Whitney Sudler-Smith's Dating Life Is Not What We Expected

Whitney Sudler-Smith has long been one of the most mysterious "characters" on "Southern Charm." The 55-year-old son of grand dame Patricia Altschul has been on the cast of the Bravo reality show since the beginning. He also created the show, which focuses on a group of friends in Charleston, South Carolina. On the show, Sudler-Smith regularly dotes on his mother by making her favorite martini, and he has been known to be on doggie doody duty. He can also shred a mean guitar, as fans saw during an episode that featured a wedding between Altschul's dog, Peaches, and Shep Rose's pup, Lil Craig.

But it's not too far-fetched to think Altschul would prefer to host a wedding in which her son is the groom and not the guitar player. Over the years, she has made several comments about her son's status as a bachelor. And while several girlfriends have come and gone — Sudler-Smith had an on-and-off romance with model Larissa Marlot for six years, and also dated another model, Daisy, in between (per Us Weekly) — the "Southern Charm" creator has not yet found his wife, much to his mother's dismay.

Whitney Sudler-Smith has said that "Southern Charm" is the real deal. But in 2018, he addressed some misconceptions about the show, telling Urban Daddy, "People think we're a lot more degenerate than we really are — people think I live with my mother and don't work, which is the complete opposite." Still, the mother-son chats are totally charming. In the Season 9 finale episode, titled "Beyond the Valley of the Southern Dolls," Patricia Altschul asked her grown son if he had invited "any ladies" to a party he was hosting. "No," he replied. "You can't rush things." When his mom reminded him that he has to "at least look," Sudler-Smith replied, "I'm looking. It's not as easy as you think. [Can't] be like you, just marry after a month."

In a confessional, Altschul questioned if the fact that she's had three husbands affected her only son's outlook on marriage. But she added, "I want him to get married now. I mean, I did it after a couple of minutes. I don't know why he can't. I want Whitney to have a family. He's an only child and having his father pass away and then me ... it just seems like life is slipping away." Altschul admitted to her son that his situation is something she thinks about because she wonders who will take care of him after she dies. Sudler-Smith assured his mom, "I'll be fine."

Whitney Sudler-Smith had brief romances with two of his "Southern Charm" co-stars. In 2016, co-star Kathryn Dennis claimed she hooked up with the filmmaker. He first denied her story, telling her they had "a different interpretation of events." Dennis doubled down on her claims. "It wasn't like a one-night mistake," she said on "Watch What Happens Live," per BravoTV.com. "But we were, like, basically together, dating, whatever you want to call it, for about a week-and-a-half, two weeks. But I was staying with him. I was eating breakfast with Patricia."

A few years later, Sudler-Smith broke bro code by hooking up with his friend Craig Conover's ex-girlfriend, Naomie Olindo. The awkward dynamic played out during the eighth season of "Southern Charm" after Olindo admitted she spent the night with Sudler-Smith. "He's like, 'We need to breed, like breed,'" Olindo told co-stars Leva Bonaparte and Austen Kroll (per People)."He's like, 'Mom would love it, Mom would love it.'" During a cast trip to Yemassee, South Carolina, Sudler-Smith told Olindo how much he appreaciated having her shoulder to cry on. "A naked shoulder," he added. "Whitney!" Olindo laughed as she covered her mouth. 

Conover later spoke out about the unexpected hookup between his friend and his ex. "It wasn't a short-lived thing, I definitely know that," he told Us Weekly.  At the "Southern Charm" reunion, Conover, who dated Olindo for three years, said, "I think it's weird. You just don't hook up with people's exes." But Olindo explained her side. "It was never more than just a really great friendship that kind of turned for a second and then went right back," she said (per Bravo).