Season 7 of Southern Charm was unlike the rest because of a major cast shakeup. Longtime cast members like Cameran Eubanks, Chelsea Meissner, and Naomi Olindo opted out of filming at the last minute, which led Bravo to add new (and familiar) faces to fill the gaps. But even with new castmates, some drama stayed the same...
Season 7 saw a continuation of drama and arguing between Madison and Austen, but the on-and-off couple finally called it quits. However, in season 8, the tension only grew. Madison is now engaged and Austen has moved on. But even as exes, there's something about these two that's incredibly toxic and addicting to follow. Because of Madison's dramatic time in the series, countless memes were made to share with fellow "Charmers."
Updated on October 14th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: In season 8, fans were surprised to learn that Madison LeCroy was now a friend of the series instead of a main cast member. Considering she and Austen Kroll were no longer together, and she was engaged to a man who was not on the show, it was best to keep the exes at an arm’s length. But even with Madison as a part-time character, she still managed to shake things up, especially at the season 8 reunion. Following the reunion, Southern Charm and Bravo fans have collided, sharing memes online of the one and only Madison LeCroy.
Madison Showed Up To The Season 7 Reunion Prepared
Fans have to give it up for Madison for showing up prepared for the season 7 reunion. She knew her name was going to be dragged through the mud by the likes of Shep Rose, Craig Conover, and Austen, so she brought receipts.
The moment Craig said that Madison didn’t wholeheartedly apologize to his then-girlfriend, she whipped out her phone and read that she actually did and that she had proof. Host, Andy Cohen, couldn’t get enough of the shade and even read the text from her phone on the air. There are a ton of memes that sum up Southern Charm but this meme created by @brav0lady was one of the more accurate.
Austen Is The Good Luck Charm That Madison Needed
Austen and Madison have their ups and downs of being likable cast members and cast members fans can’t stand. This was mainly because of their hectic relationship and the way they treated each other.
Now that the two are officially over and Madison has since moved on and is engaged, fans were quick to realize that Austen may be the good luck charm that the former girlfriends in his life needed. Not long after Madison got engaged, Summer House’s Lindsay Hubbard got engaged. Lindsay and Austen were never official but they did have an intimate relationship that caused quite a bit of drama on both shows.
Fans Are Ready For More Bravo
In between filming the season 8 reunion, Madison was seen hugging Austen while he looked mildly uncomfortable and not accepting of her presence. This image quickly became a Bravo meme.
While meme-makers added a variety of things that Madison could be hugging, this one takes the cake. When one Bravo series closes, another one opens. Now that Southern Charm is done with season 8, it’s time for new seasons of The Real Housewives of Potomac and Salt Lake City, and a new season of Winter House.
Little Miss Madison
In the summer of 2022, “Little Miss” memes took over the Internet. The memes consisted of something the star was guilty of or said. In this case, @UniversityOfBravo shared an image of Madison with one of her more popular Southern Charm quotes.
At the season 7 reunion when Madison and Austen were still arguing over the highs and lows of their relationship, she told him to “shut [his] muppet mouth.” Soon after, memes comparing Austen to a muppet flooded the Internet. Even though fans weren’t always fond of Madison, it was hard not to laugh at a line (or meme) like this.
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!
Madison and Leva looked stunning at the season 7 reunion. Everything from their hair to their dresses was perfection. But after the second part of the reunion aired, fans noticed something a little too familiar about the gowns these women wore...
Madison and Leva were a modern-day Beetlejuice and Lydia. It's safe to say the comparison was not planned but the women poked fun at the meme on their Instagram stories, proving it's all in good fun. A fun fact is that fans of Madison and Leva can get a chance to meet them at BravoCon 2022.
It’s A Tough Call
Bravo fans love a good crossover. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing what The Real Housewives does better than Southern Charm and vice versa.
Season 7 of Southern Charm and The Real Housewives of Orange County were rolling at the same time, which gave Bravo fans plenty to talk about. Between Braunwyn Windham-Burke's storyline and Madison doing everything she could to get Austen’s attention (to no avail), it’s hard to tell who loves attention more. Despite the horrible rumors swirling around about Madison and a former MLB player, she seemed to be loving the attention according to her Instagram stories and posts — and this post from @TheRealityBitch joked about it.
