Venita Aspen Revealed She And JT Thomas Were Actually Dating

When the trailer for Southern Charm Season 10 dropped in October 2024, what shocked most fans was Jarrett "JT" Thomas admitting that he had feelings for Venita Aspen. This certainly felt like it came out of left field, but in Episode 1, Venita expressed that she and JT (who revealed he left the show mid-season), had grown closer while on their cast trip to Jamaica.

Since JT's sudden departure from the Bravo series, Venita has opened up about her real relationship with JT. In fact, it was a lot closer than we thought. Venita and JT dated for a short time before the latter totally blindsided her. Was that the reason why he ultimately left the show?

Venita Aspen And Jarrett "JT" Thomas Were Dating Before The Southern Charm Season 10 Trailer Dropped

Venita Admitted That She Has Not Spoken To JT Since October 2024

Southern Charm Season 10 sees Venita Aspen and Jarrett "JT" Thomas having gotten incredibly close since last season. In Episode 1, she helps him pick out the right outfit for the Carolina Cup, and in a scene, for a later episode, (which was shown in the Season 10 trailer), JT admits to having feelings for her, to which she seems to also confirm. Since the Season 10 premiere, Venita has hinted about just how real her relationship with JT was.

However, she had never admitted that the two were actually dating, until now.

In an interview with Access Hollywood's Housewives Nightcap pocast, Venita spoke about her timeline with JT and how they got so close. During the summer of 2024, she proclaimed that she and JT "became thick as thieves" and she was excited to go into another season with a close friend. The reality star had her "walls up" in the previous season and not making many close relationships with the Charleston crew.

This time it would be different, she admitted, as she had JT by her side. But, then, "boom, everything crashed down in front of me" as JT decided to leave mid-season and, shockingly, leave her behind, too.

When Venita was asked if she was dating JT "by the time the trailer dropped in October," she replied, "Yeah." When Venita was then asked if she was "ghosted" by him, Venita revealed, "No, he popped up with a girlfriend on Instagram.”

“Like, it was like one day like I was supposed to be going to lunch with his mom and him and, like, hang out. The trailer drops and then you know he starts acting crazy and falls off the face of the earth."

Venita said that she had not spoken to JT since the trailer premiered. Just two weeks after the trailer dropped, he went Instagram official with a woman named Ali Pereless. It totally blindsided Venita.

In fact, fans believed Venita and JT's rumored romance in Season 10 may have been staged because of his post. However, that's since been debunked thanks to Venita finally revealing what their real status was.

Venita Had Previously Shared That JT's Affection For Her Was Very "Real"

Venita Wants To Hear JT Out Despite Their Relationship Fallout

In an earlier interview with Entertainment Tonight, Venita hid the fact that she and JT were romantically involved. However, she did share that what viewers saw in that short scene in the Season 10 trailer was very "real."

"That was JT really letting me know that he had feelings for me … the tension is high this season," she expressed.

She continued, "It was weird. I did not know that was going to happen at that moment. It was just kind of an 'Oh.' We had spoken about it once before, and we were going to take our time and see how it goes, we will continue to be the best of friends ... I was a little shocked ot hear him say that out loud, I was like, 'Okay, we're doing it, we're going straightforward, cool,'"

In her podcast interview, Venita shared that she was extremely unhappy with JT after he basically dropped off the face of the planet. To be honest, who wouldn't be? The pair had gotten so close during the summer and relationship or not, JT ultimately ruined what could have been a friend and an ally this season.

Venita entered Southern Charm as a friend in Season 7. She was later made a main cast member for Seasons 8-10. As for JT, he came in as a main cast member in Season 9.

Surprisingly, Venita told the hosts that she was open to having a conversation with JT.

"I’m doing my best to try not necessarily say too much about the situation…because there’s still, unfortunately, I have a very small, I think it’s about this big maybe size of a mustard seed, I want to hear what he has to say."

She added, "I don’t want to dig too hard in on him, but, like, I know that there the moment will come where I’ll just be able to like just lash out on him, but I can’t do it yet.”

Fans are hoping that although JT left the series, he would likely return for the Season 10 reunion. Not only can Venita have her day with JT, but hopefully, he can finally reveal the real reason for leaving the show so suddenly.

Southern Charm Cast Members Believe JT Left The Show Because Of What He Did To Venita

JT Left The Show Mid-Season Without An Explanation

After the Season 10 trailer dropped, JT announced on Instagram that he had quit the show mid-season. However, he did not give an explanation. Rather, he stated that he was taking the "next steps to recover both physically and mentally from what has been an extremely challenging & exhausting year."

Since his post, JT has shared that he had taken on a 100-day challenge "to solving the mysteries of my own personal “diabetic situation."

The real reason for JT's departure could be a number of things. However, what sounds most accurate is that he ruined his relationship with Venita, who seemed like his only friend in Season 10. In fact, their Southern Charm co-stars seem to agree that ghosting Venita was why he ultimately left.

"I don’t think that Venita’s very pleased with him," Austen Kroll told Us Weekly.

"I think the Venita and JT of it all was complicated. And I think that wore on him too and wore on Venita," Leva Bonaparte said.

Leva added, "JT is so chaotic, which I think makes for great TV but it's not a show. He's a chaotic person and he kind of has no chill."

During Venita's interview with Housewives Nightcap, she couldn't pinpoint as to why JT quit the show. However, she did share that JT should speak his mind on a podcast. Not only does she want to hear his reasons, but so do every single Southern Charm fan.

"I think he was nervous to see how he was going to be portrayed this year and like I think the anxiety got the best of him. I don’t really know," Venita said.