The Southern Charm cast are no strangers to drama — but according to star Shep Rose, two cast members in particular are going to be feeling the heat during the show’s season 11 reunion.
“I mean, Craig [Conover] and Austen [Kroll] are,” Shep exclusively told Us Weekly while walking the BravoCon 2025 red carpet in Las Vegas on Friday, November 14. “It’s eye opening, their differences. And it’s real, and it’s, it’s raw.”
When asked if he believes the pair can maintain a friendship after the show, Shep — who considers both a dear friend — gave a candid response.
“They can,” he told Us. “They both are very hard headed and stubborn.”
One of the issues Shep believes befell the pair is Craig’s tendency to “immerse himself” in his relationships. Following his very public split from Paige DeSorbo, Craig was single and therefore more available to his guy friends — for better or worse.
“I think you’re gonna see that, you know, he, for all intents and purposes, sort of isolated himself and really immersed himself in his relationship,” Shep said of Craig’s previous romance. “I don’t recommend that. I think you got to keep a nice balance, because when it doesn’t work out, unfortunately, you have to really recalibrate and reconnect.”
He continued, “And if you had stayed connected the whole time and been a little more forthcoming with your doubts and fears, which we all really should do, like, you should be vulnerable. It’s not a bad thing.”
For the uninitiated, Craig endured a very public breakup with his Summer House costar. Paige announced in December 2024 that she and Craig had parted ways after sparking a romance in 2021. Paige later revealed that she broke up with the Southern Charm star in November 2024 over Thanksgiving weekend.
Shortly after their split, the pair low-key sparred online, sharing conflicting accounts of their breakup. Craig claimed that he was “shocked” by the end of his relationship, while Paige was busy denying she cheated on her ex.
“What am I looking for in a guy?” DeSorbo asked while reading a question during a February episode of her “Giggly Squad” podcast, seemingly writing off dating for the time being. “For them to go away, is what I’m looking for. For them to turn around and not talk to me, is probably the No. 1 thing on my list. So this Valentine’s Day, it’s all about me.”
News later broke that Craig had joined the celebrity-approved dating app Raya, which he later admitted was just an attempt to get “validation.”
“It didn’t feel as good as I thought,” he told Andy Cohen in February.
Despite his friend and fellow costar isolating himself, Shep had nothing but positive things to say to Us about how Craig came back into the fold now that he’s single.
“I think he does a fantastic job,” Shep told Us. “I’m happy. I like single Craig.”
Shep also supports Craig’s many endeavors that also keep him away from his buddies — endeavors that don’t involve women.
“Whitney and I and Austin spend a lot of time together,” he explained. “We love Craig, and we stay in touch with Craig. Craig’s a busy man. He’s running all over and I respect that and support it.”
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