Dark Secrets The Cast Of Southern Charm Tried To Hide
Out of all the reality series on Bravo, Southern Charm might be the network's most explosive project. For starters, every single member of the cast has a knack for drama. A perfect example of this phenomenon is Kathryn Dennis, who hooked up with castmate Thomas Ravenel — a failed politician about 29 years her senior — in Season 1 of the show. The romance resulted in a string of explosive flights, two unplanned pregnancies, and a heart-wrenching custody battle. Phew, we're tired just thinking about that tumultuous pairing.
Of course, Dennis and Ravenel aren't the only cast members on the series who know how to stir the pot in Charleston, S.C., and if you're wondering why this group of friends (or frenemies) is so volatile, look no further than its treasure trove of stunning secrets. Most of the turmoil on the show stems from the cast's attempts to hide damaging secrets from one another and the public, a plight that often ends in disaster rather than success. Just look at longtime star Craig Conover's effort in Season 1 to conceal the fact he didn't graduate law school with his class — a lie that blew up in his face just a few seasons later. Although the fib was bad enough, it was Conover's repeated efforts to bury the truth that earned him so much backlash.
So, what other dark secrets did the cast of Southern Charm try to hide? We're ready to spill the tea, y'all.
Conover's law school lies
Craig Conover wasn't kidding when he called himself a "great liar" in Season 5. Want proof? Look no further than his many lies about his so-called aspirations to be a lawyer. Not only did Conover fib about graduating from law school on time (he didn't turn in his thesis paper), but he also deceived cast members about his bar exam. Conover couldn't take the bar exam because he didn't receive his law degree, a fact he desperately tried to hide throughout the series' earlier seasons. Oh, boy. Maybe Conover should familiarize himself with the phrase, "a lie begets a lie."
Conover's kingdom of untruths came crashing down shortly after he enlisted fellow castmate, Shep Rose, to help him with his bar exam application. Conover, who pretended he could take the bar at the time, even had Rose prepare the app for mailing. When Bravo host Andy Cohen later asked Rose what made him most angry about the elaborate ruse, he replied, "I sat there with him and like basically co-signed the bar application, we stuffed it in an envelope, and I was like, 'Where the hell did that letter go to?'"
Conover was forced to admit his deception at the Season 3 reunion. The upside: He did eventually finish his thesis paper and take the test, which he passed.
Conover's trouble with a bicyclist
After Craig Conover's law school lies were exposed, fans hoped the experience would teach him a thing or two about the importance of honesty. As it turns out, Conover may not have learned much from the scandal. Case in point: He didn't fill viewers in when a local cyclist sued him in April 2017 for damages related to a biking accident.
In legal documents obtained by The Island Packet, a man named Corey Hamilton accused Conover of hitting him with his car on April 28, 2014. Conover was backing out of his driveway at the time of the alleged incident, and the police report taken at the scene stated the reality star "stopped and used a horn to gain attention during the backing procedure and was unable to see (Hamilton)." The report also said Hamilton's bike did not include proper illumination gear.
Although Hamilton refused medical treatment at the time, he sued Conover three years later for punitive damages. "Plaintiff has suffered injuries that have caused, and may in the future cause, Plaintiff to incur one of more of the following elements of damage: a. physical pain; b. suffering; c. loss of enjoyment of life; and d. medical expenses," the lawsuit stated. Hmm.
Luckily for Conover, the lawsuit was dismissed in August 2018, but for whatever reason, the reality star never seemed to mention the lawsuit on the show.
Did J.D. Madison skip out on rent?
It's no secret J.D. Madison fancies himself to be a skilled businessman, and to be fair, Madison did a great job convincing viewers of his financial prowess on Southern Charm. Fans watched Madison build his own line of liquor, Gentry Bourbon, and he was often filmed at his popular restaurant, The Gentry Bar & Room. What Madison's story of success conveniently left out was his alleged failure to pay $163,233 in unpaid rent to The Gentry's landlord. Oops.
The claims broke after The Gentry suddenly closed in September 2017. In a statement to the Charleston City Paper, Madison said the bar was relocating. "The ownership of the building changed hands and when that happened the option for lease renewal became increasingly difficult," he said, making relocation a "necessity." Madison's landlord, however, argued that the reality star was booted for unpaid rent. A representative for the property owner said in a statement to the Charleston City Paper: "By no fault of the landlord, the tenant became seriously delinquent on his rent."
It sounds like Madison has some explaining to do...
Kathryn Dennis was a rebellious teen
It's no secret many teenagers experiment with alcohol, a concept Kathryn Dennis is all too familiar with given her 2012 arrest for underage drinking and disorderly conduct at age 20. That news — along with Dennis' arguably pretty mugshot — hit the internet in April 2014. Fans may be confused about why Dennis never discussed this legal snafu on Southern Charm.
We suspect she didn't want to further tarnish her already damaged reputation. Some people might remember her struggles with addiction issues in the show's earlier seasons, and she lost primary custody of her two kids following a failed drug test. Prior to Dennis' reversal of fortune in Season 5, the general consensus about her was largely negative. Why would she want to give people another reason to dislike her, right?
The good news: Dennis' rebellious days seem to be in the past. She regained 50/50 custody of her kiddos in July 2018 and has reportedly maintained a sober lifestyle. Bravo, girl.
