Entertainment
After several years on a reality show, you would expect the cast of Southern Charm to be raking in a decent amount of money from the show, alongside all of the perks and social media endorsement opportunities that come from it. For these stars that may be true, but their lives don't seem to revolve around the show. So how does the Southern Charm cast make a living outside of filming? They each have their own careers, but some are clearly doing a little better than others. Some of the cast benefited from family businesses and connections while others have built their careers without these advantages. And because this is Southern Charm, some people take their hobbies more seriously than their actual jobs.
But net worths and general yearly income aside, the Southern Charm stars have each found ways to make money on their own apart from starring in the popular Bravo reality show — even though they’re all obviously making something from that too. The Charmers' jobs include careers as diverse as modeling, designing a fashion line, running for public office, and attempting to become a restaurateur.
Basically, this is a very eclectic bunch with a wide range of talents, passions, and motivations.
Thomas Ravenel
As someone who comes from a family with political ties, Thomas has had his ups and downs in politics including running for the United States senate. He is also running his company, Ravenel Development Corporation, as a commercial real estate developer.
Whitney Sudler-Smith
Some fans might have observed that Whitney’s name comes up in the Southern Charm credits more often than his costars, and that’s because he came up with the concept for the series at the very beginning. In addition to show business, Whitney has tried his hand at opening his own restaurant. His plans to open up his proposed restaurant, Generalísimo with Planet Hollywood creator Bryan Kestner kind of fizzled out, but he’s still a working producer.
Cameran Eubanks
A lifetime Charleston resident whose own family spans several generations in the area, Cameran is a real estate agent outside of the show. And she seems to take great pride in her work. On her website, she wrote, "I feel privileged to help others find their home in this beautiful nook of the world."
Shep Rose
Shep is kind of a jack-of-all-trades and has dipped his toes in clothing, restaurants, investing, and more. His most notable business ventures include Shep Gear, his own line of clothes inspired by the show, and the string of bars he co-owns in Charleston with some friends. "Bars are rocking and rolling," he told The Daily Dish in May. "I had another investment that I did with my bro and did really well, so things are really good. I have really nothing to complain about."
Craig Conover
As fans know, Craig’s personal passion project is sewing and designing and he has plans to release a brand of not only pillows, but also some baby clothes and aprons, in the future. Right now, though, his main career involves working for his company, Apex Principles, Inc. and as a lawyer (probably) since he was recently sworn in to the South Carolina Bar.
Kathryn Dennis
Kathryn has done a ton of work as a model in the past, but on Watch What Happens Live in May, she revealed that she has plans to pursue something else very soon. "I'm just kind of dabbling and exploring what is it that I want to do now," she said. "I was studying politics and wanted to go to law school and all that lame stuff that's just like a checklist… I've got a few things in the works that I feel confident with, finally."
Austen Kroll
Austen might be fairly new to the Southern Charm crew, but he’s definitely gaining in popularity. According to LinkedIn, he last worked as the territory sales manager at Red Hare Brewing Co., which he left in April 2017. His LinkedIn profile has him listed as an entrepreneur, so there’s a chance he could have other projects in the works, much like his cast-mates.
Chelsea Meissner
In addition to getting some impressive social media ad opportunities (Pepsi anyone?), Chelsea also works at the Willow Salon in Charleston. In fact, some viewers probably remember seeing her at . work as a hair stylist often on Southern Charm.
Naomie Olindo
In the past, Naomie has worked in real estate and has even done some work in the restaurant sector behind the scenes, so you can kind of see why her frustrations with ex-boyfriend Craig over not buckling down and taking the bar exam were so real. She definitely has some solid career aspirations herself.
Patricia Altschul
I like to think of Patricia as the Lisa Vanderpump of Southern Charm because of her wisdom, mama bear attitude, and of course her obvious wealth. She’s worked in a number of impressive fields over the years, including art dealings as the owner of the Georgetown Art Gallery Arcadia and in education as a lecturer at George Washington University.
Ashley Jacobs
Thomas Ravenel’s girlfriend, Ashley, was introduced at the beginning of Southern Charm Season 5. She’s a full-time nurse and recently transferred her nursing license from California to South Carolina to be able to continue to work full-time while staying with Thomas.
Obviously a part of the Southern Charm cast's employment involves being filmed for the show and, likely, getting paid for those sponsored Instagram posts. But for the most part they all seem to be working for themselves.
