LOS ANGELES (LALATE EXCLUSIVE) – Southern Charm’s next season could be its last if a major turnaround is not achieved, LALATE has exclusively learned. Last season, LALATE exclusive reported that an entire cast held up production demanding for a massive salary raise and got it. That it turn appears to have backfired. Now nearly half the cast has announced its departure. LALATE has learned that the cast was afforded a massive salary raise in 2019 on the assurance that the cast would be drama to camera. Now when 2020 rolled around, those same cast members wanted to shelter the storylines that appear on camera.
Southern Charm may survive after the next season if production rehires enough new faces, at lower salary levels, who don’t shelter storylines. Over the last five years, BravoTV has made exceptionally clear across its platform that it is less likely to renew contracts for cast members that wanted to keep husbands off cameras (RHOA), children off camera (Shahs of Sunset, RHOBH), or similar. In fact, cast members have said publicly that they have been demoted because they were unable to get clearance to film children (in the case of RHOBH due to an ex-husband).
But will Southern Charm survive? Chelsea Meissner, Naomie Olindo and Cameran Wimberly have announced their exit from the show. Thomas Ravenel in turn reports that he was invited back but refused to return. Overnight, Ravenel ostensibly confirmed the same statements by Cameran. Eubanks said her “decision was made and given to Bravo months ago and had absolutely nothing to do with ridiculous and fake rumors about my marriage.” But Eubanks in the same breath said she wanted to shelter want storylines would appear on camera ra. “While upsetting, it sadly doesn’t surprise me as this is what reality television has come to nowadays and a large reason why I kept my marriage off the air,” she added. “You must protect what is sacred to you. Some things aren’t worth a big paycheck.”
People Magazine confirms all three women left the show for the same reason. “They both told production they weren’t returning to the show months ago,” the insider said. “Naomi and Chelsea, like Cam, are just tired of the reality TV drama and don’t want to live their lives this way.”
LALATE has been reporting for over a year that the bottom line is simple: salary. BravoTV is not anxious to pay salaries over $300,000 a season as the show’s ratings shrink season to season. As ratings shrink, producers want more dramatic storylines. And as cast members want to shelter more storylines but demand massive salary ratings events unfold.
