Southern Charm Savannah's Lyle Mackenzie Denies Being 'Verbally and Mentally Abusive'
The never-ending relationship drama between Lyle Mackenzie and Catherine Cooper continues on Monday’s Southern Charm Savannah — and this time, the rest of the cast is getting involved.
PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at a tense scene from the episode in which Brandon Branch, Hagood Coxe, Daniel Eichholz, Hannah Pearson, and Louis Oswald discuss Mackenzie and Cooper’s dynamic over drinks in Turks and Caicos at what Pearson dubs,”the table of truth.”
Mackenzie and Cooper could use a bit of an intervention. The couple, who have dated on and off for nearly 17 years, hit rock bottom on the season 1 finale when Mackenzie proposed to Cooper and she turned him down. Since then, there’s been nonstop bickering, rumors of cheating, and multiple breakups as the two explored whether or not they can stay together.
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Regardless of what they decide, Branch has some things he wants Mackenzie to change.
“If we’re going to be honest at this table, I’m going to have to say something I felt for a while,” he says on Monday’s episode, kicking things off. “And you know I love you [Lyle], but I don’t think you realize this. I think you’re extremely verbally and mentally abusive towards [Catherine]. Extremely. The way you speak to her in private and in public is not cool.”
Coxe doesn’t agree. “I think that’s kind of b——-,” she says. “I don’t really think that you’re abusive. Trust me, I’ve seen verbally abusive. Let’s not throw that word around, because it’s a serious accusation, and I’m not going to have someone talk about a friend of mine that way.”
As the rest of the group begins to debate the accusation, Mackenzie defends himself.
“I’m not perfect,” he says. “Being with Catherine for so long, and I’m not going to point the finger at her, but we kind of play some really screwed up emotional [games].”
But Cooper debates that. “You do,” she bites back.
“You both do,” adds Pearson.
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Things really escalate when Eichholz gets involved. “Lyle admits that he hasn’t been a perfect man,” he says. “But at the same time, a lot of what he’s done is completely reactionary and maybe you haven’t seen all the times that Catherine has acted very abusive towards him.”
Cooper is enraged. “You are crazy if you don’t defend me now,” she says.
Southern Charm Savannah airs Mondays (10 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
