Bravo bromance! Southern Charm fans have seen many friendships come and go on the series, but when Austen Kroll joined the cast in season 4, his instant bond with Craig Conover was hard to miss.
Conover, who has been part of the reality series since its 2014 start, connected with Kroll in 2016 when he started filming with the Charleston, South Carolina, residents. Unlike most of the original cast who come from Southern aristocracy, both Conover and Kroll are working men.
Their struggles to get their careers off the ground — Conover is the founder of Sewing Down South while Kroll is the suds master for Kings Calling Brewing Co. — is only part of what brought them together.
After breaking off their respective romances — Conover split from Naomie Olindo in 2017 and Kroll and Madison LeCroy called it quits for good in December 2020 — the pals embraced life without girlfriends.
The attorney and the North Carolina native’s single status caused a bit of controversy in December 2020 after the pair sparked up a friendship with Kristin Cavallari a few months prior. Following a trip to Nashville, some fans thought Kroll was more than just friends with the True Comfort author.
Conover exclusively told Us Weekly at the time that his longtime friend needed to “heal from his trauma” with LeCroy before he would seriously consider dating Cavallari, who split from husband Jay Cutler in April 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage.
The Delaware native said he would be “fine” with his Southern Charm costar dating Cavallari in the future, noting that fans hadn’t seen the last of their new friendship group, which also included Cavallari’s BFF Justin Anderson.
“I think you saw our chemistry the other night and when Taylor Swift comes on, all of the walls come down and apparently we go live,” Conover told Us. “We’ll have to see what happens. I don’t know. I can’t speak for them, but I think you’ll see a lot of the four of us in the future.”
Seven months later, Conover was romantically linked to the Very Cavallari alum himself when rumors surfaced that the Balancing in Heels author was in a love triangle with the two Bravo reality stars.
Cavallari denied the allegations in July 2021, but the relationship rumors made headlines again in January 2022 after Conover claimed during a Summer House episode that he had “hooked up with her before.”
During the episode, which filmed in July 2021, Conover claimed that Kroll was jealous of the romance. However, a source exclusively told Us at the time that Cavallari “never hooked up” with the southern gentleman.
Despite their rumored love triangle with Cavallari — and butting heads on Southern Charm on more than one occasion — Conover and Kroll can’t help but gush over each other.
“There’s a really fun side to his personality. We travel together a lot,” the Charleston School of Law graduate said during an October 2021 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen about Kroll. “There is a side to Austen that’s very lighthearted and fun and funny and fun to be around.”
Scroll down to see Conover and Kroll’s friendship ups and downs:
The beermaker first appeared on the Bravo series during season 4, which filmed in the summer and fall of 2016. He made his debut in April 2017 and quickly became one of Conover’s closest friends. Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
Kroll poked fun at his pal while traveling in August 2017. “F—king Craig on TV on the plane … ugh,” he captioned a photo of the duo on Southern Charm in flight. Conover reshared the snap, asking, “Haha do anyone's best friends ever actually say anything nice to them? #thanksgaber #southerncharm #charmedairways #youstillwatching.” Courtesy Craig Conover/Instagram
“Craig is definitely on Santa’s s--t list this year. #noshavenovemberforkris,” Kroll joked via Instagram in December 2017. Courtesy Austen Kroll/Instagram
“Who wants to build a *********** snowman #bestdayever,” the Delaware native wrote via Instagram in July 2019 after watching Broadway’s Frozen with Kroll in New York City. Courtesy Craig Conover/Instagram
Conover joked in January 2020 that Kroll was his “plus 1” for a friend’s nuptials. Courtesy Craig Conover/Instagram
In May 2020, the twosome teamed up to make Mother’s Day videos on Cameo. “Whenever we do press together this is what we do, ‘Hey guys I’m Austen, and I’m Craig. And together we’re the Hardy Boys!’ I dunno I thought it was good,” Kroll joked in the Instagram caption. Courtesy Austen Kroll/Instagram
