‘Southern Hospitality’ Stars Maddi Reese & Joe Bradley Dish on Their Newfound Romance & Season 3 Drama

It took two full seasons and a dramatic reunion in New York, but Southern Hospitality stars Maddi Reese and Joe Bradley have finally taken their friendship to the next level. Ahead of the Season 3 debut of Bravo’s Southern Charm spinoff, which premieres on January 2, the two have begun to open up about their decision to take a leap of faith into each other’s arms.

In the first two seasons, of course, Joe had made his feelings about Maddi perfectly clear, but Maddi kept their relationship in the friend zone — until this year.

TV Insider caught up with Maddi and Joe to find out the details and get a sense of what’s ahead between them and others from the Republic crew.

So, a lot has changed since last year. How did you two end up getting together?

Joe Bradley: So Maddi and I met four years ago, and… [Laughs] Nah. It’s been a crazy year. I think a little bit after the reunion, we were kind of hanging out a lot more, and Maddi finally got out of her relationship, and I think the timing worked out, and slowly but surely we fell in love.

Joe, how does it feel looking back at how persistent you were about [Maddi’s ex-boyfriend’s cheating allegations] situation, knowing that you ended up here?

Joe: It’s good to feel that like I wasn’t crazy, and people like looked at me I was crazy for it still… I wasn’t that persistent, we were always best friends, but it’s just good to feel like what I felt was reciprocated because it did feel reciprocated a lot of times, and I knew we had something special. And so I think the timing just worked in my favor, and the heart wants what the heart wants, I guess.

What about you Maddi? Watching the show back the first few seasons, what kind of journey is that for you?

Maddi Reese: Oh gosh, I feel like I do not want to watch that, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot, and I feel like this season, you kind of see those growing pains that I’m going through of, “Can I trust people?” And just the dynamic of getting into another relationship, and this season we just start dating when we started filming — it was not very long, so I feel like you kind of watch our love story play out a little bit, and I’m excited to see that.

Joe: We both had like a lot of growth, not only in our relationship, her career, us, me as a person, as someone that can be like a strong rock for her, a good boyfriend, and we grow as a friend group. It’s not just us… I feel like it’s a new beginning. And what’s more exciting than that, we’ve always thrived on change, but it’s a good change, and I think we’re all heading in the right direction this year.

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But on the other hand, TJ Dinch doesn’t seem to have a lot of faith in you to be faithful. How did that feel?

Joe: After what he did to me at the reunion and broke my trust with that, it really hurts ’cause mentally, I’m ready to kind of try to salvage our friendship. I don’t know if I can trust him, but I’m willing to move on and talk to him. And in the meantime, he’s behind my back with the person I’m happy with trying to get in between us again. So it’s happened many times in the past. So I’m kind of stuck in between a rock and a hard place of trying to forgive and forget, but also trying to trust him and he’s still doing it.

Maddi: Yeah, I think a lot of the things he said too were just out of pocket — even comparing him to my last relationship, which is like night and day, seriously. I just feel like TJ wanted to make Joe feel something, and I feel like I was just ready for them to move on, from months and months where Joe has taken accountability. So, I feel like I’m kind of a middle-man in that relationship.

Stephanie Diani/Bravo

Are we gonna get to see you try to continue to balance your career at Republic and then DJing this season?

Maddi: Totally, yes. I definitely feel like my DJ career kind of took off this past year, and the transition between, “I need Republic to pay my bills” to “Okay, I might be able to give this DJing my 110%.” And that was scary for me, but at the same time, it’s been such a grateful experience and it’s been amazing. So I’m excited to see that, and we go to Vegas this year, and I’m most excited to see Vegas this season. Yeah, Vegas, I’m there to DJ, and that was so sick to be able to play in the mecca of nightlife hospitality, especially being in hospitality for so many years and to be able to go there with our friend group. It’s definitely my favorite cast trip. It was really fun, but there’s a lot that goes on… you can write a novel on our Vegas trip. There was a lot of drama, a lot of things that went on — there was even a wedding for us.

Joe: So the first trip is like, on paper, it should be like a wholesome trip to the lake. And in the past, no one has a bigger headache leaving a trip than Las Vegas. Somehow I had a bigger headache and I was in more pain leaving the lake this year than Las Vegas. So that’s all I’ll say, and for a trip that you think it’s gonna be a nice little relaxing trip away from work ended up being an absolute sh** show.

