Bravo will still not go on the record to say that Thomas Ravenel has been fired from Southern Charm , but they also won’t say that Thomas is returning for another season of the hit show. Now a production source has told Radar Online that Ravenel has been banned from the Southern Charm Season 5 reunion.
Ravenel had planned to shoot the Southern Charm reunion with the rest of the cast in New York next week, but he was asked by the production company to stay in Charleston. As an explanation about why Thomas was not at the reunion, the network planned to announce that the former politician was not returning to the series, but that information leaked last week.
A source close to the show confirmed that Ravenel is not welcome at the reunion as a result of the police investigation into the rape and sexual assault accusations.
“Thomas is not invited to the reunion. With everything going on, it seemed better to the execs not to have him there.”
This information has been confirmed by two cast members who said Ravenel is not attending the reunion, but it’s possible that his current girlfriend will make an appearance.
Before the production company made the decision to pull the plug on Thomas’ invite to the reunion, at least two cast members had said they didn’t want to participate if Ravenel was attending.
Thomas was already in peril after picking a fight on social media with Southern Charm grande dame Patricia Altschul, but his current legal problems have sealed his fate. Ravenel’s behavior, as well as that of his girlfriend in Hilton Head (as seen on the episode “Hilton Head-ache”), turned the cast and Mrs. Altschul against Ravenel and his plus one for good.
After the dramatic episode aired, fans asked Patricia if she was still in contact with Ravenel, and she tweeted her response.
“And people wonder if we are still their allies……we blocked # AshleyJacobs and # ThomasRavenel from all social media and from our lives.”
But those really “in the know” know that what really played a role in Ravenel’s ouster was his treatment of Altschul family friend Luzanne Otte, a Los Angeles attorney who dated Thomas briefly after being introduced by Altschul, says Daily Mail . In an interview, Otte explained that she broke things off with Ravenel after he exhibited violent behavior and spoke ill of the mother of his children, Kathryn Dennis.
Otte explains that months later, she started reading her name in gossip blogs in quotes attributed to Ravenel and his current girlfriend making wild accusations. The girlfriend was reportedly upset that Thomas had asked her first to move to Charleston for the season of Southern Charm , and declined the offer, making her the second choice.
“Thomas and Ashley Jacobs had been posting my first name all over social media for a few days. 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 [Ravenel’s current girlfriend]. 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.”
Sadly, the level of the threats online increased to the point that law enforcement agencies were contacted, adding to the level of investigation into Ravenel and his cohorts.
“To address the reckless and scurrilous character assassination, I sent an Order to Cease and Desist to Thomas, Ashley Jacobs, and All About the Tea in February. To address the criminal issues, I have reported multiple incidents to law enforcement agencies, and can prove it.”
The Charleston police are continuing the investigation into the accusations against Thomas Ravenel, and legal action on behalf of Otte also continues, which likely contributed to the decision to keep Ravenel away from the reunion.