The Southern Charm Drama You Don't See On TV
Southern Charm is arguably one of the most engrossing reality television shows on Bravo. One reason for that is because many of the cast members are friends (or at least frenemies) off camera, which means their drama continues between seasons.Those who aren't buddies with one another are still forced to interact post-filming, thanks to the small-town vibes of Charleston, S.C. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?
Unsurprisingly, most of the cast's not-so-charming drama goes down on social media, and eagle-eyed fans are more than happy to collect screenshots as evidence. From cast member Austen Kroll calling out his exes on Instagram to Kathryn Dennis' Twitter war with Thomas Ravenel's ex-girlfriend, Ashley Jacobs, the internet is a gold mine for off-screen shenanigans. The best part? This cast has been exceedingly transparent with fans, regularly spilling the tea to anyone brave enough to ask the right questions. In short: this kind of candor is what fangirl dreams are made of, so pour yourself a glass of sweet tea and get ready for all of the Southern Charm drama you don't see on TV.
Austen Kroll's takes a cheap shot at ex Chelsea Meissner
Friendly exes Austen Kroll and Chelsea Meissner love to present a united front on camera. In fact, the two professed their mutual admiration for one another during an emotional meet-up in Season 5. "You're, like, one of my best friends," Meissner told Kroll on the show. "You know that I feel the same way about you, Chelsea," Kroll responded.
Considering the former lovers clearly care about one another, fans wondered why Kroll seemed to take a shot at Meissner on June 24, 2018, just a few days after their heartwarming exchange aired. It all started when Kroll shared a photo of himself pretending to propose to girlfriend Madison LeCroy with a ring-shaped balloon. "Found this balloon in an alleyway outside of brunch," Kroll captioned the shot. "Figured it was now or never."
Following the post, a fan took Kroll to task for not sealing the deal with Meissner when he had the chance. "It's only exhausting because you don't want to do the work necessary to get Chelsea," the fan wrote in the since-deleted comment (via Reality Tea.) "You are ok to settle for the lowest hanging fruit..."
Instead of brushing the comment off, Kroll responded with: "I need a woman with a sex drive." Wow, he went there, didn't he?
The makings of the #HiAshley movement
If you're a Southern Charm fan on Twitter, there's a good chance you caught wind of the #HiAshley hashtag, but what exactly is the purpose of #HiAshley? Essentially, longtime cast member Kathryn Dennis created the hashtag to throw shade at Thomas Ravenel's then-girlfriend and her rival, Ashley Jacobs. Dennis was inspired to use the cheeky hashtag after she received a nasty message in June 2018 from a new Twitter account that only had a few followers. Dennis insinuated Jacobs was the troll behind the account by simply responding, "Hi Ashley."
Dennis went on to use the funny reply in response to other suspicious messages, and soon #HiAshley became the battle cry of her supporters on Twitter. In fact, model Chrissy Teigen even got in on the action. When Dennis asked her followers if #HiAshley is the new #ByeFelicia, Teigen tweeted, "Stopppppp is she making fake accounts, i die." Yep, Teigen is a major Southern Charm fan. Who knew? But wait — that's not all. Fellow cast member Patricia Altschul, who had written off Dennis in earlier seasons, also got on the #HiAshley train. Drama.
As for Jacobs' take on this mess? She denies making fake accounts. "#HiAshley= is an attempt to frighten into silence any dissenting voice (facts be damned) that doesn't agree with the narrative that I'm crazy and @kathryndennis and @PatAltschul are perfect and beyond reproach," Jacobs argued in a since-deleted tweet (via Taste of Reality).
Why Patricia Altschul really forgave Kathryn Dennis
It's no secret that Patricia Altschul and Kathryn Dennis' friendship had a rocky start. Altschul often took Thomas Ravenel's side over Dennis' throughout their tumultuous relationship, and she once called the mother of two a "shameless strumpet." Ouch. Given Altschul and Dennis' bitter history, one would assume their relationship would never get back on track. Everything changed, however, when Altschul invited Dennis to her glamorous winter ball in the Season 5 finale. At the ritzy fête, the two had a heart-to-heart and put aside their differences, but why?
