‘Southern Charm’ Star Taylor Ann Green Sets The Record Straight On The Nude Photo She Sent To Whitney: “I Did It To Get Under Shep’s Skin”

“I’m just really on one this year.”

That’s Taylor Ann Green, the Southern Charm cast member that viewers got to know over the course of the last few seasons as the sweet and wholesome girlfriend of Shep Rose. Well, after Shep and Taylor called it quits in between the end of SoCharm Season 8 and the current Season 9, viewers have come to learn that Taylor maybe isn’t exactly as wholesome as she was initially portrayed on the show.

This season has been an admittedly rough one for Taylor so far, as the cameras have captured her taking out her frustrations on Craig, accused Paige of cheating on him, kissed Austen, lied to her close friend Olivia, and … gasp! … sent at least one nude photo to Whitney.

Taylor — who we can confirm is an incredibly sweet person IRL — was kind enough to spend some time with us earlier this week at Decider HQ in midtown Manhattan. Our conversation covered a wide variety of topics, openly and honestly, so let’s get into it.

DECIDER: I’m gonna start off with a really hard question here. So, hand to Bible: What’s your opinion on pheasant as a main course?

TAYLOR ANN GREEN: [Laughs] I like pheasant! I like eating interesting foods, so I’m a fan of it. Anything that Caleb is cooking, I’m eating.

The tiny bones don’t bother you?

I love a challenge. I mean, honestly, Caleb is the best chef, so anything that he cooks is worth eating. Worth getting through the bones.

The pheasant looked delicious. So now that we’ve got that important question out of the way, let’s roll back a couple of episodes and move our way towards the present. When you and I spoke a couple of weeks ago, you told me that, in the past, you have gone back to rewatch episodes of Southern Charm when they air. Is that still part of your process with all the painfulness of this season so far?

Now I understand why Shep doesn’t watch some episodes — because you’ve already lived it. You know what you did wrong, and you’re watching it play out again. It’s just hard to watch back. So now I have somebody who I know, and trust, watch the episode and then break it down for me. So that’s kind of what I’ve been doing. One of my best friends has been doing that for me. “Just give it to me straight, what happened?”

As a figure who has signed up to be on reality TV, how do you emotionally deal with knowing that people are talking behind your back? And not only that, but that you’re going to end up hearing about those conversations on TV?

Honestly, you kind of just have to remember that you are creating a TV show. There’s always going to be drama, there’s always going to be 80 million opinions, and you try not to take it too personally. I really don’t. I have kind of just stayed disconnected, honestly, throughout the whole time. I’ve got my friends, my family, my job. We’ve got a lot of things going on.

One of the early thrusts of this season is you and your job repping Day Chaser. What did you think about Austen skipping the big event that you had at Leva’s bar, without letting you know in advance? Especially because you two have always been so tight.

I was pretty bummed, honestly. I would show up for him. I understand there was some drama there — is Olivia gonna get mad if he gives me a hug, and that kind of thing. So I understand why he skipped, but yeah, I was a little bummed.

I thought it was a little gutless on his part, to be honest. Again, you guys are so close and you had such a supportive friendship. I wish he would have been there for you. But it seemed like the night went pretty well outside of that, though?

Right? My big thing was I wanted to put drama aside and just focus on work. Leva’s got high expectations, so I really wanted to show up for her. So if that meant that the drama wasn’t going to follow with him not being there, I’m fine. [Laughs]

Speaking of you and Austen, you guys had a conversation while you’re both getting those Gatorade IV drips about sort of not spilling the beans about whatever it was that went down between between you two. You kept your end of the bargain when you and Olivia had your sit down, but then Austen broke his oath pretty much immediately when Shep pressed him. Was that sort of weakness, on his part, surprising to you?

No. I think that the relationship they he and Shep have — having been so close and knowing each other for many, many, many years — he just couldn’t bring himself to it to sit down and, you know, feel his freedom or whatever. But at the end of the day, I’m really glad that it all came out. I wanted so badly for it to come out many, many times. Even before cameras hit ground [in Charleston]. It was just one of those wounds that was still open, and I didn’t want to throw salt in it.

Well, again, you really held up your end of the bargain, and again, it seemed like another disappointing moment from Austen.

I’m glad you feel liberated, because I sure as hell don’t! [Laughs] I was like, I just lied to one of my really good friends, and there you are saying “I feel so good.” I was like, “I understand that it feels good, but now I feel like an asshole.”

Do you see any resemblance between Austin and Shep? Not physically speaking, but sort of in their in their personality traits and how they operate in the world?

A little bit. I mean, honestly, I think that Austin could very well be in the same footsteps as Shep, relationship-wise. But I really think that they’re two very, very different people.

Can you elaborate on what those differences are? As a viewer, and as someone who has been watching the show for 10 years at this point, I sort of see Austen as a little bit as a Shep Jr. He always seems to emulate Shep’s behavior, but you obviously know them a lot better than we do, as viewers.

I can see that. You know, him maybe falling in the same footsteps. If Austen continues on with his relationship status, he’s going to end up being in his 40s and still single.

In this week’s episode, Austen tells Shep that kissing you was “poor judgment” and that he was “weak” for doing so, but that he felt “completely liberated” after doing so. What do you think of his assessment, and how does that compare to your perspective on the events?

Looking back at everything, it was very poor judgment. He and Shep have had such a long standing friendship, and I am the girlfriend of two and a half years. I was the one that that initiated it, I was one that initiated the conversation. And so I think that for him, feeling that liberation of just being like, “Okay, why didn’t we just come out with it in the first place? Like just lay it all out there?” I really wish that we had, so I understand that why it feels liberating — but I wish we were on the same page, because I would love to feel that same way and not have lied to one of my good friends.

