Entertainment

Scheana Shay reveals the story behind Tom Schwartz’s kiss in Vegas

It almost stayed in Vegas.

Scheana Shay and Tom Schwartz each shared their side of the story after Schwartz revealed that they kissed in Las Vegas in 2013 while he was dating Katie Maloney.

“Everyone’s cheated. We’ve all cheated, like, everyone’s done stupid s––t. I cheated, I was a makeout slut, [I] made out with Scheana like 12 years ago in Vegas,” Schwartz told Lala Kent while trying to defend Tom Sandoval on Tuesday’s episode of “Vanderpump Rules.”

Kent, 33, immediately gasped as Schwartz, 41, further said that “no one even knows that.”

“It was so long ago. It was like the most innocuous thing ever, but I’m just saying, we’ve all, like, we’ve all done [stuff],” Schwartz explained.

When Kent asked for details, he claimed that he did “not know” exactly when it happened, but it was “somewhere in Vegas.”

“Me and Katie were dating, but it was like a rocky moment,” he admitted.

Schwartz later took to his confessional to say he shared the news because he wanted it to serve as a “reminder [that] we’re all human, [and] we all do dumb s–t sometimes.”

“It just popped into my head the other day. Sometime late last year, [Scheana and I] were at a party around the holidays, and she’s like, ‘Do you remember when we made out?’ And I was like, ‘We did make out, right? We kinda made out?”

Kent argued that a makeout would mean that Shay “dabbled” in the realm of cheating, since she was engaged to now ex-husband, Mike Shay, and Schwartz was dating Maloney.

“Scheana and I have gotten extremely close. We’ve become each other’s vaults, and it just seems strange to me that at no point in time was she like, ‘Girl, I gotta tell you something. I gotta spill some tea.’ Like, what?” Kent wondered in her own confessional.

Kent then asked Schwartz if he ever told his now ex-wife, to which he said he did “not know if I told Katie.”

Later in the episode, Kent took it upon herself to spill the news to Maloney, 37, and after she told her, Maloney looked shocked.

“What the actual f–k? Like are you kidding me? I just have so many questions –– like when was this? And where exactly was this? And was this the time that Schwartz said he went to Vegas and made out with one of Scheana’s friends, and was it actually in fact Scheana?” Maloney said in a confessional, referring to Schwartz admitting to making out with someone in Las Vegas in 2013.

Shortly afterwards, the entire cast had a night out at Hotel Ziggy in West Hollywood, and Maloney pulled Shay, 38, aside to ask her about the alleged makeout.

“What happened was, me and Ariana [Madix] were there with my mom and my sister for her cheer competition in like f–king high school, and Schwartz pulls me in the corner and kisses me,” a stunned Shay claimed.

Shay recalled that it happened right around the time she got engaged to Mike Shay, which would’ve been in the summer of 2013.

“Saying somebody tried to kiss somebody versus making out is like a different thing,” Maloney pointed out.

However, Shay doubled down that it was not a makeout like Schwartz described.

“We did not, that was not, nope, nope, no, no, that was not a makeout, no, no, no,” Shay argued.

Shay then claimed that the person who she “was making out with on that trip” was Madix.

“I wanted to pretend like this never happened. I never told [Mike] Shay, I never told my mom, I never told my best friends. I mean also, I would never have told Katie, especially back then, because like the bitch is scary,” Shay said in a confessional.

“I mean, this was peak tequila Katie hates Scheana days, there’s no way in hell I was gonna be like, ‘By the way, your man wanted me in Vegas, and he kissed me,’ like, no! Never!” she continued, referring to Maloney’s old nickname that she inherited after she would drunkenly argue with people.

Maloney then asked Shay why the two of them were recently “joking about it” like Schwartz claimed.

“I may have made a comment like, ‘Oh well, yeah, you’re a makeout whore, like, you tried with me once,” Shay explained.

Maloney emphasized that what made her upset about the revelation was that Shay withheld this information while she was a bridesmaid and involved in Maloney and Schwartz’s wedding.

“It’s like, this never came up at all? I would assume Tom, oh yeah he’s been in talks with like a million girls, but I was like a broken person. I was a shell my self-confidence and my self-worth was like next to nothing,” Maloney shared.

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Shay explained that she “never” would’ve told Maloney, because she didn’t want to “hurt [her] more.”

“I wanted you guys to work out, I wanted this to be Schwartz did this in his past, and he f–ked up, but you guys got married, and you had your happily ever after. I wanted to be apart of that day,” she said.

Maloney –– who filed for divorce from Schwartz in March 2022 –– ended the conversation by telling Shay that she wishes she “would’ve known.”

“I would’ve expected something like this from Schwartz, but Scheana’s had literal years to tell me about this,” Maloney said in a confessional. “I don’t like liars and especially lying by omission. It just makes me wonder if I’ll ever be able to really fully trust or be close to Scheana.”

“Vanderpump Rules” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.

