Katie Maloney Claims She QuitVanderpump RulesMonths Before Reboot Was Announced: I 'Needed to Move On'

Mar. 15, 2025

Katie Maloney attends the 76th Creative Arts Emmys Winner’s Walk at Peacock Theater on September 7, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Amy Sussman/Getty

Katie Maloney attends the 76th Creative Arts Emmys Winner’s Walk at Peacock Theater on September 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Amy Sussman/Getty

Katie Maloneyclaimed she was ready to move on fromVanderpump Rulesbefore the reboot of the Bravo series was announced.

On the Dec. 4 episode of her podcastDisrespectfully, the 37-year-old reality star said, “You know — as [well as] many people close to me — I didn’t plan on returning.”

She further detailed her decision not to return to series after 11 seasons, saying, “Maybe it doesn’t matter at this point, but I had made a decision months ago after this past season. I mean, I just needed to move on with my life. And this is before we knew the show was gonna be put on pause, before any of that.”

The Something About Her co-owner claimed that she decided to bid farewell toVanderpump Rulesfollowing theseason 11 reunion, but before the show was“put on pause.”

“I had talked to our producers about it and I told them my decision on that,” she claimed. “I felt personally ready to move on from the show. I felt like my life and where I was at was moving in a different direction. Mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, I was prepared to move on from the show.”

During her time on the series, MaloneymarriedcostarTom Schwartzin 2016 before the pairfiled for divorcein 2022. In later seasons, she forayed into the dating scene following their split.

From left: Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney-Schwartz attend the Los Angeles special screening of Lionsgate’s “Midnight in the Switchgrass” at Regal LA Live on July 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.Kevin Winter/Getty

Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney-Schwartz attend the Los Angeles special screening of Lionsgate’s “Midnight in the Switchgrass” at Regal LA Live on July 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

“It had been a long time. I lived many lives and went through so much on that show,” she shared. “It just got to a point where I don’t know that I can live and grow and be the version of myself I want to be on this show any longer.”

The television personality also spoke about the “fractured” dynamic of the costars afterAriana Madixended hernine-year relationshipwithTom Sandovalafter discovering hismonths-long affairwithRachel “Raquel” Levissin March 2023.

“The group and the dynamic and what makes the show that show would be hard to do because it was so fractured at the end there,” she explained. “And many of us don’t hang out. There might be some people that talk to this person or these people hang out or these two hang out.”

She added: “But as far as it being like a cohesive unit, it just doesn’t exist anymore.”

From left: Lala Kent, Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix on the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Reunion.Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Lala Kent, Katie Maloney, Ariana Madix on the Vanderpump Rules Reunion

Nicole Weingart/Bravo

“The finality of it is surreal. It’s knowing that it’s just going to be no more. It’s final. It’s out there that it’s final,” she noted. “That it is done is still a weird feeling. It is sad. It’s like that closing of a chapter is sad no matter what.”

Maloney also put to rest rumors that the cast was “demanding tons of money” as she claimed that negotiations for a new season had “not even been discussed” before the reboot was announced.

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“The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears and everything in between,” Vanderpump, 64, said a press release. “I can’t thank enough those who have shared their lives. How I love you all. In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation ofVanderpump Rules.”

Vanderpump Rulescan be streamed on Peacock.

source: people.com