What's Really Going On With Ashley And Kathryn On Southern Charm

Just when you thought Southern Charm couldn't get any more dramatic, longtime cast member Thomas Ravenel began dating a very outspoken nurse from California named Ashley Jacobs. Although Jacobs initially seemed harmless, she soon proved to be anything but charming. Not only did Jacobs move to Charleston, S.C. without a job lined up, but she seemingly made it her mission to butt heads with the mother of Ravenel's two children, Kathryn Dennis. Following a half-hearted attempt at peace, the two ladies fought throughout Season 5. From Jacobs' relentless attacks on Dennis' parenting, to Dennis' claim about Jacobs' alleged work as an escort, the blowouts between these two were nonstop.

Sadly, this battle has allegedly spilled out on social media, and new rumors about their rivalry have since come to light. So, what's really going on with Ashley and Kathryn on Southern Charm? Fair warning, things are about to get dark and twisted.

It's no secret that Kathryn Dennis was court-ordered by Thomas Ravenel to take drug tests to prove her sobriety, an agreement she adhered to throughout their custody battle. But what fans don't know about the situation is Ashley Jacobs' supposed influence on Dennis' drug testing. Southern Charm co-star Patricia Altschul, who was once close friends with Ravenel, claims Jacobs increased the frequency of Dennis' tests as a form of abuse.

Altschul made the shocking allegation during a July 2018 episode of Reality Checked: "And from what I was told, [Kathryn] would have drug tests like every three weeks, and then when Ashley came on the scene she was making her have drug tests three times a week," Altschul claimed, calling the frequency of testing "sadistic." Talk about a scary accusation, right?

Although it's unclear if Jacobs actually had a say in the testing, it's obvious Dennis is doing better than ever. She reportedly hasn't failed a drug test since losing custody of her children, and she now shares 50/50 custody with Ravenel.

There's no denying Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel have chemistry, even though they're no longer an item. One might think that Ashley Jacobs would feel upset or threatened by the exes' electric dynamic, but she supposedly could care less. Want proof? Look no further than Jacobs' weird exchange with Andy Cohen about the matter during the Season 5 reunion. When Cohen asks Jacobs if she felt offended when Ravenel told Dennis — in her presence — "I love you" in French, Jacobs responds, "It didn't bother me. I was standing right there." Say what?

Castmember Shep Rose, who was present for the bizarre conversation, was taken aback by Jacobs' unconcerned reaction to the inappropriate flirting. "That's got to affect you. You're a human being," Rose said. But Jacobs wouldn't budge on the issue. "I'm not insecure," she said. "I know he's coming home with me. I don't care."

As for Dennis, she summed up the strange situation perfectly when she told Cohen: "I felt extremely awkward." We feel you, girl.

Thomas Ravenel and Kathryn Dennis haven't let the drama with Ashley Jacobs affect their co-parenting situation with Kensington and Saint, a fact that's pretty admirable given the tough circumstances. 

Just six months after Dennis and Jacobs' public fight at PatriciaAltschul's winter bash, the parents posed for a picture at Kensington's dance recital. "What matters most? My daughter's happiness," Dennis captioned the June 2018 shot. "#thisiscoparenting #herfirstdancerecital #proudmom."

But wait — that's not all. Ravenel also shared an adorable video of the two dancing to Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" while their children watched. "@kathryndennis & I having fun on Sunday with the kids," he captioned the funny post. 

It seems the only person not happy with the co-parenting dynamic is Jacobs, who questioned Dennis' request to take Christmas photos with Ravenel and their kids. "I looked at him, I was like, 'You need to start setting some boundaries right now, friend, otherwise I'm not staying here,'" Jacobs recalled on Bravo's after show.

One of the most troubling things about Kathryn Dennis and Ashley Jacobs' feud is their accusations of cyberbullying. Both women allege they've been harassed and intimidated via fake social media accounts supposedly created by one another, despite the fact that there's no proof to back up these claims. 

The good news: Dennis isn't letting the drama get to her anymore, as evidenced by the #HiAshley movement. Dennis uses the cheeky hashtag on Twitter whenever she receives a mean message from a suspicious account. The hashtag even caught the attention of Southern Charm fan Chrissy Teigen, who found it hilarious. The hashtag became so popular that Dennis started a line of #HiAshley T-shirts with the help of co-star Danni Baird. "It's become the new #byefelicia..." Dennis said (via the Inquisitr). She added, "The shirt is meant to be a joke, but also, a call to action in a way to decry any and all fake accounts because they are everywhere!"

As for the real Ashley? She apparently doesn't find the hashtag funny. "I don't get the entire #HiAshley movement. I do NOT use troll accounts with which to hate other people," she said on Instagram Stories (via All About The Tea). "I use my personal account as a platform to defend against hate itself. With respect to my past indefensible and hateful behavior, I am only allowed to say STAY TUNED..."

When Kathryn Dennis and Ashley Jacobs had their dramatic head-to-head at Patricia Altschul's season finale party, a lot of hurtful words were thrown around. Jacobs referred to Dennis as a "baby mama," while Dennis called Jacobs a "psycho." Let's just say the heated exchange wasn't pretty, so it's not shocking that Dennis is guarded about her kiddos. "I won't accept her being around our children again," she told Thomas Ravenel following the showdown, a sentiment Ravenel seemed to agree with at the time.

