Venita Aspen is “done” with Jarrett “JT” Thomas after their brief romance — and subsequently being labeled a “homewrecker.”
“I’ve never had someone do me so dirty,” Venita, 31, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 19, while reflecting on her highs and lows with JT, 40.
During season 10 of Southern Charm, Venita and JT’s friendship blossomed into something more. Due to editing, Venita claimed she was depicted as a “homewrecker” as JT revealed on the show that he had a girlfriend. (After the girlfriend was announced, scenes from Venita coming onto JT in the Bahamas aired, which she said were out of order.)
Venita exclusively clarified to Us the real timeline of her and JT’s romance. She revealed that Southern Charm was filmed during spring 2024 into that summer. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Venita and JT gave their relationship a shot.
“We started dating when I got back from New York in September [2024]. It was from September, October, November,” she recalled. “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 said 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.
The influencer noted that she and JT “were just dating” and had not talked about being exclusive at the time.
Southern Charm’s Venita Says JT ‘Popped Up’ With a GF Amid Their Romance
“I think it would’ve been nice to just have him be like, ‘Hey by the way, I’m dating someone else, and I’ve decided to go with her versus you,’” Venita explained, claiming, “I would not have cared. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I appreciate you so much for saying something, being kind about it.’ But he didn’t do that.”
Venita told Us that the girlfriend mentioned on the show is the same one that JT posted about on Instagram months later. However, according to the Bravo star, JT and Ali “weren’t a thing at the time” when she dated him last fall.
“[At least] that I know of. That’s what he was telling me, and I was believing him and trusting him in that,” Venita shared. “It’s too messy. It’s so messy. And I just wish that he could just come out and be like, ‘Hey, listen, I caused all this. I made things messy. Don’t be mad at either [of] these women. I should have done a better job at communicating with both of them what was going on and what I was doing.’”
Southern Charm’s Venita Spent $5K on JT Before Knowing About His Girlfriend
She noted it would be “so simple” to clear the air on JT’s part and “be the man that you want all the rest of the guys on the cast to be.”
Venita further alleged that JT didn’t choose that route and left her without any explanation about his love life after going Instagram official with Ali.
Instead, she revealed, “He quit a week after that.” (JT announced in November 2024 that he was exiting Southern Charm before completing his season 10 confessional interviews.)
“I actually don’t know why he quit. I can’t put those two things together. It is not making sense,” Venita confessed. “I’m like, ‘OK, you’re doing this. You’re posting that you have this girlfriend, whatever, but why are you quitting the show? Is it because you were lying about things and that you’re afraid to get caught in those lies?’ That’s the only thing that made sense in my head.”
Venita explained that after JT went public with his girlfriend in fall 2024 — and Southern Charm released a super teaser about the show — she allegedly received hate DMs from the other woman.
At the time, Venita decided to take a step back from JT and stopped talking to him for six months before they filmed the season 10 reunion earlier this year.
“I think that’s the part that actually hurts me more. I am mourning my best friend,” she admitted. “We had such fun together. We used to shoot the s—. We would go golfing and dinners and walks in the morning and breakfast and working moments and it was just like I lost all of that and it sucked.”
Venita revealed that she now feels like she’s “collateral damage” after being caught in the crossfire of JT’s alleged misconduct. “Right now, he’s just trying to do anything to tear me down and I don’t like that. That’s not a friend,” she mused.
Venita teased that fans will see her confront JT about their relationship on the season 10 Southern Charm reunion, which airs in two parts starting on Thursday, March 27.
She noted that although she was “sad” after the taping, she briefly left the door open for a possible reconciliation. However, after JT allegedly left her out to dry in the press, Venita told Us there is no way back for them.
‘Southern Charm’ Cast Reacts to JT Leaving Show: ‘He Was No Longer Wanted’
“Now the door’s completely shut. Closed and barred. Padlocked. No one’s getting here,” she confirmed. “I was still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt and be like, just communicate with me and talk me through it. … I was willing to give him the chance to be like, ‘This is what happened. I’m so sorry. Can we try this again?’”
Venita added that once she saw JT “trying to make me this liar and not standing up against the fact that I’m a homewrecker” she had her answer. “That says a lot about who he is. And I cannot be with someone like that,” she concluded.
JT, for his part, claimed via his Instagram Story on Wednesday that Southern Charm “has basically shattered both relationships” for him, referring to Venita and Ali.
“In time, I hope the friendships can be restored fully with both … and in the meantime, I just want peace,” he wrote.
The Southern Charm season 10 finale airs on Bravo Thursday, March 20, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
