Thomas Ravenel is leaving Southern Charm.
But he isn’t going away quietly.
The lead cast member on this Bravo reality series has been under fire for weeks after TWO women accused Ravenel of sexual assault.
First, there was a nanny, who was hired to care for Ravenel’s two kids.
She alleges that the wealthy Charleston resident came home after a night out in 2015 and tried to kiss her.
After she left one room of his house and went into another, in an attempt to extricate herself from the awkward situation, Ravenel allegedly followed her, closed a door behind her and dropped his pants.
“He proceeded to rip my clothes off,” the nanny told People Magazine, with insiders confirming Ravenel has been under investigation for “first-degree forcible rape.”
Ravenel, meanwhile, is also accused of raping a woman with whom he went on a date three years ago.
In this instance, the alleged victim’s daughter went on record with how Ravenel reportedly pushed his date onto a bed, grabbed her wrists and “stuck his fingers inside of her vagina as well as her anus.”
Ugly, heinous stuff all around if these accusations are true.
With Southern Charm cast members hesitant to film with Ravenel again and pressure mounting from viewers, the former United States Senate candidate Tweeted the following on Tuesday evening:
I’m not doing the show anymore.
In the contract they have the right to fictionalize your story. They took advantage of me.
I decided I’ve got too much to lose and informed them I’m not coming back.
First: What a pompous statement.
Second: Did Ravenel really quit or was he fired and is now just trying to save his reputation?
Ravenel is owning up to nothing here, instead trying to somehow claim that he’s been portrayed in an unfair manner on the series itself…
… despite these rape allegations having nothing to do with anything we’ve seen on Southern Charm air.
Shortly after the two assault stories came to light, a lawyer for Ravenel said the following:
“My client enjoys a certain degree of fame, which has unfortunately made him a vulnerable target for such claims.
“The person this woman describes is simply not the man that I know. My client is a loving father, successful businessman, and upright member of the community.
“He is appalled and hurt by these allegations – and is committed to defending his reputation in the appropriate legal forum.”
Ravenel did not film the season 5 reunion special, although girlfriend Ashley Jacobs did attend the taping to defend the father of two.
“I have seen a new Thomas,” she said there, explaining in further detail as follows:
“I mean, it’s humbling, of course, and now he’s [like] let’s stay in, let’s watch movies, let’s cook dinner, let’s just stay under the radar right now.
“And I’ve just seen a much softer, more sensitive, kinder, more supportive boyfriend. You know, everyone wants to be with you when you’re on top.
“Who’s with you when you’re down there? And I’ve told him, I’ve just said, I’m not leaving.”
Except that she reportedly did leave… only to come back a very short while later.
Does Jacobs think Ravenel assaulted these women?
No.
Does she think he’ll be cleared of the charges?
“Of course, yes,” she said at the reunion.
“And it’s all hearsay. I mean, he’s not been charged with anything. These are just allegations. It used to be, you know, you’re innocent until proven guilty.
“Now you’re guilty until proven innocent.”