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A new season of Southern Charm brought back a familiar face to the show. Thomas Ravenel returned to the Bravo series after leaving the franchise after season 5 amid sexual assault allegations. The brief cameo took his former co-stars, like Craig Conover and Shep Rose, by surprise. What do they actually think about Ravenel filming for the show again?

Craig Conover, Thomas Ravenel, and Shep Rose
Craig Conover, Thomas Ravenel, and Shep Rose | Rebecca Miller/Rodolfo Martinez/ Robert Ascroft/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Is Thomas Ravenel back for good?

Viewers of Southern Charm never imagined seeing Ravenel back on the show ever again. The disgraced star makes a cameo appearance during the season 7 premiere of the series. Ravenel and cast member Kathryn Dennis lived a tumultuous relationship in front of the Bravo cameras since the show premiered. They both co-parent their kids Kensie and Saint.

Ravenel appears in the opening scenes of the series as Dennis is living in his home while her house gets renovated. The estranged couple is finally on good terms and Ravenel claims he didn’t get paid for his time on-screen.

“I just let them film a little segment with the kids as a favor to Kathryn,” Ravenel told Us Weekly. “I wasn’t paid. At the time, she was staying at my house in the guest room because her house was being painted and was unsafe for her and the kids.”

Fans of Southern Charm have mixed feelings of Ravenel appearing back on TV after he ended up pleading guilty for sexually assaulting his children’s former nanny. However, it seems that he will not be appearing in any further scenes.

Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel
Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel | Brianna Stello/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

How do Thomas Ravanel’s former co-stars feel about his return?

Conover, who has been with the show since the beginning, acknowledges the fan outcry in having Ravenel back on camera. However, he assured viewers that former convict appearing on TV was not an actual good thing as it only exposed his hypocrisy.

“I’m always completely blown away by [Dennis and Ravenel], even though I shouldn’t be at this point. But when she said she was living with them, I mean, my jaw hit the floor,” Conover also told Us Weekly. “And then to find out that he filmed is incredible. I mean, some people will say, like, we shouldn’t give them a platform or show it, [but] it’s not a positive for Thomas that he filmed at all. So, anyone worried that we’re helping him by filming him, it’s not accurate. I mean, for him to go on Twitter all the time and blast the show and then film? It’s just incredible.”

Craig Conover and Thomas Ravenel
Craig Conover and Thomas Ravenel | Brianna Stello/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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Rose also highligted that Ravenel trashed Southern Charm on social media. He added that the former politician actually enjoyed being on the show and his return is only testament to that.

“For as much shouting and hollering negatively about the show … that just pisses me off, honestly,” Rose told the publication. “It’s not anybody on the show’s fault, anything bad that might’ve happened with him. And also, he really enjoyed it when he was on it. I mean, let’s be real honest here. He loved whatever fame and notoriety. He had a lot of fun with it, so don’t cry over what you perceive as spilled milk, you know because it was a lot of fun.”

Southern Charm Season 7 airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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