Patricia Altschul Offers a New Look at Former Butler Michael Kelcourse’s Life Today
After their reunion, Patricia shared a heartwarming update about her former butler, Michael.
Southern Charm fans have gotten to know matriarch Patricia Altschul and her glamorous life behind the gates of her sprawling Charleston home well in the years since the show premiered. As a result, they also became well-acquainted with her long-standing butler, Michael Kelcourse.
Michael, who made the perfect martini and assisted Patricia in her outings to find a Costco hot dog, suffered a serious spinal cord stroke in 2021. He relocated from Charleston to Florida to focus on his rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the pandemic and various other health matters kept Patricia and her former butler apart for several years.
That all changed in December 2023, when Patricia and Michael were finally able to reunite in Sarasota, Florida. Patricia has since shared some insight into her long-awaited reunion with Michael on Instagram.
Patricia Altschul Shares a Major Update on Her Former Butler, Michael Kelcourse
Shortly after Patricia posted about her reunion with Michael, she shared some insight into how her former butler has been doing since he suffered a stroke.
Patricia added a video on Instagram highlighting Michael getting ready to drive a van. As she explained in the caption of her December 19 post, "When Michael was at the Shepard Center in Atlanta[,] Georgia he learned how to drive manually."
"His wheelchair gets locked into place and therefore he can go anywhere," she continued. "I know he loves to go to Costco and meet friends and family at restaurants..."
In the video itself, Michael showed his former boss how he gets into the van to drive."OK, let's see how this operates," Patricia says to Michael in the post.
"I've opened the door with the remote," Michael explains. He then pushes a button that drops a ramp onto the pavement. The side of the van then lowers so Michael can get into the vehicle.
"That's incredible, Michael," Patricia says once Michael gets inside of the van.
"It sure is!" Michael responds.
What Happened to Patricia Altschul's Butler, Michael Kelcourse?
Patricia's son, Whitney Sudler-Smith, opened up about Michael's spinal cord stroke to The Daily Dish in February of 2021.
“I am sorry to inform you that Michael Kelcourse, affectionately known as 'Michael The Butler', recently suffered an acute spinal cord infarction which is often called a 'spinal cord stroke,'" Whitney shared. "Although this tragedy has caused significant nerve damage and impairment, with the help of the outstanding physicians at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, we are hopeful Michael will soon recover. Thank you for respecting Michael’s privacy during this challenging time.”
In the months that followed, Patricia would sporadically share updates about Michael's condition.
During the Season 8 premiere, Patricia admitted that she was "still shocked" by what had happened because Michael had been a part of her household for more than 18 years.
“My longest marriage lasted 15 years, so Michael is the most stable relationship I’ve ever had," she said.
On Season 9 of Southern Charm, Patricia Facetimed Michael and got an update on how he's been doing since he moved to an assisted living facility.
Michael said that he was "doing great," and that he had "no complaints."
He also thanked Whitney and Patricia for their support.
"I couldn't have done it without you folks," he said on the phone. "You gave me such help and were just such an inspiration."
Catch new episodes of Southern Charm on Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream episodes the next day on Peacock.
