Southern Charm alum Jarrett “JT” Thomas just said goodbye to his life in the United States and hello to a fresh start in Bali. JT has only lived in this Indonesian province for a few days. But already, he is making himself at home in Bali, complete with a new rental agreement and Yoga classes.
This relocation has nothing to do with his frustrations during filming. However, JT has just placed roughly 10,500 miles between himself and his former co-stars, which is a likely bonus perk for this new expat.
Now, instead of dealing with manufactured manners and man-children, JT is living his best retired life, which does come with a few drawbacks, he admits. So, why did JT make such a drastic leap into the unknown? And how has his move been going so far?
Jarrett “JT” Thomas quit Southern Charm after two seasons
JT joined the cast of Southern Charm in Season 9. On his debut, JT dropped a bomb that detonated throughout many storylines. As he revealed, Austen Kroll and Taylor Ann Green kissed.
Austen is friends with Shep Rose. However, Taylor used to date Shep, which means that Austen broke the bro code. Meanwhile, JT also had a crush on Taylor. So, between the first round of denials and the fallout that this rumor created, tensions were high AF.
Thankfully, JT was close with Venita Aspen. Despite his feelings for Taylor, Venita fell hard and fast for JT. They grew so close that Venita even thought he might be her one. There was a kink in her plans, though, as JT was also dating someone else.
We learned this detail during the tail end of his next run on Season 10. Even though JT had mentioned this other woman, Venita felt he had downplayed this relationship, which gave her false hope. To date, their friendship remains strained.
Elsewhere in Season 10, Craig Conover, one of the most unreliable narrators ever, accused JT of calling Patricia Altschul a b*tch. JT denied this claim. As did the producers.
Then, Craig misspoke again, leading Madison LeCroy to believe that JT had labeled her a cheater. Cue JT quitting the series before Season 10 wrapped. Regardless, he did attend the reunion to set his records straight.
JT moved from the US to Bali
Last week, JT alerted his followers to his newest non-filmed storyline. “So today’s the first day of my new journey in life. I have pulled the ripcord, and I am living in Bali. Just retired. Retired, living in Bali, after living my whole life in the US,” he explained from a swimming pool.
As JT continued, he sold “everything,” from his business and real estate assets to his vehicle and watches, to help him start “anew.” He also gave orders that everything remaining must go. Then, JT headed for the airport, bound for his new life in Bali. He has already paid rent for this month in Bali, so he will not be returning to the United States for Thanksgiving.
As he stressed, “It’s not easy to start over, but it’s exciting. Hopefully, it goes well. We’ll see. I’m excited about it.”
JT concluded his video with an explainer. Every day, he will make and post a video on Instagram to help document his life in another country. So far, JT has kept to his word. He has many videos up, further explaining why he moved, and how it’s going so far in Bali.
JT opened up about why he moved and loneliness in Bali
In his poolside reveal video, JT gave a brief nod as to why he moved out of the States. “Honestly, I don’t even think it needs an explanation. I think I’ve just been thinking about doing this, like many of you have. So, I said, ‘Enough’s enough.'”
Before he left Charleston, JT posted several reels involving the current political landscape in America. CliffsNotes; he’s not a fan. So, further attributing this timeline to his move, JT posted a new video on his second day in Bali, quipping, “Alright. Day 2 of my country’s imploding, so I moved to Bali and sold everything that I own.”
But now that JT has made this leap, loneliness has crept in. “Bali is incredible. It’s paradise. But the reality is, if I don’t make friends and build a community, sooner or later, I’m going to [be] lonely,” he admitted.
To help, JT has taken to a daily local Yoga class, which kicked his ass on “Day 3” of his new life. After showing his followers his new open-air Yoga studio, JT confessed that he hopes to make friends here soon. Because until things change in the States, Bali and its people are now his home.
Southern Charm is available to stream on Peacock.
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