Bravo Kathryn Dennis
Mikel Simmons is one of the newest Bravo stars appearing on the latest offering from the network, “Southern Hospitality.” However, he didn’t head into the show blindly, as he revealed that “Southern Charm” veteran Kathryn Dennis has been a great source of support and advice.
Simmons and Dennis first met at church six years ago, he shared with Us Weekly, and the two have been friends since then. He told the publication that he found the first week of filming the Bravo show “very, very hard,” but Dennis helped him through it.
“We sat down and she was just like, ‘I remember how it feels,'” he shared. He said she told him, “‘Remember this is the show, remember that … it’s three hours, four hours of conversation [and] people are seeing five minutes and stuff.’ And she said, ‘Just let your guard down, your wall down, but don’t be afraid of being who you are.’”
According to Simmons, Dennis warned him that reality TV can be “very difficult” to do and asked if it was worth the trouble for him and he told her that he thought it was.
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Mikel Simmons Also Said Austen Kroll Showed His Support, While Grace Lilly Said Kroll Was ‘Dismissive’
During the same interview, Simmons said he also found Dennis’ co-star Austen Kroll to be supportive and gave him “great love” regarding the show. “So, thank you so much, Austen,” he told Us Weekly.
Unfortunately, Simmons’ “Southern Hospitality” co-star Grace Lilly didn’t agree and shaded Kroll in her joint interview with Simmons. She said while all the “Southern Charm” stars have been “really nice,” the “only person that’s been a little dismissive is Austen, but whatever.”
Lilly said she was speaking with Kroll at a Halloween party about the spinoff and he appeared to not “really care” to support the newest Charleston-based show. “I don’t find that too cool because I’m a supportive individual,” the outspoken Bravo star shared.
Leva Bonaparte Previously Said She Felt Some ‘Southern Charm’ Co-Stars Weren’t That Thrilled About the New Show
Lilly’s comments are similar to some made by Leva Bonaparte ahead of the show’s premiere as she said it took time for some of her “Southern Charm” co-stars to congratulate her on the spinoff based around her restaurants.
Bonaparte told Us Weekly she felt as though some of her co-stars weren’t that “thrilled” about the new show in town and it took time but that “most of them” eventually congratulated her.
The Republic owner singled out Craig Conover as an example of a co-star who “came around” and congratulated her only very recently. She added that some of the reactions were understandable as many cast members had been on “Southern Charm” a long time so it could lead to some “tricky feelings.” That said, many of the stars of the longtime Bravo show will have cameos on “Southern Hospitality” this season.
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