A few episodes ago, Venita was talking a little bit about “girl code,” and how kissing exes goes against that code. Now I’ve heard of “bro code” — it’s a big recurring theme on Southern Charm — but does “girl code” exist, and how does it differ from “bro code”?

It absolutely does exist, and yeah, I broke it. And I do feel really bad about that. But having had the conversation, and just knowing where Austen I were in that moment of weakness and having a shoulder to cry on … I mean, it was worth exploring, I guess. Looking back on it, I wish I just hadn’t, but it was worth exploring. Because what if Austen was my soulmate? And I truly believe in soulmates but like, what if he was, and I didn’t know that because I never explored it? But yeah, it happens. People pretend like it doesn’t happen — but it was worth exploring, honestly. Nothing came of it.

And to your credit, when you and Olivia had that sit down at the cafe, and she was sort of pressing you for details, it seemed like you really were trying to do the right thing by saying that it didn’t really mean anything. Whatever happened, or didn’t happen. So where do you and Olivia stand now, sitting here in October of 2023, friendship-wise?

I feel awful for sitting there and doubling down. I kept on trying to say, like, nothing’s going on — because there wasn’t anything going on. We didn’t have this ongoing relationship; it was a blip in time, and that’s all it was. A conversation was had. And within less than 24 hours, it was like “What?” We’re just caught up in emotions. I know I am. Nothing’s gonna come of this.

So that was really tough to navigate that conversation with Olivia because she was like, “Did you guys hook up?” And in my version, hooking up means sleeping together. So like “No, we did not hook up, swear my life.” And that’s true. But then sh was like, “Never anything?” And that’s when I was like, “Oh, gosh.” So I feel really, really bad about that. And I’ve apologized, and you’ll see that all play out. But given recent circumstances, Olivia and I have been able to kind of put everything aside and bond on this really weird level of understanding of losing a family member. And she has been a great friend with that, for sure.

One of the moments that was really interesting to see, as a viewer, was when you had a reunion with Little Craig at that party, and Shep got emotional. I think it was seeing you, and thinking through I think sort of what he lost out on with your relationship. Was it surprising to you to see him show emotion like that in that moment?

A little bit, just because I’m kind of like, “Why are you crying? You’re the one that broke up the family here, it was your choice.” It was a little frustrating to see him get emotional, but at the same time, Shep just has a very tender heart, deep down. He cries at documentaries, so of course he’s gonna cry when he sees his little baby boy and mommy reunited.

You said to Shep later on at that dinner, “I’m the make-out queen.”

Guilty as charged.

Can you give us some more context for what you meant with that self-proclamation?

I was a kissing booth for Halloween one year in college. I’m like, I love kissing EVERYBODY. So he knows that, and he’s like “You’re the make-out bandit.” We’ll be sitting there in line at the grocery store, and I’m like … [makes kissing face] … And he’s like, “Stop, we’re in a grocery store in public, like, chill out.” So yeah, kiss everybody. I make out with TJ [Dinch, from Southern Hospitality] all the time. [Laughs] As a friend.

Early on in the season, JT refers to you as a “catch,” and Craig says that JT is “in love with you.” In the super trailer, it seems like you two go on some sort of date, at which point he says “I feel like our souls connected.” Was that feeling reciprocal?

No. [Laughs] I think that JT is a hopeless romantic. He’s kind of like Craig; he just he wants to be happy and and have a fun relationship with somebody and a soulmate. But you’ll see everything unfold, we have a really good friendship, and he has been a great friend. And he’s really fun. We know that anytime JT is around, it’s just gonna be a lot of laughter. So you’ll get to see a lot of that.

He’s a good straw stirrer this season, it seems like.

He sure is.

Another thing that we see in the super trailer is that it seems like maybe you and Shep have a little bit of rebound, if you will. We’ve all had rebound hookups with exes, of course, but was there anything more than that night, just old feelings coming to the forefront?

It was right after we just got into a fight. I mean, who knows? We can sit down and try to be play psychologist and unravel why I did what I did. It’s like, we want what we can’t have, and then that trigger reminding me “I’m not what Shep wants.” And then, you know, we shared a little kiss. And that’s all it was. I mean, you won’t see the kiss — the cameras were gone by then.

Very smart.

Unfortunately for [Bravo], but fortunate for me. Makeout Queen strikes again!

Let’s sort of wrap up here on this note. One of the sort of big bombshells that comes out in the episode that aired tonight is when Whitney tells Patricia and Madison that you sent a risqué photo to him, at some point. Can you help set the record straight on what actually happened?

I’m really just on one this year. Like every single — you name every single cast member and my name is somehow involved. And I did it to myself … but yeah, it was a risqué photo. Absolutely. But not like a straight up, “Whoa, there she is!” It is risqué, but you can’t even tell that it’s me. And I did it to get under Shep’s skin. That one I will take full responsibility for. That was a dig at Shep.

I had heard that he and Whitney had been galavanting around, bringing women home, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, “Oh, is this what you’re looking for?” So I own up to it. Shame on me. Don’t do that.

But I think it’s very weird that Whitney would even share that with his mother. Very odd. Like, what in the world? You’re gonna go run to mommy’s room and be like, like, “Wheee.” That’s weird.

Southern Charm airs on Thursday nights on Bravo, and is available to stream on Peacock the following day.