Ever watch those early episodes of Southern Charm and think, "Wait, who was that girl with the mohawk and the gloves?" If you're doing a rewatch in 2026, you've definitely hit that Season 1 wall where Jenna King just... exists. She was this edgy, mohawk-rocking anomaly in a sea of pastel polos and family crests. Then, poof. Gone.
She didn't show up for Season 2. No dramatic exit speech. No "to be continued." Just a clean break from the Charleston social scene that honestly never seemed to fit her anyway.
People still Google her name constantly. They want to know if that massive house was real or if she actually made money selling fashion gloves. Seriously, gloves. It’s one of those reality TV mysteries that gets weirder the more you dig into the "lifestyle" she was portraying back in 2014.
The Truth About the Charleston Mansion
Let’s get the big one out of the way. You remember that gorgeous, four-story historic home Jenna "lived" in? The one with the elevator and the sleek interior that looked nothing like Thomas Ravenel’s dusty museum of a house?
It was a total rental.
Basically, Jenna admitted years later on social media that production picked up the tab for that house to give her a "story." She didn't own it. She wasn't even really living there full-time. Most reports from locals and fans who’ve tracked her movements suggest she was actually living in Los Angeles or New York and just flew in to film.
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It makes sense. If you look back at her scenes, she never quite looked comfortable in that kitchen. Everything felt a little too staged, even for Bravo.
Where the "Wealth" Actually Came From
On the show, Jenna was framed as this self-made woman with "mysterious" global business ventures. We saw her talking about a glove line—which, let's be real, isn't exactly a high-margin industry—and some sunglass designs.
But the word on the street (and in plenty of post-show deep dives) is that her lifestyle was largely bankrolled by a wealthy boyfriend named Ronnie Radke or, more significantly, a man named Lou Ceruzzi. Ceruzzi was a real estate mogul who unfortunately passed away in 2017. During the filming of Season 1, there was a lot of chatter among the cast about where Jenna's money came from, and she was always pretty cagey about it.
- The "Sugar Daddy" Rumors: The cast, especially the older crowd, hinted heavily at a "benefactor."
- The Glove Line: It was real, but it wasn't exactly Chanel.
- The Real Jenna: She actually grew up in a much more modest environment in Sumter, South Carolina. Her dad was a retired Air Force pilot.
Why Jenna King Left Southern Charm
Why didn't she come back? It wasn't a firing, at least not in the traditional "you're too boring" sense—though, honestly, compared to the Kathryn Dennis pregnancy scandal, she was a bit quiet.
One of the show's producers allegedly told her she was "too human for a circus show." That’s a polite way of saying the producers couldn't get her to crack. Jenna was guarded. She didn't want to show the "real" her—the one from Sumter—and the "fake" her was starting to unravel under the pressure of HD cameras.
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She chose not to return for Season 2 because the facade was getting hard to maintain. Once the house was revealed as a rental and the boyfriend situation became public fodder, there wasn't much left for her to play with in Charleston.
Life After the Bravo Cameras
So, what happened after she ditched the Lowcountry? She didn't just crawl into a hole. She leaned into the LA lifestyle hard.
For a while, she was dating rockstars and living a very "influencer-lite" life before that was even a full-time job description. She traded the Southern socials for the California sun and looks completely different now. If you check her Instagram today, the mohawk is long gone. She’s had some work done—which she’s been fairly open about, even appearing in promotional materials for AirSculpt.
Relationship Status
She’s been in a long-term relationship with Brandon Morrell for years. If that name sounds familiar, it's because he’s often associated with the inner circle of celebrities like Chloe Grace Moretz. They seem genuinely happy, and her life in Beverly Hills looks a lot more "her" than that rented mansion in Charleston ever did.
What Most People Get Wrong About Jenna
A lot of fans think she was a "scammer." That's a bit harsh. She was a 20-something girl who got an opportunity to be on a TV show and played the part the producers asked her to play.
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The producers wanted an "edgy" alternative to Cameran Eubanks. Jenna fit the bill visually. Was she actually wealthy? No. Was she a "socialite"? Not really. She was a girl from a small town trying to make it in the big city (or the small-big city of Charleston).
The Real Legacy of Jenna King
Honestly, her biggest contribution to the show was being the first person to show us that Southern Charm wasn't just about old money. It was also about the aspiration of money. She paved the way for future cast members who were more "brand" than "bloodline."
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to keep up with Jenna or understand her impact on the show, here’s what you should do:
- Check her Instagram (@jennaking): It’s a trip. It’s very 2020s Beverly Hills and looks nothing like the Bravo archives.
- Watch Season 1 with a skeptical eye: Now that you know the house was a rental, look at how the other cast members interact with her. You can see the "old money" crowd like Whitney and Patricia essentially playing along with the charade.
- Don't expect a comeback: She’s stated multiple times that she’s moved on. She lives in LA, works in fashion/design in a more low-key capacity, and seems totally fine being "that girl from that one season."
Jenna King was a glitch in the Southern Charm matrix. She was a temporary resident of a world she didn't belong to, and her exit was probably the best thing for her mental health and her "brand." She's living her best life in California, far away from the gossip and the humidity of the Battery.