Whitner Slagsvol brought major street cred when he joined Southern Charm in its 11th season, not the least of which included his familial ties to trop-rock legend Jimmy Buffett. That’s right, the Charleston-based lawyer is related to the late “Margaritaville” singer by marriage, as the nephew of Buffett’s widow, Jane Slagsvol.
“He was bigger than life; he had an outsized influence and impact on my life,” Whit said on a Jan. 29 episode of the Fan or Fanatic Podcast. “He lived his life bigger than anyone.”
Whit described being “pretty close in age” with Buffett and Jane Slagsvol’s two younger children, discussing their adventures as kids and how they’d “run and gun” together during trips to New York City, Aspen, and the like.
“We have some stories,” the new Southern Charm-er continued. “Unimaginable, you know, each trip we ever took, I sort of realized after he passed, it was a once-in-a-lifetime, life-changing sort of experience. Like, ‘Hey, come with us and do this amazing thing.’ That’s cool, to go see the great migration in a safari for a couple of weeks. Lots of that throughout my entire life.”
Unfortunately, Whit admitted, the rock legend never made him a margarita.
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More details on Whitner Slagsvol’s family ties to Jimmy Buffett
Whit’s Aunt Jane Slagsvol met Buffett at a bar in Key West, Florida, when she was still a University of South Carolina student on spring break, according to People. At the time, a freshly divorced Buffett was trying to cut his teeth in country music, having recently relocated to the Keys from Nashville, Tennessee.
The pair married in 1977, the same year Buffett had his big break with “Margaritaville,” and went on to have three children. They remained close until Buffett succumbed to skin cancer at the age of 76, leaving behind a $275 million estate.
Whitner Slagsvol talks about being related to Jimmy Buffett on Southern Charm
Whit first opened up about his ties to the singer on Southern Charm Season 11, Episode 10, when the cast headed to his family’s estate, Itchy Grass Farm. He told producers, “My family unquestionably has deep roots in the South, but just because we’ve been here a long time doesn’t mean that we’re very traditional.”
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His connection to Jimmy Buffett served as a notable example, and a photo of Whit and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-r on a surf outing only drove the point home. He told producers that his aunt and uncle became “one of the longest running couples in rock-and-roll history.”
“The Buffett proximity had a big influence just on the opportunities that we’ve had,” Whit continued, “and all of a sudden, the world was just this bigger place of people who weren’t from the same country club, doctor, lawyer, you know, whatever.”
Longtime friend Shep Rose had more to say about Whit’s background when he made his debut on Season 11, Episode 2: “I’ve known Whitner for probably 10 years. We’re both fond of outdoor activities. His family’s from Columbia; my dad’s family’s right down the road in Camden … So, we have lots in common.”
Whit previously said he came from a family of “big-ish names,” many of which dated back to the Revolutionary War. Still, he set out to make a name for himself, revealing in his confessional as a fun dig at Shep, “I don’t have a trust fund.”
See why Austen Kroll called Whit live during the Southern Charm After Show.
