‘RHOP’ Star Ashley Darby’s Husband Michael Reportedly Charged With Sexual Assault

Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby’s husband, Michael Darby, has reportedly been charged with felony assault and misdemeanor improper sexual contact, TMZ reported Thursday.

Michael is accused of groping Bravo cameraman Orville Palmer, grabbing his butt while filming an episode of the reality series on Sept. 1. After asking Michael to stop, Palmer then reportedly told his supervisor what had happened.

The Darbys have been featured on RHOP since season 1 in 2016, during which their relationship, including the 29-year age gap between the 30-year-old Housewife and her husband, has been a prominent storyline.

During the RHOP season 3 reunion, Ashley revealed she had gone through a miscarriage, but the couple recently admitted they were still trying to have kids. In Bravo’s online series Housewife to Housewife, Ashley told Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson that she was still looking to have children with her husband.

“That’s a special thing,” Ashley told Gunvalson of her grandchildren in a September video. “Births and weddings, it’s so great. And you get to share it with so many other people and you get to have it for yourself.”

When Gunvalson hinted she might be in a similar position in 10 years, Ashley responded, “I might have a little baby on there, a little Darby. Oh my!”

Michael isn’t the only Bravo star to be accused of sexual assault recently. Southern Charm alum Thomas Ravenel was arrested Tuesday morning on charges of alleged assault and battery second degree.

The arrest appears to be in connection to the allegations of a woman known as “Nanny Dawn” on the Bravo show, who watched his children Kensie and Saint. He has been accused of assault by at least two other women.

After police announced they were investigating the allegations against Ravenel, he announced on social media he would no longer appear on the reality series. He also was not included on the season reunion after the allegations surfaced.

“I’m not doing the show anymore,” he wrote on Twitter at the time. “In the contract they have the right to fictionalize your story. They took advantage of me. I decided I’ve got too much to lose and informed them I’m not coming back.”

He has denied the allegations in the past through a lawyer.

“My client enjoys a certain degree of fame, which has unfortunately made him a vulnerable target for such claims,” Ravenel’s lawyer Richard P. Terbrusch told PEOPLE in a statement. “The person this woman describes is simply not the man that I know. My client is a loving father, successful businessman, and upright member of the community. He is appalled and hurt by these allegations — and is committed to defending his reputation in the appropriate legal forum.”

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