Southern Charm: Patricia Altschul Reveals Butler Michael Moving To FL
Southern Charm matriarch Patricia Altschul recently shared that her long-time butler Michael Kelcourse will be leaving her home and moving to an assisted living facility in Florida. Michael has been a beloved staple since Southern Charm season 1. Fans watched him cater to Patricia’s every need, such as making perfectly chilled martinis for her and her guests. Patricia even asked Michael to help former Southern Charm star Cameron Eubanks while she was pregnant with her daughter Palmer Wimberly. Michael helped Cameron with various tasks around the house and even gave her a foot massage.
Affectionately known as Michael the Butler, he has worked for Patricia for 17 years. Before that, he was a butler for Mrs. Eleanor Purviance Bostwick, who had ties with the Rockefeller family. After she passed away, Michael was the most sought-after butler in the area and Patricia immediately convinced him to work for her. She mentioned that hiring him was the best thing she could have done. Fans of Southern Charm loved how Michael ran her household with polite deference but still showed his personality through his humor and kind nature.
Patricia’s son and Southern Charm producer Whitney Sudler-Smith shared in February 2021 that Michael suffered a spinal cord stroke, which caused nerve damage and impairment. Since then, Michael was treated by doctors and has been working toward recovery. In a recent Instagram post, Patricia shared a picture of Michael holding a cake that read, “Good luck Michael!” She captioned it with, “Congratulations to Michael. He is on his way to a new life in Florida in a beautiful assisted living facility, importantly near his family. All best wishes to Michael on this new adventure.”
Southern Charm star Whitney was a main cast member but is now rarely on the show. In response, she praised Michael for his spirit. Fans wished Michael the best but added that they would miss him on Southern Charm. One wrote, “I will miss him so much on the show but glad he’s doing better and will be near family.” Since learning about his stroke last year, many fans have been keeping up to date on Michael’s recovery. Patricia previously shared on Instagram that she was taking care of Michael’s cat while he recovered.
Michael the Butler seems to be treated not just as an employee, but as family. Over the years, Patricia shared updates on his recovery, praising him for working hard on his physical therapy. Fans will indeed miss Michael on Southern Charm, even though he wasn’t a main cast member. He often knew which drinks to offer the pampered Southern Charm stars when they visited Patricia without them even having to ask. Michael was known for his famous Whiskey Sour Blended Cocktail, which is featured in Patricia’s book The Art of Southern Charm. Even though Michael will be much missed, fans are happy that others will be taking care of him from now on.
Source: Patricia Altschul/Instagram