Kathryn Dennis' drug test cover-up
At the Southern Charm Season 3 reunion, Thomas Ravenel and former cast member Landon Clements accused Kathryn Dennis of failing a court-ordered drug test. Although Clements urged Ravenel to "show some documents" during the taping, Dennis repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Sadly, it turns out she lied about those results, either to save face or because she was in denial about her addiction issues. Court documents obtained by All About The Tea revealed Dennis tested positive for marijuana and cocaine, while Ravenel's results came back negative.
Dennis eventually copped to the failed test after a trip to rehab in the summer of 2016, and she opened up about the painful truth in the second episode of Season 4. "Not only embarrassed — humiliated and ashamed," Dennis said during a confessional on the show. "I mean, all of those, combined. It's the most disappointed that I have ever felt in myself in my entire life."
As the old saying goes, the truth will set you free. Following Dennis' admission, she was able to turn her life around and, to date, she's doing much better.
Cameran Eubanks' husband got in trouble with the law
Considering Cameran Eubanks' husband, Jason Wimberly, is an esteemed anesthesiologist, we bet she wasn't pleased when his DUI arrest came to light in May 2017. Not only was the arrest embarrassing in itself, but the details of the ordeal didn't paint Wimberly in a very flattering light.
Here's what went down: Sometime in 2012, Charleson police allegedly caught Wimberly making an illegal U-Turn at a red light. Officers then witnessed Wimberly careen into a food restaurant parking lot, where he "drove over the curb and missed striking the restaurant's sign by a matter of inches," according to the police report (per Radar Online). When the police questioned Wimberly about his suspicious behavior, they noticed he had "bloodshot watery eyes," "slurred speech," and "the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his mouth as he spoke." Uh-oh.
In a not-so-surprising twist, Wimberly failed field sobriety tests and was subsequently arrested for three traffic violations, including "reckless driving with alcohol." Wimberly, who married Eubanks two years after the arrest, pleaded no contest to reckless driving.
Ravenel's Hamptons bust
Thomas Ravenel was never been one to conceal his legal woes, including his highly-publicized indictment in September 2007 for federal cocaine distribution charges. Heck, he even poked fun at his questionable character in a political ad that shows him eyeing a bunch of young women, then joining them in some sort of creepy dance party. "I'll raise the roof, but I won't raise your taxes," he tells voters.
Interestingly enough, Ravenel was uncharacteristically tight-lipped about his DWI arrest in the Hamptons in July 2013. The police report alleged Ravenel's "breath smelled strongly of an odor of an alcoholic beverage, his eyes were red and glassy, he was unsteady on his feet, he failed several roadside sobriety tests," according to The Post and Courier.
Although Ravenel probably hoped the bust would remain under wraps, he was forced to address the situation when the news became public. "When I'm wrong I admit it — and make it right. That's what Thomas Ravenel does," he told The Post and Courier. He then denied that he'd done anything wrong, claiming he had "a beer at the club and a glass of wine prior to that at dinner." Ravenel stressed, "I was not drunk, and I look forward to making my case in court."
Hold up — did Ravenel just refer to himself in third person? Either way, The Post and Courier reported that Ravenel pleaded guilty "to one misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated."
Ravenel has been accused of sexual assault
One the most troubling secrets about the Southern Charm cast concerns the sexual assault accusations against Thomas Ravenel. Real estate agent Ashley Perkins alleged to People in May 2018 that her mom, Debbie Holloway Perkins, was sexually assaulted by Ravenel sometime in December 2015, following a Tinder date. It's important to note Ravenel vehemently denies Ashley and Debbie's allegations.
Although the details regarding the alleged assault aren't secret, there's possible evidence that Ravenel intended to keep the situation hush-hush. Just ask Ashley, who claims Ravenel paid Debbie a whopping settlement in exchange for her silence. "They ended up settling for $200,000," Ashley told People at the time, claiming Debbie was unable to speak out about the alleged incident because she "signed a non-disclosure agreement." If that claim is true, it means Ravenel actively tried to hide this dark moment in his past. Unfortunately, that's not all.
Not long after Debbie and Ashley's story surfaced, a woman who'd worked as a nanny for Ravenel's children "filed a police report charging him with forcible rape" in 2015, reported Page Six.
Ravenel has reportedly denied all the allegations and quit Southern Charm, claiming the show "took advantage of me."
The truth about Whitney Sudler-Smith's documentary
When Southern Charm first premiered in April 2014, Whitney Sudler-Smith, the show's creator and one of its stars, credited himself as an accomplished filmmaker. While it's true Sudler-Smith did direct Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston – a documentary about '70s fashion icon Halston (aka Roy Halston Frowick), that project wasn't as well received as Sudler-Smith would have you believe.
"I think the results were slightly mixed, but overall I think it's a fun, solid film," Sudler-Smith told The Daily Dish. In reality, "slightly mixed" was a generous assessment of the film's reception because the 2010 doc was generally panned by critics. The Los Angeles Times called it a "self-indulgent pilgrimage to the shrine of '70s fabulousness" that "falls far short of its stated goal" and "trivialized" Halston's life.
Hey, at least Sudler-Smith had fun making the flick.