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Thomas Ravenel Says He Quit ‘Southern Charm’ Amid Sexual Assault Claims: “They Fictionalized My Story”
Reality star Thomas Ravenel is a fixture on the Bravo show Southern Charm, but on Aug. 14, he revealed that he quit the show. Three months after two women accused him of sexual assault, he has taken to Twitter to announce the news.
“I’m not doing the show anymore,” Thomas said in a tweet on his private account, discovered by People. “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.”
Thomas is still being investigated by police for allegedly pinning down a Tinder date on his on a bed and putting his penis in her face in Dec. 2015, and earlier that same year, he allegedly undressed his nanny without her consent. His girlfriend Ashley Jacobs made it clear she’s standing by him on the show’s reunion, which he didn’t attend.
“I’ve told him, I’ve just said, I’m not leaving. And it’s all hearsay,” she said. “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.” Here are the details on the two-part scandal…
Ashley Perkins’ allegations
On May 3, People published allegations aired by real estate agent Ashley Perkins, who says Thomas assaulted her mother, Debbie Holloway Perkins, in December 2015 after meeting her on Tinder. Ashley said Thomas took Debbie to his house and showed her the guest house where his nanny and children stay, telling her that’s where he spied his girlfriend cheating on him.
Thomas with ex-girlfriend Kathryn Dennis (Photo Credit: Bravo)
“That’s when he turned on her,” Ashley shared. “He pushes my mom onto the nanny’s bed, grabs her wrist with one hand, then he starts trying to pull her pants off. And she’s like ‘No, no, no, stop.’ He stuck his fingers inside of her vagina, as well as her anus. She told me that he held her hands back with one arm and then pulled his penis out and shoved it in her face.”
After Debbie screamed at him to stop, he got off her and drove her home, even admitting to driving drunk, Ashley claimed. The 29-year-old also said her mother hired famed attorney Gloria Allred — before eventually settling with Thomas for $200,000. And the only reason Ashley could say anything was that she realized she wasn’t subject to the nondisclosure agreement her mother signed.
“This is bigger than my mom,” Ashley explained. “This is bigger than me. I would like to let … other women know that Thomas is not invincible. Or even just women who are against powerful men and think they can’t do anything. I want them to know, you can. I would like to see him off of Bravo. I would like for my mom not to have to worry about flipping on the television and seeing his smug mug, flaunting his lifestyle around. It’s bigger than us now. I’d like to see some good come out of the ugly.”
Nanny Dawn’s allegations
Then, on May 8, People reported South Carolina police were also investigating other sexual assault claims against the reality star. An investigation report referenced instances of “sex offense” and “forcible rape” that allegedly occurred in January 2015.
And nearly a week later, Dawn — Thomas’ former nanny, known as “Nanny Dawn” on the show — revealed she had gone to the police to report Thomas for allegations of sexual assault. Dawn said that in January 2015, Thomas returned from an evening with friends and confronted her in the kitchen, trying to kiss her neck. She tried to ward off his advances, she said, but then he cornered her in the master bedroom after she went upstairs to retrieve her car keys. And she said he took off his pants and ripped off her clothing, but she managed to get away.
“Although I believe he should be in jail for his crimes, the reality according to statistics is that he will go unpunished,” Dawn told the magazine. “I feel the only justice I will receive is to share my story in the efforts to educate the public and support assault survivors.”
The fallout
Thomas’ lawyer, Richard P. Terbrusch, denied the allegations to People. “My client enjoys a certain degree of fame, which has unfortunately made him a vulnerable target for such claims,” he said. “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.”
Though Thomas just quit, he hasn’t been appearing on the show. “Haymaker, the production company for Southern Charm, and Bravo take allegations like these very seriously,” Bravo said in a statement. “Haymaker is conducting an investigation, and once all the information is gathered and carefully reviewed, appropriate action will be taken.” It looks like he took that action for them!
