Tom Schwartz can’t anticipate Us to see Jo Wenberg’s debut look on Vanderpump Guidelines season 11.
“Honestly, I feel like Jo is a breath of fresh air. She has a charisma and energy unlike anyone else I’ve ever met in my life,” Schwartz, 41, completely informed Us Weekly on the solid’s Wednesday, January 17, premiere occasion. “Not everyone loves that energy. I happen to be fond of it. But, she’s kind of like a superstar in her own right.”
He added, “She’s straight out of the Midwest — Wisconsin [girl] through and through. She’s got a beautiful soul and yeah, man, I’m always rooting for her. Shoutout to Jo [and] if you need your hair done, hit her up. DM her.”
Jo, a hairstylist primarily based in Los Angeles, has been recognized the Vanderpump Guidelines group for years, initially changing into mates with Kristen Doute. She grew nearer with Schwartz following his divorce from Katie Maloney. (After a decade collectively, Schwartz and Katie, 37, introduced their separation in March 2022. They finalized their divorce in October 2022.)
In a deleted scene from Pump Guidelines season 10, Schwartz confessed that he was residing with Jo, 35. By the season reunion, he revealed that their relationship had advanced right into a “situationship” or a “friends with benefits thing” however with clear boundaries. Nevertheless, the pair are usually not at the moment an merchandise.
“I think we’re just friends now,” Schwartz stated on the Hollywood Palladium occasion on Wednesday. “You’ll see that kind of play out this season. I know that’s the lamest answer ever.”
Katie, in the meantime, has by no means been Jo’s largest fan. When requested on Wednesday about Jo’s debut on Vanderpump Guidelines, she performed coy.
“Who? I don’t know. Some things aren’t avoidable, I guess,” Katie quipped, making an attempt to recall in the event that they filmed any scenes collectively. “I don’t know if I did. Maybe I did. Maybe — you’ll see. I forget.”
Along with Jo’s on-camera arrival to SUR, Schwartz teased that season 11 will probably be a “good” one.
“It has so much heart, and there’s moments that are very explosive, eruptive, but then there’s also a lot of funny, light-hearted moments. There’s still levity. I know it’s very doom-and-gloom lately. I know there’s kind of this cloud cast over us by you-know-what-avol, but, for sure, there’s a chasm [afterward],” Schwartz stated, referring to BFF Tom Sandoval’s affair scandal with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
Information broke in March 2023 that Sandoval, 41, and longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix break up after he had a months-long affair with Rachel, 29. Each Sandoval and Rachel have since apologized for his or her actions, with the previous magnificence pageant contestant opting to depart the present earlier than season 11. The scandal’s fallout additionally affected the remainder of the Pump Guidelines solid.
“This [separation within the cast] was unlike anything we’ve experienced in our group dynamic. But I’m happy to say, at least speaking for myself, it was redemptive,” Schwartz informed Us. “I had a lot of great moments. I reconnected with some people I had strained relationships with.”
Vanderpump Guidelines returns to Bravo Tuesday, January 30, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Hannah Kahn