Credit: Michelle Watt/Bravo
Venita Aspen
Venita joined Southern Charm during season 7 in 2020 as a “friend” of the group before becoming a full-time cast member the next season. She introduced fans to her boyfriend Manny during season 9, which aired in 2023.
“In my heart, I feel like [he’s] my forever person,” Venita exclusively told Us of Manny in September 2023. However, she revealed during a season 10 episode — which filmed in summer 2024 — that she and Manny broke up when he got a job in New York.
Venita sparked a romance with castmate Jarrett “JT” Thomas in summer 2024, revealing in January 2025 that they were dating before the season 10 trailer dropped in October 2024 and JT fell “off the face of the Earth.” She alleged during a “Housewives Nightcap” podcast appearance that JT didn’t ghost her, claiming, “He popped up with a girlfriend on Instagram.”
During season 10, Venita was depicted as a “homewrecker” after she claimed production showed sequences between her and JT out of order.
Venita cleared up her and JT’s relationship timeline in March 2025, exclusively telling Us, “We started dating when I got back from New York in September [2024],” noting it was months after the events transpired on the show.
“It was from September, October, November,” she recalled, adding that she and JT were “Trying to figure out, ‘OK, are we doing this? Do we actually like each other? Is it because we’re around each other all the time?’”
Venita explained that in November 2024, JT “posted that he had the girlfriend on Instagram,” which she revealed was “how I found out” he was dating someone else named Ali Pereless.
While Venita said they were “just dating” and not exclusive, she claimed JT didn’t give her a heads up before publicly announcing the other romance. Venita cut off communication with JT after the drama and didn’t speak with him again until the season 10 reunion, which filmed in early 2025.
