Four episodes of Southern Charm have been taken down this week to be reviewed by Bravo for racially offensive content.
A spokesperson for the network told Variety the episodes were removed from video-on-demand services due to racially charged moments. Three of the episodes have since been restored to BravoTV.com and the Bravo app and will soon be available again on-demand. The fourth episode will return as well; however, a scene filmed at a plantation will be edited out.
The pulled episodes were first noticed earlier this month by TikTok user @thetalkofshame, who discussed the missing episodes over a series of videos.
One of the episodes temporarily pulled by the network was Season 1, Episode 2, in which viewers see former ‘Southern Charm’ cast member Thomas Ravenel having lunch with his father, ex-congressman Arthur Ravenel.
In the clip, Arthur happily ponies up some cash for a tip, telling Thomas he doesn’t like to hang on to $5 bills because Abraham Lincoln (whose Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the United States in 1862) is pictured on them. We then see Arthur smirk at the camera.
The TikTok user went on to discover additional episodes missing from Bravo’s on-demand service, including Season 3, Episode 1, in which Kathryn Dennis gives Cooper Ray a tour of her family’s plantation, while taking a moment to point out the “slave cemetery” – a scene that will be edited out once the episode is restored to streaming services.
Season 4, Episodes 1 and 8 were also temporary pulled by the network for further review, but ultimately deemed OK as-is.
The Bravo spokesperson confirmed the four episodes were examined as part of a review the network is doing to flag potentially offensive content following recent Black Lives Matter protests, which has media companies examining practices that were once deemed standard.
Coincidentally, Kathryn was hit with accusations of racism herself in May after using a monkey emoji when talking to Black radio show host Tamika Gadsden in a DM that went viral.
Kathryn went on to apologize for the incident and though it didn’t result in her termination from Bravo, the network has handed out its fair share of pink slips this summer, beginning in June when Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were axed for racist behavior against their former co-star Faith Stowers. Along with Stassi and Kristen, ‘VPR’ newbies Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were cut from the show for past racist tweets.
Later that month, Bravo terminated Below Deck Mediterranean star Peter Hunziker after he shared a racist meme to his Instagram Story. Bravo said in a statement that it planned to edit the remaining season of ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ to minimize Peter’s appearance.
RELATED STORY: ‘Southern Charm’ Star Kathryn Dennis is Reportedly Dating Chleb Ravenell, a Charleston Native with Ties to ‘Southern Charm’ Cast
(Photos: Bravo; TikTok; Twitter; Instagram)
oh, FFS!! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with “slave cemetery” or touring a damn plantation. Gtfoh with this “racist” stuff! This is getting ridiculous! Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it! Its.history – As in where we came from but never want to return! You cannot just try to erase it!
What is the problem with saying “there’s a slave cemetery here”? Maybe she should say “there was”.
IMO we mustn’t hide past facts, even if they are horrible. On the oposite, I think we must speak about historical facts, like Shoah and slavery, to teach the past mistakes and learn to not do it again.
I’m from a french town which became rich because of slaves sold, and we learnt its dark past at school, not for glorifying it of course, but for being aware of the reality.
I completely agree with you. Isn’t paving over our history dangerous? Yes, horrendous things occurred in this country—especially in the South but I think there is a difference between acknowledging history (slave cemeteries) and glorifying racism.
I am the first to admit that I have a lot to learn in terms of racism and oppression. Without intending to, I fear that I’m kinda the definition of white privilege. But I very much want to learn and be better.
I agree with you, except there is no such thing as white privilege. Thats a false narrative. Stop apologizing for being white.