Tom Schwartz Taking a Break from Tom Sandoval, Says They Haven't Spoken

Tom Schwartz seemed to be one of the only folks sticking by Tom Sandoval's side in the wake of the affair but now, even he's taking a step away ... saying he hasn't seen or spoken to his pal in a while.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star was on Wednesday's episode of "When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany", and he got candid about where things stand with his longtime buddy and business partner ... now that the whole 'Scandoval' has hit the fan.

Schwartz tells the hosts, he pretty much felt caught in the middle of the entire thing and became an "unfortunate confidant" for Sandoval while he was having an affair ... but that's no longer the case.

He made it clear, he feels super-exploited by someone he called a friend ... adding, he hasn't seen or spoken to Sandoval in quite some time. Schwartz says he still loves Sandoval but the bottom line is, he can't support what he did.

It doesn't sound like the Toms are on great terms right now ... because Schwartz flat-out says Sandoval made a huge mess and needs to take more accountability for his actions. He also added, Sandoval needs to drop his ego and apologize without making up excuses.

As you know, Sandoval has come under fire since word got out he was cheating with his girlfriend of 10 years, Ariana Madix, with their friend/costar Raquel Leviss.

Up until this point, Schwartz was one of the few people to maintain a friendship with Sandoval ... despite other castmates pressuring him to cut him off.

You'll recall, things got super messy when the other 'VPR' stars found out Schwartz may have known more about the affair than he led on.