After joining Southern Charm as a “friend of” in Season 7, Venita Aspen has wiggled into viewers’ good graces. Initially, The influencer was soft-spoken but gradually started to voice her opinions. She had no problem standing up to Madison LeCroy and often is the voice of reason amid the group of misfit charmers. During Season 9, Venita bonded with newcomer JT Thomas. The self-proclaimed Southern gent riled some old-timers up as he often called out the men’s bad behavior. Venita clearly saw some good in him, but sadly, I think the two have drifted apart.
Venita Aspen was JT Thomas’s armor
Venita has always been JT’s constant, even when he has caused multiple other relationships to go up in flames. As viewers saw in the Season 10 sneak peek, the two have become quite the time. While out shopping, Venita laments about their friendship. She shares, “The first time JT and I bonded was when we were in Jamaica.” During the Season 9 cast trip, the two often watched the sunrise together, with cameras catching them talking candidly. Venita noted, “Ever since then, we talk every day, which is kind of wild to say. But I feel like we’re just really close.” Ever the flirt, JT added in his own confessional, “You can’t teach chemistry. It’s either there or it’s not. And it’s there.”
As JT burned bridge after bridge during Season 9, Venita seemed to stand behind her newfound friend. In 2023 the two participated in a Watch What Happens Live episode. The duo bantered and supported one another through the questions and games. During the segment, JT even told Venita, “I like you! You’re a good person.” Venita is known to choose her friends carefully. Even before dating her last boyfriend, she was friends with him for five years. So I had hoped these two could work their way into a relationship, possibly.
Venita Aspen will no longer stick her neck out for JT Thomas
While talking with Pop Culture, Venita revealed that she would no longer protect JT. The wording seemed cryptic, especially since JT had just quit the show. In November, JT posted on his social media that he would not be finishing his Season 10 confessionals and that he was walking away from Southern Charm once and for all. JT wrote, “It comes with a heavy heart to share that I have resigned from Southern Charm. Yesterday, I informed Bravo that I would not participate in the 2-3 remaining green room interviews.” The move was a surprise as he added he would be working “on the next steps to recover both physically and mentally from what has been an extremely challenging and exhausting year.”
After the announcement, Venita revealed she thought they were blossoming into something special. She told the outlet, “It kind of just naturally happened. There was not one moment in particular that kind of made me go, ‘Oh wow, this is someone I actually like.” The influencer added, “It just kind of naturally happened, which they always say is the best way to have that type of thing happen. So I was just like, ‘OK, let’s see where this goes.’”
Venita Aspen is putting herself first
Even though Venita admitted the idea of a romance with JT was “daunting” due to the fact he had so many issues with the rest of the cast, she ignored her better judgment. “I was risking a lot of friendships in order to say, ‘Hey, I want to have him around. Let’s invite him,’” Venita shared. Sadly, it turned out that being JT’s number one supporter wasn’t the best idea for V, who added that she “had no idea” that he was going to quit the show. Venita felt shell-shocked, noting, “And as his best friend, you know, I feel like I’m usually in the know on these things.”
After all the two had been through, JT couldn’t even give Venita a heads-up about going public with his new girlfriend, Ali Pereless. Even though she was backstabbed (my words, not hers), Venita is still hoping JT shows his face at the reunion. While talking to Decider, Venita called out JT’s lack of loyalty. “I think I’ve said this a few times before now: the first time that JT and I really got close was after a Watch What Happens Live episode that we filmed around this time last year. His mom was there and all my best friends were there, my team was there. And it just felt really good. I was like, ‘Okay, I can trust this kid.’” Season 10 will undoubtedly shed light on where it all went wrong.
Southern Charm airs on Thursdays on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THERE IS A CHANCE THAT JT AND VENITA WORK OUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP? OR IS IT OVER?
