White Mess Is Back, and Its Name Is Southern Hospitality.
No better way to celebrate Black History Month than by doing what I do best— watch tv & gossip afterwards <3
If you even clicked on this post, please know I love you already for this. I can’t find anyone who watches this show to talk about it, and it finally clicked for me to finally
It’s Black History Month, but in honor of Black History Month, I think we should also appreciate something just as sacred: laughter. We need to get back to doing what we do best—laughing at white mess.
And so, I introduce to you: Southern Hospitality.
The Will & Emmy Saga: From Birth Control to Betrayal.
Southern Hospitality is Southern Charm’s answer to Vanderpump Rules—a messy, chaotic, slightly intoxicating reality show centered around a group of friends working at Republic, a bar on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Now in its third season, the show has had its fair share of drama, but let’s talk about the real mess: Will and Emmy.
When the show started, Will Kulp and Emmy Sharrett had been dating for six months. One of the first scenes introducing them is classic Bravo absurdity—Emmy’s phone alarm goes off, and she casually announces it’s time to take her birth control. Leva Bonaparte (our Southern Hospitality Lisa Vanderpump) questions if it’s really hers, and Emmy, unfazed, makes Will go fetch it from her purse.
This moment set the tone: Emmy was all in.
Will? Well, Will was allegedly trying to be a reformed f-boy after racking up 1,600 hookups, dreaming of becoming a lawyer, and still living at home.
Fast-Forward to Season 3: More Cheating Rumors, More Excuses
By Season 3, Emmy has now survived not one, but two cheating scandals involving Will. The first scandal didn’t come from just anyone—it came from newbie Oisin O’Neill, who wasted no time stirring the pot.
During Grace Lilly’s Fairytale Birthday Party, Oisin decided to spill some tea about Will’s alleged extracurricular activities on a boys’ night out. According to Oisin, Will was seen making out with a girl before disappearing into a bathroom with her.
“Will did something on boys’ night that I thought was not very cool. He f–king made out with some girl,” Oisin claimed.
“Will ganders off to the bathroom, and this girl goes with him. There [are] two other girls [that] say they saw him making out with this girl.”
Now, let’s pause here. If your man tells you he was comforting a grieving woman in a bathroom, what are you doing? Be honest.
Because Emmy? She ate that excuse up and kept it moving.
Joe Bradley, who was actually hosting the boys’ night, later confronted Will at the party, telling him:
“There was a rumor that Will made out with some girl.”
But Will didn’t flinch. Instead, he called the claim “bulls–t”, while Emmy dismissed Oisin entirely, saying he just had it out for Will.
Will’s Excuse? “It Was Just an Emotional Conversation.”
Will later addressed the accusation in a confessional, doubling down on his innocence:
“I realized that she used to be romantically involved with my friend who just passed away. It [got] to be a really emotional conversation. So, we [went] to the bathroom.”
…Excuse me? You had a deep, emotional conversation in a bathroom at a party?
Even Joe, who was there, admitted that while he never saw them actually kiss, he did see Will go into the bathroom with the girl.
But Emmy, standing by her man, wasn’t phased.
“There’s an outsider coming in trying to make a lie that Will hooked up with her. Do you know how f–ked up that is?” she said, defending Will.
Meanwhile, their co-star Bradley Carter came in with the assist, adding:
“Will is a good man. I don’t think he’d cheat on Emmy like that.”
But the preview for the next episode teases that this may not be the last we hear of Will’s “innocence.”
Now, I’m not saying this is Ariana and Tom's level of scandal, but it’s definitely giving Real Housewives of Potomac alum Robyn and Juan Dixon level of blind trust—and honestly, that might be worse.
Will Hates That Emmy Is Finding Herself
Season 3 Emmy is a little different. She’s focused on herself, and apparently, Will hates that. Instead of working on their relationship, he’s out drinking on King Street—aka the Charleston strip of bars and restaurants—talking recklessly about his girlfriend in Republic, the very bar they work at.
And it’s almost like, damn, dude, you've been with this girl for three years, and you’re this mad? Like, you don’t even live together. You live two hours away at law school, where allegedly he got with some girl at a party. But we’re not even there yet. That didn’t even cause the next meltdown. We don’t even know if it’s gonna come up. And honestly, I don’t think anyone’s gonna tell Emmy because of the way she reacted at the Lake House trip…
The Lake House Meltdown
When Emmy found out what Will was saying about her at Republic, she was so upset—dry heaving upset. When she walked out of the bathroom, her makeup was literally running down her face. It was giving “world-ending heartbreak,” but honestly?
Her whole table of friends was trying to comfort her, apologize, and tell her they were there for her and that they cared about her. And you know what Emmy did?
She didn’t even show up to work that Thursday. No-call, no-show. Then she had the audacity to walk past Lake Rucker, whose BIRTHDAY DINNER IT WAS THAT SHE LEFT MID DINNER BECAUSE OF HER OWN DRAMA, standing outside Republic.
Now, Emmy’s not mic’d, because Emmy isn’t at work. She and Will are just out having their night off. They had already filmed earlier when they were on the boat. But Emmy? Emmy walks right past her job knowing damn well she did a no-call, no-show.
At the bare minimum, she could have texted Michols, her best friend (allegedly), and said, “Hey, I’m so sorry, I just can’t come into work today. I’m not mentally there.”
But she just walks right past them. Girl…
You Deserved That Write-Up.
And I honestly feel like if I were Leva, I would’ve told her, “You’re doing too much. I think I need to suspend you.” Like, no shade, Emmy, but what are you doing?
You knew Lake was going to tell Michols. That’s her homegirl. You thought she wasn’t going to say anything? And Michols is your best friend.
We need to stop loosely calling everyone our best friend, but that’s another conversation for another day.
Now, Will..
Now, let’s talk about Will real quick. Because when he was in his confessional this season, he literally said, “Well, you know, like me and Emily—”
Then he paused and corrected himself: “Sorry, Emmy.”
And production was silent.
Sir, what?? This is your girlfriend of three years, and you’re still messing up her name?
Emmy…Hold my hand when I say this…
I think Emmy wants to believe Will because she genuinely, truly wants to believe in him. She’s emotionally invested, and when you’re that deep in, sometimes the truth becomes something you’re willing to ignore.
Do I think Will is cheating? I haven’t seen full-fledged proof. But when multiple people are confirming the same thing that your partner has said about you, and when new people keep bringing up new allegations, there’s a pattern.
And the thing is, Emmy claims that Will worships the ground she walks on—but I don’t know, man. The way he’s moving is not giving “devotion.”
And let’s not forget—even the girls who don’t like Emmy are saying, “Damn, the way he’s doing here is crazy.”
Like, y’all. This show is messy.
Final Thoughts
when one of their coworkers came to work and told the rest of the group in the last episode, “Yo, somebody just came to me last night at a party and said Will hard cheated on Emmy. Like, he straight-up had sex with someone.”
The entire room was stunned but I said, “Okay, and…?” It’s not like any of them want to tell her or might not even tell her because look at how she reacted previously!
Emmy is about her man, her man, her man would never cheat on her. Not her man. The one who worships the ground she walks on, right?
How to Watch
Southern Hospitality airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo & is streaming the next day on Peacock!
Final Question: Is Emmy the Villain, the Victim, or Both?
Drop your thoughts in the comments—who’s the real problem here: Will, Emmy, or both of them?
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