Things went south – and not in a charming way.
Kathryn Dennis’ tearful 2021 breakup with her “emotionally unavailable” ex-boyfriend, Chleb Ravenell, aired on “Southern Charm” on Thursday.
Cameras followed Ravenell, 33, as he returned to his and Dennis’s apartment after being away for five days after getting into an argument at her 30th birthday party.
“I thought Chleb would be my eternal person, but now it’s like, I don’t know,” Dennis said in a confessional. “I feel like he’s got one foot in, one foot out, or something like that.”
Ravenell told Dennis in the episode that he was hoping to work things out because he “wanted to come back home”.
“I’ve got a lot going on, and I feel like you have no empathy for what I’m going through,” Dennis replied, probably referring to her ongoing custody battle with ex Thomas Ravenel. “I’m the only one opening up.”
Ravenell said he didn’t think Dennis “cared” [his] feelings,” but if she started listening to him more, they could “make it work.”
“Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I need and what I’m not getting in this relationship,” Dennis told him. “Like, I feel like you’re emotionally unavailable, and you know I’ve had relationships with emotionally unavailable people, and I haven’t seen you take the steps to fill the role I’d like someone to fill .”
Ravenell explained that before dating her, he “didn’t know what” [he] began,” referring to her two children with Ravenel: Kensie, 8, and Saint, 6. (Ravenell and Ravenel are not related, although Craig Conover claimed Ravenel’s family once owned Ravenell’s as slaves, hence the name similarity.)
“After three months into our relationship, you threw the kids right at me. That’s what scares me too,” Ravenell told Dennis, adding that seeing her feud with the father of her children also “pulled him back because it’s a lot for someone to go through.”
Dennis acknowledged that she had come with baggage, but said that if Ravenell was “feeling emotionally overwhelmed,” he “simply shouldn’t be in a relationship.”
“This isn’t working,” she said bluntly as she began to cry.
“I can’t keep trying if I don’t feel like you’re trying. I never imagined what it would be like when we would really like to go our separate ways, but I really think that’s the best thing for you and for me.”
Ravenell seemed surprised and just said, “Ah, s–t, damn it” before packing some of his things. Dennis continued to cry as he left—without even saying goodbye.
“I’d say that after the guys I’ve historically dated, I … wanted to have value. Like, be nice, be a good person, but sometimes that’s not enough,” Dennis said emotionally in a confessional before the episode ended.
Vidak For Congress previously reported that Dennis and Ravenell called it quits in November 2021 after sparking romantic rumors in the summer of 2020.
“Southern Charm” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.