was the right decision. Then there are other days where you're reminiscing about the best parts of your marriage or your relationship and you're like, 'My God, is this the right decision?' Even when you know it's the right decision, you still occasionally have bouts of self-doubt, especially when you've spent 5, 10, 15, 20 years with someone. It's tough, man, but I'm fan of healthy separations. I'm an advocate for divorce as opposed to staying in a relationship longer than you should. We've all seen how that plays out and it's not...yeah."

As for where he stands with his ex-wife today, Tom says, "She's not going for the uppercut KO's, but she's taking little jabs [on social media]. They're like little friendly, facetious jabs, and I think maybe imbued with a little bit of love, begrudging love, not like, 'I'm still in love with you,' but 'Hey, we had 13 beautiful years together. Sometimes that's so beautiful. We created a lot of awesome memories and let's not completely forget about that.' But that being said, you're still a mother-effer, so I don't know. It's like post-divorce kind of facetious love, I guess."

Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.