Southern Charm : Kathryn Dennis Hasn't 'Begun to Really Comprehend' Thomas Ravenel's Arrest
Thomas Ravenel may no longer star on Southern Charm, but he’s still very much part of the plot.
In a sneak peek from Wednesday’s season premiere, the cast struggles to come to terms with the fate of their former castmember and friend after he was arrested and charged with assault and battery in the second degree. (He has denied all the allegations).
“I just left the doctor with Thomas and Saint, which was awkward,” Ravenel’s ex Kathryn Dennis says while speaking to a friend on the phone. “It was really, really weird. I think he’s in denial or something.”
After reading about Ravenel’s arrest online, Austen Kroll calls Shep Rose to discuss the news.
“Now I’m reading that he can be convicted for up to three years,” says Kroll.
“Honestly, like, he can handle himself,” responds Rose. “I’m worried about his family.”
And while neither Kroll nor Rose has spoken to Dennis about her feelings yet, the mother-of-two turns to friend Craig Conover to confide in him about the complicated situation.
“Like, honestly I haven’t even begun to, like, really comprehend everything that’s happened,” she says.
“I mean, we all have, like, complicated lives in our own ways, but I think this is a little different,” Conover says. “But anyway, I don’t think it, like, changes anything for you.”
“Not, it won’t. Just more or less for, like, my life!” Dennis quips.
RELATED: Southern Charm’s Thomas Ravenel Accuses Kathryn Dennis of Letting Boyfriend Take Care of Kids
But not everyone is down to gossip.
“I’m not saying anything negative about Thomas because I don’t want to be sued,” Cameran Eubanks says. “Sorry.”
Dennis shares daughter Kensington Calhoun, 4, and son St. Julien Rembert, 3 with Ravenel.
RELATED: Thomas Ravenel: Examining the Southern Charm Star’s History of Assault Allegations
On Sept. 25, the Ravenel, 56, was arrested and charged with assault and battery in the second degree after Nanny Dawn accused him of rape in May. (She asked that she be publicly identified by her first name and occupation for her own privacy.)
Dawn alleged that in 2015, while his daughter Kensington Calhoun was sleeping nearby, Ravenel “corralled” her into the master bedroom, dropped his pants, blocked the door and “proceeded to rip my clothes off.” Without going into further detail, Dawn said she eventually got away.
According to the affidavit, issued by the Charleston Police Department and obtained by PEOPLE, “the victim, to be named later at the court’s discretion, was working for the defendant as a nanny at the above location. While inside the location, [Ravenel] undressed and made sexual advances on the victim.”
RELATED: Thomas Ravenel Calls Starring in Southern Charm the ‘Worst Mistake’ of His Life: Court Records
Ravenel denied Dawn’s allegations through his lawyer, as well as a separate sexual assault accusation from a woman he met on Tinder in 2015. “My client enjoys a certain degree of fame, which has unfortunately made him a vulnerable target for such claims,” Ravenel’s late attorney, Richard P. Terbrusch, told PEOPLE in a statement after the allegations. “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.” (Terbrusch was killed in a plane crash in October.)
A judge has ordered Ravenel to go to trial, though he has not yet entered a plea.
Southern Charm returns Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