Altschul tweeted that she'd been told Dennis "had gotten her life back on track and had been sober for quite some time. I had seen it for myself from watching the show and I no longer believed the lies Thomas and Ashley [Jacobs] had been telling me about her."
Altschul and Dennis have continued their friendship post-filming. Not only does Altschul retweet positive messages about Dennis, but she also defended her against Jacobs' tirades, calling the latter's comments about Dennis' parenting "unspeakably cruel." Here's to a new chapter of camaraderie between Altschul and Dennis. These two have come a long way.
Luzanne Otte allegedly lawyers up against some high-profile trolls
One of the most shocking behind-the-scenes dramas of Season 5 concerned Thomas Ravenel and Ashley Jacob's feud with Patricia Altschul's friend, Luzanne Otte. Essentially, Altschul set up Otte — a Harvard graduate and California lawyer — with Ravenel, and the two went on eight dates in 2017. The relationship soured, however, when Ravenel asked Otte to move to South Carolina to film Southern Charm. After Otte declined, Ravenel accused her of cheating (via the Daily Mail), and that was the end of their love story. What's especially interesting is the rumor that Ravenel dumped Jacobs to court Otte, and once Jacobs found out she was Ravenel's second choice, she allegedly made it her mission to defame Otte via cyberbullying.
"It all started in late January ... Thomas and Ashley Jacobs had been posting my first name all over social media for a few days," Otte claimed to FITSNews. "The first time I saw my first and last name in print was on a gossip blog, administered by a friend of Thomas and Ashley. This continued over and over again, and I was being accused of stalking and wanting a relationship with Thomas. Neither of those things were true."
In response to the alleged harassment, Otte retained the legal services of famed attorney L. Lin Wood. "The physical threats have been the most frightening, but the accounts created to impersonate and mock my family have been the most painful," Otte said.
Thomas Ravenel gets blocked by the 'queen of Southern gentility'
Patricia Altschul's son, Whitney Sudler-Smith, and Thomas Ravenel were close friends before Southern Charm became a hit. Given their long history, some fans might be surprised to learn that the two aren't on speaking terms anymore. Altschul dropped this major bomb in June 2018, when a fan asked where she and Sudler-Smith stood with Ravenel following the jaw-dropping Season 5 finale. "Neither Whitney nor myself have a relationship ... and haven't for quite some time," Altschul tweeted.
Fans caught a whiff of this drama back in April 2018, when Ravenel bashed Altschul for blocking him on Instagram and Twitter. "The queen of Southern gentility and the recent author on Southern etiquette has blocked me from Twitter and IG. Just FYI," he told his followers in a since-deleted Instagram comment (via Reality Blurb). Bitter much?
So, what led to Ravenel's falling out with these two? Look no further than then-girlfriend Ashley Jacobs' supposed harassment of Altschul's close pal, the aforementioned Luzanne Otte. In a June 2018 tweet, Altschul implied that Jacobs allegedly "cyberbullied" Otte due to her "obsessiveness and insecurity." Dang.
Kroll's wild claims against his ex-girlfriend
Austen Kroll can't keep his mouth shut about his exes. Case in point: Just six months after Kroll broke up with Season 5 girlfriend Victoria Bolyard, he took to Instagram to accuse her of erratic behavior. Kroll alleged that after Bolyard flipped out because he'd remained friendly with ex-girlfriend Chelsea Meissner. "After she threw the drink on me, she followed me home and threw a rock through my window and I had to call the cops," Kroll supposedly told a fan. "That was the third time she's had similar freak outs." Yikes — Kroll might need a refresher on the old adage, "Silence is golden."