Entertainment

Norman Reedus’ son makes alarming threat after arrest for assault

Norman Reedus and supermodel Helena Christensen’s troubled son, Mingus Reedus, asked a startling question one day after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.

The 25-year-old model was walking outside of his apartment in New York City on Sunday when he asked The Post, “You want to watch me kill myself?”

Mingus was wearing the same green shorts and black T-shirt he wore to court a day earlier, and he carried his cat in a bag.

He also took a shot at a reporter for The Post Saturday as he exited the courtroom, calling her “ugly.”

Mingus was taken into custody on Saturday for alleged domestic violence after officers responded to a call at a Manhattan address about a female who had taken pills and was threatening to commit suicide.

A police source told The Post that Mingus allegedly punched a female victim in the leg, causing redness, and then choked her and slammed her to the ground. He was formally charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and third-degree assault.

He was later arraigned on new charges Saturday night in Manhattan Criminal Court, including reckless physical injury, aggravated harassment and second-degree harassment.

Prosecutors allege that he choked his 33-year-old girlfriend with such force that he lifted her off the ground inside their apartment.

He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Mingus’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry — who previously represented Jonathan Majors in his assault case — said her client was “concerned” for his girlfriend, according to The Post. She claimed Mingus ended the couple’s roughly five-month relationship, which allegedly caused the victim to become distressed and take “a number of sleeping pills” in an attempt to commit suicide.

According to Chaudhry, the victim has since moved out of their shared home, is “not afraid” of Mingus and has no interest in proceeding with the case or pressing charges.

Mingus has since been ordered to stay away from the victim.

Reedus and Christensen, both 56, split when Mingus was 4 years old, but have had a friendly co-parenting relationship. The former Victoria’s Secret model shared a happy picture of them together in 2018, celebrating Mingus’ high school graduation.

The “Walking Dead” actor has been engaged to actress Diane Kruger since 2021. They welcomed their daughter, Nova Tennessee, in 2018.

Entertainment

Where Is Paula Deen Now? Inside the Celebrity Chef’s Life After Food Network

NEED TO KNOW

It has been over a decade since Paula Deen’s Food Network show came to an end in 2013
The “Queen of Southern Cuisine” has released more cookbooks and recipes since then
In July 2025, Deen announced the abrupt closure of two of her restaurants, including her flagship eatery, The Lady & Sons

Paula Deen‘s career has had moments of success and controversy.

For more than a decade in the early 2000s, the Georgia native was a staple on television, starring in her own cooking shows, releasing cookbooks and establishing restaurants. But in June 2013, Food Network dropped Dean after she admitted to using a racial slur in the workplace in a sworn deposition, according to The New York Times.

Since then, Deen has largely stayed out of the spotlight. More recently, though, Deen made headlines again when she announced the abrupt closure of two of her restaurants on Aug. 1.

“Hey, y’all, my sons and I made the heartfelt decision that Thursday, July 31st, was the last day of service for The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box,” she wrote in a statement posted on her Facebook and official website. “Thank you for all the great memories and for your loyalty over the past 36 years.”

That same month, on Aug. 20, Deen gave Fox & Friends’ Steve Doocy a tour of her home in Savannah, Ga.

So what happened to Paula Deen? Here’s everything to know about her culinary career and what she’s doing today, years after parting ways with Food Network.

She started her professional culinary career in 1989

Paula Deen stands in front of her restaurant ‘The Bag Lady Express Buffet’ in 1989.

Paula Deen/Facebook

In June 1989, Deen started a catering company from her kitchen. She opened The Bag Lady catering company with her “last $200,” according to a June 2025 Facebook post. Deen helped get her business off the ground with the help of her sons, Jamie and Bobby, who would deliver her homemade Southern food to workers in Savannah.

Two years later, in 1991, she opened a buffet restaurant, The Lady, in the lobby of a Best Western Hotel, the Chicago Tribune reported. Deen dedicated herself to the location — alongside her kids and her husband, Michael — until her next venture put her on the map.

In January 1996, the chef launched The Lady & Sons in downtown Savannah, eventually becoming a popular establishment and leading to TV superstardom.

She landed her first show on the Food Network in 2002

Paula Deen.

Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Deen released her first cookbook, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, in April 1998.

According to her official website, Deen then made her television debut on QVC, and in 2002, she starred in her own Food Network show, Paula’s Home Cooking. The cooking TV program ran for 10 years, ending in 2012.

In addition to Paula’s Home Cooking, she starred in Paula’s Party and Paula’s Best Dishes, both of which aired on the Food Network.

She left TV in 2013 after admitting to using racist language in the past

Paula Deen on the ‘Today’ show.

Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Paula’s Home Cooking was a staple on the Food Network for a decade, but the channel cut ties with her amid controversy.

In 2012, Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, were sued by former employee Lisa Jackson for $1.2 million, per CBS News. Lisa previously worked at Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, an establishment co-owned by Deen and run by Hiers. According to the ex-employee, during her five years as a manager, she experienced sexual harassment and racial discrimination.

