‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Katie Maloney Is Spotted at Dinner With Love Island USA’s Connor Newsum
Vanderpump Rules star Katie Maloney and Love Island USA islander Connor Newsum could be on their way to being a match made in reality TV heaven.
Us Weekly can exclusively reveal that Katie, 37, and Connor, 28, were seen at Laurel Tavern, a restaurant in Studio City, California, on Tuesday, July 31. According to a source, the duo got a table in the corner and weren’t joined by anyone else. The source notes that Katie “looked amazing’ during the low-key outing.
The unexpected pairing has Us thinking that Katie’s costar — and Love Island USA host — Ariana Madix might have played matchmaker after returning from filming the competition series in Fiji earlier this month.
Connor was eliminated from Love Island USA after making brief connections with JaNa Craig and Leah Kateb. As Leah grew closer to Miguel Harichi — whom she ended the season with — she chose him over Connor when it was time to recouple.
After leaving the villa, Connor revealed to Us that he was in contact with Cass Laudano.
“She got out and I was like, ‘Hey, so what’s up?’ We’ve been texting and, maybe, potentially making some light plans,” he shared earlier this month. “We got along really well. We had a lot in common. We had a few conversations that were just really easy and we work in the same career field. … We just had a lot of similar interests, love for animals. I think everyone saw that weird fishing conversation we had when I was making her grilled cheese. Just random stuff like that. She’s really easy to talk to, she’s gorgeous and just fun to be around.”
As VPR fans know, Katie was married to Tom Schwartz for six years, finalizing their divorce in 2022. Katie has since said she had no regrets about ending her marriage.
“I was not asking for the world. I was asking for somebody to show up for me and they couldn’t. Over and over and over again. It just became a voice that became louder and louder and I couldn’t deny it anymore,” she said during the September 2023 episode of the “Almost Adulting” podcast. “It was over months — a period of months — and I just got to a point where I was like I need to get real with myself and real with him. I kind of just knew it. I became emotionally withdrawn. I still loved him but the love between us — that connection — that romance was not there anymore.”
The Bravo star recalled making the difficult decision after getting to a better place with herself, adding “I never felt prioritized. He didn’t really have my back or defend me or make me fell supported or heard. I just wanted that validation from him. So I made myself smaller in ways. I lost myself. I was a shell of a woman.”
Katie added: “It took me working on myself in general — not really because of all of that — but I wasn’t feeling great in my body and in general. I wanted to boost my own confidence and just started working on myself.”
