Why Bravo’s Joe Bradley Finally Admitted to Luann de Lesseps Kiss

Joe Bradley is done keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his rumored hookup with Luann de Lesseps.

“I think that enough time has passed and I’m sick of the rumors and the lies,” Joe exclusively told Us Weekly when asked why he finally confessed to kissing Luann, 59, last year.

The Southern Hospitality star claimed he was “never self-conscious or trying to hide the fact that I kissed her, because Luann’s iconic.”

Joe alleged that the reason he kept quiet for so long was because he “didn’t want to hurt Danielle [Olivera]’s feelings” since they were hanging out at the time.

“We were not technically boyfriend and girlfriend during that time, but I knew how it looked, and I don’t like when people’s feelings get hurt because of my actions,” Joe explained. “And that’s kind of why I was trying to hide everything.”

Us broke the news in January 2024 that Joe and Luann were “all over each other” at a New York City bar after meeting during an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

When Joe was spotted with Luann he was in a relationship with Danielle, 36, whom he got close with during BravoCon in November 2023.

The following month, TJ Dinch accused Joe of hooking up and sleeping with Luann during the NYC outing, which he adamantly denied.

“This is the truth, me and Luann, we got a drink and hit it off,” Joe said during the season 2 Southern Hospitality reunion, which aired in February 2024. “I did cross a line at the hotel, but I did not kiss her.”

TJ claimed during the reunion that he was “99 percent” sure that Joe “hooked up” with the Real Housewives of New York City alum. Joe told TJ to “f— off” and stuck to his story.

Related: Summer House’s Danielle Olivera Thinks Ex Joe Bradley Hooked Up With Luann

Danielle Olivera is pretty confident that she knows exactly what happened between her ex Joe Bradley and Luann de Lesseps. “I am also 99 percent sure,” Olivera, 35, said on the Thursday, February 29, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, referring to Southern Hospitality’s TJ Dinch proclaiming the same percentage earlier that […]

After Danielle and Joe called it quits in February 2024, she said she was “also 99 percent sure” that Joe and Luann got together.

During the season 3 Southern Hospitality premiere, which aired on Thursday, January 2, TJ doubled down on his claims that Joe was unfaithful to Danielle. TJ argued that he and Joe were not speaking because he “gave him the opportunity to tell the truth when he cheated on Danielle when he f—ed Luann.”

Joe continued to play coy about the extent of his and Luann’s fling in the premiere, but told the cameras, “So what if I did hook up with Luann?”

His now-girlfriend, Maddi Reese, however, called Joe’s hookup with Luann “iconic” during the episode, confirming that it did in fact happen.

Joe, for his part, exclusively told Us that TJ made it “way worse than it needed to be” and it was “none of his business” in the first place. He acknowledged that while he and Luann did kiss, he hasn’t spoken to her since.

“I’m just glad that that’s out there,” Joe said. “And I’m happy with her and hopefully me and Maddi can go to one of Luann’s cabaret shows. She’s the s—.”

Maddi, who has been dating her costar since April 2024, exclusively told Us that since their season 2 reunion last year, the cast “all kind of knew” what happened between Joe and Luann.

“Maddi thinks it’s funny,” Joe explained. “We’re so happy now. … It was before we dated.”

Maddi noted that she felt like “TJ kind of took it a little too seriously” when Joe’s fling was “iconic” to her and “just funny.”

Joe admitted that at the time, he felt like his “friend” TJ was “coming after me, which hurt me.” He teased that despite their ups and downs in season 3, he and TJ are “in a better place now.”

Southern Hospitality airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi