Venita Aspen said she had “fun” while in a romantic relationship with her co-star JT “Jarrett” Thomas. The “Southern Charm” star spoke out on the March 20 episode of “Watch What Happens Live” to set the record straight on her brief romance with the South Carolina businessman whom she once called her “best friend.”
After host Andy Cohen asked her to describe her “brief romantic relationship” with Thomas, Aspen replied, “It was the most fun I had in a really long time.” And when asked to describe Thomas as a lover in three words, the fashionista said, “Sweet, compassionate, and caring.”
Aspen had less glowing things to say about Thomas’ later reveal that he had a girlfriend. “That was hard,” she admitted. “Like, I saw it at the same time as everyone else saw it. I went to Instagram, and I saw it and I just, I don’t know I didn’t know how to react. I was angry, sad, disappointed, confused.”
Aspen told Cohen that “word on the street” is that Thomas is no longer dating the girlfriend.
Aspen previously told Access Hollywood’s “Housewives Nightcap” that she dated Thomas for a brief period of time before he went Instagram official with a new girlfriend, Ali Pereless, just as the “Southern Charm” trailer dropped. “Like, it was like one day like I was supposed to be going to lunch with his mom and him and, like, hang out,” Aspen said in January. “The trailer drops and then you know he… falls off the face of the earth.”
Thomas resigned from the “Southern Charm” cast before season 10 began airing.
Venita Aspen Is No Longer Friends With JT Thomas
While Aspen told Cohen that she saw a “sweet, compassionate, caring man” in Thomas, she clarified that she no longer considers him to be a gentleman. “Not at the moment,” she said.
When asked where she stands now with Thomas, she told the Bravo host, “We’re not standing at all.”
Aspen also did not completely agree with Cohen’s assessment that Thomas was thoroughly “grilled” at the “Southern Charm” reunion taping. “You could have gone a little harder,” she told Cohen. “I think we all could have gone a little harder.”
Venita Aspen Addressed a Video JT Thomas Posted
Part of the reason Aspen is no longer friends with Thomas is due to the insinuation that she knew he had a girlfriend and still pursued him.
On March 1, Aspen posted to her Instagram story to set the romance timeline straight. She claimed that two “Southern Charm” scenes were shown out of sequence from when they were filmed. In the scene that was shown first, Aspen cooked dinner for Thomas at her place. The two agreed they were attracted to one another before Thomas dropped the bomb that he was dating someone else. The second scene in question showed Aspen getting flirty with Thomas during a cast trip to the Bahamas.
“Let me make something VERY CLEAR,” Aspen wrote on her social media story. “That dinner JT and I had after I made a Branzino was AFTER the Bahamas y’all as an audience saw it BEFORE. So this week’s episode is now making me look like I’m a homewrecker when I’m not.”
But a few weeks later, Thomas posted an Instagram video that showed Aspen at a lunch with his family—and his then-girlfriend. “The good old days… enjoyed filming with my mom and sister and introducing them to my then new gf Ali,” he captioned the clip. “Glad Venita was able to join us for a fun meal @cheznouscharleston.”
On WWHL, Aspen told Cohen she was “extremely disappointed” by Thomas’ post. “I’m extremely disappointed in him for doing that and trying to throw me under the bus like that,” she said. “Especially considering I was the only one who had his back and stood up for him against the name-calling allegations with Miss Pat and the allegations against him calling me something that he didn’t And I’m just disappointed. Extremely.”
At the same time that Aspen was on WWHL, Thomas posted a video of him strolling through the streets of Charleston on a “dreamy” night. He addressed fans and said he hoped they were enjoying the final episode of “Southern Charm” season 10. “I’m glad to put it behind me,” he said. “I love this city. I loved this experience as hard as it was.”
Comments
Venita Aspen Gives Real-Time Update on Relationship With JT Thomas After ‘Southern Charm’ Finale