Leva Bonaparte

Leva Bonaparte
Birthplace	Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Restaurateur, television personality
Employer	Republic Garden & Lounge, Bourbon and Bubbles Restaurant & Bar
Known for	Southern Hospitality, Southern Charm

Leva Bonaparte is an American restaurateur and reality television personality based in Charleston, South Carolina. She is the owner of several hospitality venues in Charleston, including Republic Garden & Lounge and Bourbon and Bubbles Restaurant & Bar. Bonaparte first gained national attention as a cast member on the Bravo reality television series Southern Charm, where she appeared over multiple seasons before departing the show. She subsequently became the central figure of Southern Hospitality, a spin-off series that premiered on Bravo on November 28, 2022, which follows Bonaparte and the staff at her Charleston nightlife and restaurant establishments. As of 2026, the series has aired four seasons, with Bonaparte continuing in her role as the show's lead and as the proprietor navigating the challenges of running a nightlife business in one of the American South's most prominent social cities.

Career

Hospitality and Restaurant Business

Bonaparte established herself as a businesswoman in Charleston's competitive restaurant and nightlife industry. She owns and operates Republic Garden & Lounge (commonly referred to as Republic), a nightlife venue in Charleston, as well as Bourbon and Bubbles Restaurant & Bar. These establishments have served as the primary settings for her television career, with the day-to-day operations, staffing decisions, and interpersonal dynamics at the venues forming the basis of the Southern Hospitality series. Bonaparte's role as an owner-operator places her at the center of both business decisions and the personal lives of her employees, a dynamic that has been explored extensively on the show.

As depicted on Southern Hospitality, Bonaparte's management style involves hands-on oversight of her venues, including hiring and firing staff, addressing workplace conflicts, and expanding her business operations. In Season 4, which premiered in March 2026, Bonaparte made the decision to fire a staff member from Republic, a development that drew media attention and became a focal point of the season's early episodes. Additionally, during the same season, employee Joe Bradley approached Bonaparte about the possibility of going into business together, a proposal that Bonaparte received with reservations.

Southern Charm

Bonaparte was a cast member on Southern Charm, a Bravo reality television series set in Charleston that documents the social and professional lives of a group of socialites in the city. She appeared on the show over the course of multiple seasons, becoming a recognizable presence in the Southern Charm franchise. In November 2025, Bonaparte explained her departure from Southern Charm after ten seasons, stating that the show had been "becoming too much" for her, particularly given her responsibilities running her businesses. Bonaparte noted the difficulty of balancing the demands of reality television filming with her actual working life, telling Us Weekly that the show was challenging to maintain because she "actually" works.

Despite her departure from Southern Charm, Bonaparte remained connected to the broader Bravo universe. At BravoCon, she commented on the relationship between the Southern Charm cast and the Southern Hospitality cast, discussing what she perceived as a lack of enthusiasm from Southern Charm cast members, including Austen Kroll, regarding the spin-off series. Bonaparte also weighed in on events involving other Bravo personalities, notably reacting to Karen Huger's reception at BravoCon, where Huger received a standing ovation. Bonaparte expressed skepticism about the moment, responding with "Nope" when asked about the reception.

Southern Hospitality

Season 1 (2022–2023)

Southern Hospitality was announced as the third spin-off of Southern Charm, with Bonaparte serving as the central figure. The series premiered on Bravo on November 28, 2022, following Bonaparte and the staff at her Charleston venues, primarily Republic Garden & Lounge. The show's format centered on the personal and professional lives of the staff at Bonaparte's establishments, with Bonaparte herself navigating the dual role of employer and television personality.

The premiere episode was recapped by Vulture under the title "The Republic of Leva," a reference to Bonaparte's central role in both the venue and the series. The first season aired during the Monday night cable television lineup through late 2022 and into early 2023. Ratings data from the first season showed the series registering on the cable originals charts during its run, appearing in ShowBuzzDaily's weekly top 150 cable originals reports for episodes airing on November 28, 2022, through the subsequent weeks. The show continued to chart in subsequent weeks into January 2023.

Common Sense Media reviewed the series, providing a content assessment for parents and families.

Season 2 (2023–2024)

Following the first season's performance, Bravo renewed Southern Hospitality for a second season. The second season premiered in December 2023, moving from its original Monday time slot to Thursday evenings. A trailer and premiere date were announced by Deadline in November 2023. Ratings for the second season's early episodes were tracked through SpoilerTV's weekly television ratings reports, with data available for episodes airing on December 7 and December 14, 2023.

Seasons 3 and 4 (2025–2026)

The series continued to be renewed by Bravo, reaching its fourth season by 2026. Season 4 premiered in March 2026 and featured Bonaparte alongside returning cast members and two newcomers. Official cast biographies and promotional photos were released by Bravo in January 2026. Bonaparte and cast member TJ Dinch promoted the new season through media appearances, including an interview with KTLA in which they shared details about the upcoming season's storylines.

Season 4 storylines included Bonaparte's management challenges at Republic, including her decision to terminate an employee, and the proposal from Joe Bradley to enter into a business partnership with her. Bonaparte expressed reservations about the partnership idea, with Bravo releasing a preview clip in which she responded to Bradley's pitch by saying "It just doesn't work that way."

Television Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Network	Notes
2020–2025	Southern Charm	Cast member	Bravo	Appeared over multiple seasons; departed after Season 10
2022–present	Southern Hospitality	Lead cast member/Owner	Bravo	Lead role; series centered on her restaurants

Legacy

Bonaparte's transition from Southern Charm cast member to the lead of her own spin-off series represents one of the more notable franchise expansions within the Bravo reality television universe. Southern Hospitality is the third spin-off of the Southern Charm franchise, and Bonaparte's position as both the show's central personality and the owner of the businesses featured on the series distinguishes the show from many other reality television programs, where cast members may not have a direct professional stake in the setting depicted on screen.

The series has brought increased visibility to Charleston's nightlife scene, with Republic Garden & Lounge becoming a recognizable venue to television audiences beyond the Charleston market. Bonaparte's role as a female business owner in the hospitality industry, operating multiple venues in a competitive Southern city, has been a consistent thread throughout the show's run. Her decision to depart Southern Charm after ten seasons to focus on her own series and her businesses reflected her stated priority of maintaining her working life alongside her television career.

By 2026, with Southern Hospitality entering its fourth season, Bonaparte had established herself as a durable presence in the Bravo programming lineup, maintaining her dual identity as both a working restaurateur and a reality television personality over the course of several years.