Who Is Southern Hospitality Bartender and Law Student Will Kulp?
The former model headed to back to school at the end of Season 2, leaving Republic (and maybe more) behind.
In the debut season of Southern Hospitality, VIP concierge Grace Lilly shared her three secrets for anyone who wants to work for Leva Bonaparte: “Dress to impress, be professional”... and don’t hook up with your co-workers.
Fellow cast members Will Kulp and Emmy Sharrett didn't abide by Grace’s third rule, as the Republic Garden & Lounge staff members got into a relationship. And while their love thrived through Season 1, things looked a little dicier in Season 2 as cheating rumors swirled and a new career journey for Will was set to begin.
Learn more about Will below.
Where is Will Kulp from?
Unlike many of his co-workers who moved to Charleston for work or school, Will was born and raised in the Southern city. He has a brother named Jack Kulp.
Before Southern Hospitality, Will spent a few years in New York City modeling and working as a bar manager. He moved back to Charleston in 2020 (and in with his parents) and began working at Republic.
How tall is Will Kulp?
According to his callsheet from his modeling days, Will is 6'2".
Where did Will Kulp go to college?
Will graduated from the College of Charleston in 2017, according to his LinkedIn page. He enrolled at the University of South Carolina School of Law in the fall of 2023.
During Season 1, Will spent plenty of time discussing the possibility of law school.
“I grew up in a law firm that my dad and mom run," he said in Season 1, Episode 7. "And I have an ambition to do something more professional in my life than serve vodka sodas and Bud Lights.”
During Season 2, he announced that he’d finally made a decision to pursue the career despite some lingering trepidations.
“My dad is like my hero. It’s really cool to sit in his office and be like, ‘I’m now going to walk in the same shoes as you.’ But there’s pressure there," Will explained in Season 2, Episode 3. "I’ve spent my whole 20s exploring the world and living in New York City, being a model and bartender and having a really good time. The idea of going and sitting in a library for 12 hours a day is terrifying. The worst case scenario would be to go and come back after the first semester and be failing.”
Will Kulp and Emmy Sharett's Relationship
As previously mentioned, Will has been dating co-worker Emmy Sharrett throughout Seasons 1 and 2 of Southern Hospitality.
The two began Season 1 having reconciled after a September 2021 breakup, with Will “putting in the work” to win Emmy over again.
“When I left Will it was because I wanted more and I didn’t think he wanted the same,” shared Emmy in Season 1, Episode 2. “I never expected Will to come back with love letters, diamond earrings. He was pursuing me as hard as anyone has ever pursued me.”
She had a particular vision for their shared future, which she often talked about in confessionals on the how.
“I see Will on [our 40th birthday] with him having his own law firm. Two kids. A beautiful house in Charleston,” shared Emmy in Season 1, Episode 7.
RELATED: Here’s Where the Southern Hospitality Cast Stand After Season 2
I’ll be a housewife. I’ll be at home taking care of the kids, cleaning the house. A little wine at 5," she said in Episode 8. "There’s nothing wrong with being a trophy wife,” Emmy said.
But after Will dislocated his shoulder during a charity boxing match, Emmy felt her plans for the relationship had stalled
“Last year I was on track for ‘happy wife, happy life.’ This year Will is in a sling and I don’t have a ring. Good thing I love him,” she joked in Season 2.
Will, meanwhile, became nervous that his plans to attend law school would hurt his relationship.
“I just think that it’s scary and it’s new and it’s daunting," he shared in Season 2, Episode 2 while at a guys night. "I don’t want to lose my friends and I don’t want to lose my girlfriend.”
“If I said it wasn’t scary I’d be f-cking lying,” he added. “The glue in our relationship is that time we spend together, and we’re not going to have the same time. I’m kind of stressed out about it, to be honest.”
Did Will Kulp cheat on Emmy Sharrett?
During Season 2, Oisin O’Neill started a rumor that Will cheated on Emmy during the guys night at Joe Bradley’s apartment. As the story went, Will entered abathroom with a girl that wasn’t Emmy and a bottle of rosé in hand, and they made out.
However, both Will and Emmy ultimately denied that anything happened.
Still, they were both hurt after finding out that Joe had doubts about their relationship surviving once Will started law school.
At Will’s going away party in the Season 2 finale, he confronted Joe about his spiteful remarks and told him he was “over” his unfriendly actions (which you can watch in the video below). By the end of the episode, it appeared that Will and Joe were taking a step back in their friendship.
“Some people pretend to be your friends,” Will said about his and Joe’s situation. “Some people are your friends. I’m f-king over it.”
Originally published Nov 21, 2022.
