Meet 'Southern Charm' Star Ashley Jacobs' New Boyfriend, Mike Appel
She's found someone closer to her own age.
Instagram Ashley Jacobs is a nurse and reality TV star known for dating Southern Charm's Thomas Ravenel. The 34-year-old dated the 57-year-old for a bit more than a year. They split in August 2018 and since then Ravenel has been on a smear campaign of Ashley. He accused her of cheating on him. Then he accused her of dating a married man. She has denied both. Now, she has a new man. Who is Ashley Jacobs' new boyfriend, Mike Appel?
Ashley took to Instagram to gush over her new man. She captioned the photo of them:“Found someone close to my own age!! And our birthdays are just a day apart! Happy birthday to this cutie. Thanks for making me smile!!”
Her new man is Mike Appel, the founder and CEO of Related Garments, a men's designer underwear and socks company. Let's take a look at everything we know about him and his new relationship with Ashley Jacobs.
1. He went to the University of Arizona
Mike Appel graduated from the University of Arizona in 2003. Since his graduation, he has worked in a number of marketing positions for companies including PNC Bank, 944 Media and Sandow Media. In 2011, he founded Brand Allies, an 'experiential marketing' brand which which he describes as 'the art of creating an experience where the result is an emotional connection to a person, brand, product or idea. '
2. Related Garments
In June 2014, Mike and his brother David founded Related Garments, a company that makes matching socks and underwear for men. For example, matching cheetah print undies and cheetah print socks. The Appel brothers describe their company as: "a matching, themed apparel company that focuses on creating designer undergarments that are coordinated. Our men's underwear and socks have patterns and colors that are synchronized to enhance the perceptions of men’s lingerie..." Their 79-year-old father appears in a recent ad for their undergarments.
3. "Stud Muffin"
In her Instagram story, Ashley Jacobs paid tribute to her new boyfriend by posting a photo of him and captioning it with a blue heart emoji and: “You were born, and the world became a better place. Happy birthday you stud muffin!!!”
4. Thomas Ravenel's legal mess
Ashley Jacobs has moved on from Thomas Ravenel and that's a good thing. In September 2018, a month after they broke up, Ravenel was arrested and charged with assault and battery after his former nanny accused him of rape. He pled guilty to third-degree assault and battery and received a 30-day prison sentence that was suspended. Instead, he paid a $500 fine and got probation. In October 2019, Ravenel and the nanny reached a $125,000 settlement.
5. Ashley's year in Charleston
There's no love lost between Ashley and the city of Charleston, South Carolina. During her time on Southern Charm, Ashley was largely cast as the villain due to her feud with Ravenel's ex and baby mama Kathryn Dennis. Of living in Charleston, she said: “It left such a bad taste in my mouth, really. There’s some trauma related to it. As much as I look back at pictures and I think, what a beautiful place, I still can’t help but feel [like] that really sad, lonely, depressed person. I don’t ever wanna go back to that place. Like I said, it was the worst year of my life. I don’t think I could make it any better. I tried. It didn’t work.”
6. He travels a lot
A quick glance at Mike Appel's Instagram reveals he's a regular on the party scene. As of this writing, he hasn't posted since a Halloween party with Cindy Crawford on October 26th. Other snaps include a recent group trip to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday, a group of friends on a boat in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, a party in the Hamptons, the Kentucky Derby, goofing around in the Dutch Caribbean, and island hopping in the Philippines. Could his own reality show be in the works? Guess we'll have to wait and see!
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.