2021's Mercury Retrograde Was Strong
When Mercury is in retrograde, scientists and enthusiasts claim crazy things happen. Mix Mercury’s retrograde with a new year and that's a nerve-wracking start to 2021.
Austen and Madison had a love for each other when they dated, and they worked nicely together but too many things happened in their relationship for them to take it to the next step. Every time they tried getting serious, their demons came out to play. @OhNoBravo nailed it on the head with this meme. If there was one life lesson Southern Charm fans should learn, it's to stay away from toxic people during Mercury's retrograde.
Budweiser Vs. Trop Hop
What makes Southern Charm one of the best shows on Bravo is the amount of unsolicited advice from all avenues. In the second episode of season 7, Patricia Altschul and Whitney Sudler-Smith talked about Madison and Austen's relationship. Patricia loved Madison and knew she deserved better. In Patricia's eyes, Madison deserved someone who was more mature with their life together.
Whitney sided with Austen and reminded her that he has his own beer in Charleston called Trop Hop, and that he was on his way to making something of himself. Patricia was unimpressed, however. “He’s in three shops in Charleston. That’s not Budweiser. Madison deserves Budweiser," she said. From there on, Madison and memes of Budweiser flooded the Internet, just like this one created by @SaucyBravo.
Jenny From The Block
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were engaged for quite some time, but after news came out that Madison and Alex were messaging each other on Instagram, the engagement was called off shortly after and the couple broke up.
It became evident that Jennifer didn't know about her former fiance messaging other women on social media, which led her into the arms of an ex-fiance (and current husband) Ben Affleck. Jennifer Lopez was known for her great movies and legendary performances, so being tied to a reality show scandal was not something she signed up for. The meme-like reaction created by @BravoAndCocktails made fans giggle about a very awkward situation.
The Timing Is Suspicious...
Shortly after rumors about Madison and A-Rod spread, it came out that another NFL player that Madison was secretly with was football player and former reality star, Eric Decker. Eric, however, is married to country singer Jessie James Decker and has three children together. It’s hard to know who spread the Madison and Eric rumor, but many joked that it was Jennifer Lopez so that the spotlight wasn't on her.
The meme created by @ILiveForBravo joked that Jennifer sent in a blind about Eric and Madison. A “blind” is essentially a blind submission where fans can send in stories, sightings, and rumors. If it was JLo who sent the blind, no one would know.
Danni On Top
In season 6 of Southern Charm, it came out that Madison (while dating Austen) was messaging Danni Baird’s then-boyfriend on Instagram. Her boyfriend played it off but Danni was livid and took her anger out on Madison.
The two continued to get into arguments throughout the season, especially at the end of the season when Madison told the world a nasty rumor about Shep and Danni. Danni was mortified, so it was only fitting that she was the one to confirm that the Major League Baseball player in question at the season 7 reunion was A-Rod. There were a lot of fake things said about Southern Charm, but Dani made sure to bring receipts. Because of this revenge, this meme was perfectly fitting.
Picture-Perfect Family
On the outside, Jessie James Decker and Eric Decker have it all. They’re both successful, have adorable kids, and are passionate about each other. To have rumors swirling around a relationship after a reality TV show reunion, can be quite harmful, and the rumors were never proven.
A fan messaged Madison and asked her straight up if the reunion revolving around Eric Decker were true and she denied them. “It’s not true,” she said, via The Sun. “No married men EVER.” This meme by @BravoGarbagePanda joked about the rumors but now that Madison is happily engaged, this has been put to rest.
No Time Like The Present
Austen and Craig timed the release of their new podcast, Pillows n Beer, perfectly: on the day of the season 7 reunion. There’s no better time to have a plethora of thirsty listeners than before they watch the reunion that wrapped up the whole season.
Seeing as Austen has his beer in stores now and that he started a podcast with his best friend, fans are wondering if Madison will ever say she made a mistake for leaving him now that he has his life in order. Regardless of their relationship, it’s fun when cast members hype up an episode or reunion like Austen and Craig did — especially with all the Madison drama. Now that both men are successful on their own, fans are hoping for a fun spinoff TV show like Southern Charm to keep them busy until season 9.