When Bolyard caught wind of Kroll's dig, she reportedly shot back with a jab of her own. "I was the one girl who didn't cheat on him or blow up his character flaws on national TV but he still chooses animosity toward me," she cryptically posted on Instagram (via Reality Blurb). Uh-oh — did Bolyard insinuate that Meissner cheated on Kroll? If it's true, this tea is piping hot...
Rose and Dennis hooked up more than you thought
Fans who ship Shep Rose and Kathryn Dennis will want to sit down for this one. The friends — who admitted to having hooked up in the past — actually did the dirty together "six or seven" times. Rose shared the shocking truth during a July 2018 episode of Andy Cohen's late-night show, Watch What Happens Live. "We met at one of my bars and we had a couple drinks and it was just on fire again," Rose confessed. Ooh la la.
Rose also revealed that he'd consider taking his relationship with Dennis to the next level. "We've never been on a date," he told Cohen. "[But] I would go on a date with her!"
Supporters of these friends with benefits will be thrilled to learn that Dennis is also open to the idea of a romance with Rose. "I still play with the idea because I don't know ... we have good sex, whatever," she says on an episode. "And he's cute and fun." Adorbs.
Kroll, LeCroy, and those 'bumps' in the road
If you want more proof that Austen Kroll has a difficult time maintaining romantic relationships, look no further than the rumor that he cheated on Madison LeCroy. The sordid drama reportedly went down in spring 2018, when Kroll enjoyed a night out on the town with two local women. The fun outing apparently took a turn for the scandalous when Kroll allegedly "quit responding" to LeCroy's text messages, a source told FITSNews. LeCroy then "showed up at his house early the next morning" to have it out about the radio silence. When she arrived at his home, she supposedly found the ladies in his bedroom. Yup.
One of the women reportedly filmed the explosive confrontation that ensued between LeCroy and Kroll, and in the video, he calls LeCroy an "insane person" for interrogating his guests. "I will remove you from this house physically if I have to," he hollers at her.
LeCroy has since moved on from the dramatic event. "Like every relationship — we have went through a few bumps in the road to get where we are now," she told a fan on Instagram in July 2018 (via Reality Blurb). "A video taken several months ago, while we weren't in a relationship is showing one side of a story, this will not tear us apart. We chose to forgive, forget and move forward with a fresh start." Interesting.
Rumor has it that Ravenel filmed a scandalous tape
The season two reunion of Southern Charm reached a dramatic conclusion when Kathryn Dennis accused Thomas Ravenel of participating in a sex tape with a "lesbian" (via the Daily News). Although Ravenel denied the accusation, the rumor persists.
FITSNews reported in July 2018 that the woman in the supposed sex tape was a "34-year-old Army veteran" who might have had sexual relations with a few politicians in the South Carolina area. Ravenel allegedly hooked up with the mystery woman on Halloween 2015, and they supposedly continued seeing each other into December 2015. It's possible there's video of the alleged Halloween rendezvous and one of a prior encounter, according to FITSNews. Not to mention, anonymous sources supposedly have screenshots of the taped trysts.
Of course, there's no way to determine if this story is legitimate, but it goes without saying that Ravenel's reputation can't take another scandal.
Elizabeth Madison didn't appreciate her friend's 'help'
Naomie Olindo, who dated Southern Charm star Craig Conover for three years, is no stranger to stirring up drama on the show. Fans witnessed this in Season 5, when she took cast member J.D. Madison to task for allegedly cheating on his wife (and her friend), Elizabeth Madison.
Strangely enough, Elizabeth didn't appreciate Olindo's support. "For J.D. to be attacked like that is not acceptable," Elizabeth told The Daily Dish. "It was an unprovoked attack at a very inappropriate place." According to Elizabeth, "Naomie took some things I had shared with her in private and mixed them with lies, rumors, and her own personal judgments to cast J.D. in a negative light."
Olindo defended her decision to confront J.D., telling The Daily Dish: "It's one thing if this is what you choose, but why would you throw me under the bus and discredit what I did? ... it's so crazy to me that now it's like she's trying to rewrite history." Well, it sounds like these ladies will just have to agree to disagree.