The following year, in May 2013, Deen admitted during a deposition that she used a racial slur on a few occasions in the past, CBS News reported. Shortly after, the Food Network announced that it wouldn’t renew the celebrity chef’s contract, which was set to expire at the end of June. In addition, retailers like Walmart and Target stated they would no longer sell Deen’s products and a book deal was scrapped.

As the fallout continued, Deen was scheduled to do a sit-down interview on the Today show, but was a no-show, per CBS News. Instead, she released two apology videos online.

“I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I’ve done,” she said in one of the clips, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to learn and grow from this. … Inappropriate hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. But I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners, I beg for your forgiveness. Please forgive me for the mistakes that I’ve made.”

Following the Food Network’s decision not to renew her contract, Deen released a statement to PEOPLE.

“I have had the pleasure of being allowed into so many homes across the country and meeting people who have shared with me the most touching and personal stories,” it read. “This would not have been possible without the Food Network. Thank you again. Love and best dishes to all of ya’ll.”

In August 2013, a settlement was reached, though its details weren’t made public, according to ABC News.

She went on to compete on Dancing with the Stars in 2015

Paula Deen on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 21.

Adam Taylor/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

While Deen’s tenure on the Food Network was over, her time on television was not.

In June 2014, she embarked on a live tour called Paula Deen Live!, which consisted of 20 shows across the U.S., per the Las Vegas Sun News. Each stop was set to feature a 90-minute session with the celebrity chef who advertised cooking demos, interactive audience games and personal stories.

The following year, Deen competed on season 21 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered in September 2015.

“Let me tell you—I’m excited and nervous,” she wrote on her website, about appearing on the competition series. “There’s just a whole array of emotions that could overwhelm a person. After all, I’m 68 and startin’ on this physically demanding show.”

In October 2015, Deen was eliminated during the sixth week of the season, but she stayed busy. Earlier that same year, she launched a mobile game and a line of dog food. Deen later released several other products as part of an online shop, including seasonings and jewelry.

She is still releasing cookbooks and sharing recipes online

Paula Deen attends a book signing event for ‘At The Southern Table’ at Barnes & Noble on October 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Tara Ziemba/Getty

In the years since she said goodbye to her Food Network audience, Deen has continued to release cookbooks, her most recent being 2023’s Love and Best Dishes. Her magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, is still being published today as well; its first issue hit newsstands in 2005.

As for television, Deen debuted her show, Positively Paula, in 2016. It aired for two seasons and a total of 26 episodes. In June 2020, she launched her YouTube channel, where she posts new videos daily to nearly 600,000 subscribers.

She announced the closure of two restaurants in August 2025

The Lady and Sons restaurant; Paula Deen.

James Quine/Alamy Stock Photo; Mediapunch/Shutterstock

On Aug. 1, Deen announced the abrupt closing of two of her eateries, The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box.

“We have endless love and gratitude for every customer who has walked through our doors,” she wrote in a statement posted online. “We are equally grateful to our incredible staff — past and present — whose hard work, care, and hospitality made The Lady & Sons what it was. Savannah will always be our home, and we’ll always be here to support our wonderful community.”

The letter ended with Deen and her sons saying they “will now focus” their attention on the four remaining locations of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen: Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nashville, Tenn. and Branson, Mo.

“We’re excited to continue visiting these restaurants regularly, starting with Branson on August 8th,” the statement concluded. A reason for the closing of The Chicken Box and The Lady & Sons was not given.

Deen will appear in the documentary Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, which will revisit the fallout of her career in 2013. The project will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6.

Entertainment

Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Americana’ co-star Halsey slams fans who boycotted film over ‘denim bulls–t’

Sydney Sweeney’s “Americana” co-star Halsey slammed fans who are boycotting their film due to the former’s American Eagle controversy.

“you should go see this movie. because [director] @tonytost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories alongside a promo poster of the crime thriller.

“Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24 hr gossip tabloid denim bulls–t,” the “Without Me” singer, 30, added.

“If you love cinema, then you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema,” she concluded.

Halsey, born Ashley Frangipane, then said she doesn’t think it’s “fair” for the media to “predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for their film that is completely separate-from and unrelated-to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.”

The “Walls Could Talk” singer’s comments come after “Americana” flopped during its nationwide debut last weekend.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film garnered around $840,000, a per-theater average of $460, after debuting in 1,100 theaters across the country.

The movie came in 16th place.

Several fans vowed to boycott the film after Sweeney, 27, was accused of promoting “Nazi propaganda” by using a play on the words “genes” and “jeans” in her American Eagle ad.

Amid the backlash, the clothing company released a statement, saying, “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

The “Euphoria” actress recently dodged questions about the ad drama.

Additionally, Sweeney faced backlash from fans after public voter records revealed that she has been registered with the Republican Party of Florida in Monroe County since June 2024.