Things between Emmy Sharrett and Will Kulp are coming to a head this season. What can you tease about that? And what’s it like for you guys coming into your new relationship and then comparing it to what’s going on with them?

Maddi: I feel like we wanted a couple of friends, you know, we have a lot of single friends and I feel like we were looking for that. We’ve had good times with them. It’s just sometimes I feel uncomfortable about all the rumors and stuff that I hear around town because I feel like from my past experience some of it has to be true — or a slim part of it. And it just makes me uncomfortable seeing someone that I’m getting closer to this season go through that.

Joe: Yeah, it was really tough because look at the reunion. We were on horrible terms with Will and Emmy, and now me and Maddi are very happy in our relationship. They reached out, and they’re very supportive of us, and we’re finally trying to mend our friendships with Emmy and Will, and then all of a sudden we’re playing pickleball, and these rumors dropped. So we are trying our best to be friends with them, but at the same time, it’s a little bit uncomfortable. We want to be there and protect Emmy, but at the same time, look at the past. Look at every time I’ve like spoken out about the relationship. It does not end well for me, and I’m just now becoming friends with them again. So we’re trying to keep a back seat, but at the same time we’re not very good at that.

Reading between the lines, does that mean that the frustrations we saw last season are over between you two, Maddi?

Maddi: Totally. I mean, obviously, that [promotion effort] didn’t work out [for Emmy], and I feel like this season, I was trying to be there for her in the best way that I can. Because at the end of the day, the basis of our friendship was on a very, very strong bottom-line friendship. So to see us have issues last year sucked, but I feel like I try my best this year to be on better terms. I feel like our newbie Michols kind of helps us kind of mend our relationship.

Does her sobriety journey help you have more in common?

Maddi: Yeah. The thing is, what’s really unique about our show is the fact that we all work together. So you’re kind of forced to be friends, even if you don’t want to be necessarily, and I feel like over time, time went on, and Emmy and I got more comfortable at work together. It was like baby steps, and then we became really good friends at work and stuff again. So I feel like that was a slow progressing thing, but her sobriety journey also makes it fun that we’re going out together and it’s like, “Oh, I know to get her a mocktail,” and stuff like that. So that’s been something that I definitely feel like we have. It’s nice to have another woman to be able to talk about that. But I’ve said this to Emmy, I feel like it’s also funny because being sober doesn’t mean necessarily your patient’s tolerance is any higher.

What are these new cast members that are coming in, what do they bring to the table?

Maddi: I feel like they’re young, they’re hot, they’re exciting. I’m excited to see how they’re introduced and their stories and stuff. I’m super close with Michols, and I know that he goes through relationship stuff as well, but he’s our new AGM. And the rest of them, I’m excited to see their stories and everything, and I think they’re fun and hot, and I’m excited. They’re a great time.

Joe: Lake’s a sweetheart. Molly brings a lot of spice to the table, and Austin’s just a very interesting, cool guy. But all of them bring something different, and I think they just balance our friend group out very well, but they also bring a lot of excitement and chaos.

How would you describe this season overall?

Joe: I think it’s complex.

Maddi: I think that there’s a lot of dynamic changes throughout this season. I think that you see people who haven’t been friends in the past be friends, and you’re almost like, “What?” Even the fact that we’re dating is kind of like a, “What?” I feel like the rest of our friend group was kind of like, “Is this real? You guys kiss and like cuddle?” So I feel like watching the dynamics, and stuff play out is gonna be really exciting. There’s a bunch of drama and rumors and shady sh**, so I’m excited to see it all play out.

Joe: I’m happy to say I had a much better time this summer. We’re just going to parties with these people. Eventually, me and TJ’s’s relationship gets stronger, we learn to coexist and have a good time this summer. But it’s a roller coaster. One day we’re like, “All right, this group is rock solid,” then the next day it’s in shambles. So there’s a lot of growth, but at the same time, it’s like a giant roller coaster. And I think that’s what makes a fun friend group and an interesting friend group what it is. It’s never a dull moment.

Southern Hospitality, Season 2 premiere, January 2, 9/8c, Bravo