Did Dennis follow through with her stipulation about Jacobs and the kids? It looks like the answer is yes, considering there are no recent photos of the kids Jacobs' Instagram to date. It's unclear at this time if Jacobs is actually allowed to spend time with Kensington and Saint, but she reportedly wasn't happy when she was denied an invite to the party Ravenel and Dennis threw for Saint's 2nd birthday.

Ashley Jacobs may know how to hit Kathryn Dennis where it hurts, a notion fans witnessed when she minimized Dennis' role as a mother in the Season 5 finale. "You're nothing but an egg donor," Jacobs told her. Ouch! 

Following the upsetting comment, fans took to social media to bash Jacobs, but if you're assuming Jacobs backtracked on her remark to save face, think again. She actually doubled down in an after show interview with Bravo. "Just because you...push something out of your vagina, it doesn't mean you're a mother. I'm sorry," Jacobs said. "Mothering is loving, and caring, and protecting these children. Kathryn is all talk. I want to see her actually do what she's saying she's going to do. And I hope for her sobriety and that she maintains that for the sake of the children..." 

So now that we're clear on that, I guess it's up to you to decide if the jab hits below the belt. 

After suffering in silence for years, Kathryn Dennis decided to open up about her depression in an episode on Season 5. The difficult admission came to light after Dennis' friends questioned why she went MIA for a week without any explanation. When castmate Danni Baird chided Dennis for disappearing, she replied, "...I have been on meds for a while now, dealing with, like, depression. And as far as, like, living sober and being happy that way, I've been doing well, I've got a job now. I thought to myself, 'I don't need these.' So I just stopped taking them and I didn't really realize, like, how it would affect me, and it really did..." 

Coincidentally (or perhaps not coincidentally): Ashley Jacobs shared an emotional post on social media about her battles with anxiety just hours before Dennis' confession aired. Jacobs said she "struggled with severe anxiety related to stress. I was completely overwhelmed with moving across the country, leaving my family and friends, being in a new relationship, not having my nursing license, oh and being on a reality TV show!" she shared on Instagram. "I made these choices and I take complete accountability for them. What I lacked was proper coping mechanisms..."

We're all for discussing and destigmatizing mental health issues, but the timing of that discussion was interesting, don't you think?

After Kathryn Dennis gave birth to Kensington in March 2014, she lived with Thomas Ravenel at his plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The experience was reportedly a lonely one for Dennis because she was far away from her loved ones in Charleston, and she had no support system to help her out with motherhood. Ravenel's plantation holds a lot of bad memories for Dennis, to put it mildly, and she opened up about some of those feelings when she returned to the plantation in a Season 5 episode. 

Things took a bizarre turn, however, when Ashley Jacobs started posting a series of happy shots from the plantation shortly before that episode aired. Fans couldn't help but find the timing of the pictures a bit odd, and some alleged Jacobs shared the pics just to get a rise out of Dennis. A source supposedly close to Jacobs confirmed this theory, telling All About The Tea: "Ashley has been taunting Kathryn with all the plantation social media pics. She loves pushing Kathryn's misery back in her face." 

Eek! We hope this rumor isn't true. It's all a bit too juvenile for our taste.

An outsider to Southern Charm might wonder what's at the heart of Kathryn Dennis and Ashley Jacobs' epic beef. Although it's totally normal for a person to dislike their ex's new partner, this feud seems especially bitter and tumultuous. So, what's the deal here? The new theory — courtesy of Patricia Altschul — is that Jacobs is obsessed with Dennis. 

Altschul, who is no longer friends with Jacobs, expanded on her hypothesis in a July 2018 interview with Radio Andy. Describing a dinner date with Jacobs, Altschul said, "For an hour and a half, [Ashley] did nothing but talk about Kathryn — Kathryn and the nanny, Kathryn's mother, Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn." She added, "And I never said a word the entire time ... She clearly was obsessed."

To be fair, it's totally possible that is so-called obsession is mutual. At least on the reality show, both Dennis and Jacobs seem hung up on their bitter feud. 

Considering Ashley Jacobs and Thomas Ravenel are still together as of July 2018, it's reasonable for fans to wonder where they stand with Kathryn Dennis following the explosive Season 5 finale. 

Although it appears Ravenel and Dennis are getting along for the sake of their kids, don't hold out hope for a reconciliation with Jacobs. When a producer asked Dennis if she'd ever accept an apology from Jacobs, she replied, "Honestly, no. Its been five months or so since the last time she has spoken to me. Not a single apology. Not an acknowledgement of anything at all. And to me that just signals someone who's not here for the right reasons, or gives a s**t about our family..."

Jacobs, on the other hand, is apparently holding out hope that the two will one day be able to see eye-to-eye. When asked about the state of their relationship, she said, "...I think [Kathryn is] still waiting for me to leave. And I don't think she wants to invest too much into something that she doesn't think is going to be there." Jacobs added, "But I'd love to have lunch with her."