The duo sparked a relationship with the Uncommon James founder in the fall of 2020 while she was visiting Charleston. Conover and Kroll later documented their trip to Nashville when they hung out with Cavallari and her BFF Anderson. “She came to town with her friend Justin and the four of us [with Craig] had dinner,” Kroll exclusively told Us about their friendship in October 2020. “We’ve all been in contact ever since. We’re in this, like, big old group chat, and the group chat is active. We had a blast with them and I’m gonna take a trip to see them in Nashville sometime soon.” Courtesy Austen Kroll/Instagram
The southern gentlemen launched their “Pillows and Beer” podcast in January 2021. YouTube
Conover accused Kroll’s ex-girlfriend LeCroy of sleeping with a “married” ex-MLB player during the cast’s February 2021 season 7 reunion. The person he was referring to was later confirmed by LeCroy as Alex Rodriguez, who at the time was engaged to Jennifer Lopez. The hairstylist, however, denied to Page Six that there was anything “physical” between them.A source close to Rodriguez exclusively told Us at the time that the former athlete “never met” LeCroy. After Kroll opened up about his rocky relationship with the South Carolina native, whom he split from for good in December 2020, Conover had his back. “You’re a terrible person and you’re a trash can,” the lawyer said during the reunion, directing his anger at LeCroy. John Valkos/Tommy Garcia/Bravo
The reality stars jetted off to Vermont together to film Bravo’s Winter House in early 2021. The show aired in the fall of that year. “It’s a little more raw,” Conover told Us of the series in October 2021. “It’s a new side to us. You’re used to seeing us in suits and dressed up, and in very, like, social settings, but this will be the first time you get to see us really in a day to day.” Kroll agreed, telling Us, “It’ll be a new side of our personality … [but] that also comes with its cons, because you also get to see us in our worst moments too. But I think it should be a healthy balance.” Courtesy Austen Kroll/Instagram
“Minnesota. Peanuts. 4th of July. America. Summer of 69,” Conover captioned a series of social media photos in July 2021. The attorney celebrated the holiday weekend with his BFF and Winter House costar Luke Gulbranson. Courtesy Craig Conover/Instagram
Conover began hooking up with Winter House costar Paige DeSorbo in the summer of 2021. The twosome confirmed their romance in September of that year while attending Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke’s wedding. One month later, Kroll commented on his pal’s relationship. "A thousand percent I see why they get along," he told E! News in October 2021. "It's something that I thought was going to happen in the house, but Craig had a girlfriend. You'll see some different things happen there. I for sure saw this happening." Kroll added: "They vibe with each other well. Like Craig is so more up her alley than other people in the house, I think. And the way the way that they laugh and banter and vibe, that's what I think makes them [work]." Jonathan Leibson/Polk Imaging/Shutterstock; Tommy Garcia/Bravo
The twosome kicked off the new year with a group getaway to Aspen, Colorado, in January 2022. Courtesy Craig Conover/Instagram
Conover claimed during a January 2022 episode of Summer House that he and Cavallari had a romantic relationship after previously sparking love triangle rumors involving the Hills alum and Kroll in July 2021. “I’ve hooked up with her before,” Conover told DeSorbo during the episode, which filmed in July 2021. He added that Kroll “hates that I was making out [with Kristin],” seemingly confirming that he and Cavallari were more than just friends at one point. A source close to the Laguna Beach alum exclusively told Us after the episode aired that “they never hooked up,” noting that Cavallari thinks the Bravo personality is “just capitalizing on her name.” During a February 2022 episode of Summer House, DeSorbo revealed more details about Conover’s alleged text messages with Cavallari about the hookup. “I guess she texted him like, ‘You are not going to make me look like an idiot with her.’ And like, ‘If you want her, like, go have her. Just don’t make me look stupid,’” DeSorbo claimed. “And he was like, ‘OK, but you went on Instagram and lied.’ Like, ‘You can’t say you were never going to date either of us. We f—ked.'" ABC/WDTV
Conover exclusively told Us in March 2022 that he stopped talking to Kroll for about two months after he learned of his actions on Summer House season 6. The attorney explained that he had an issue with how the beermaker treated their pal Ciara Miller, who Kroll previously dated on Winter House. “I was just really disappointed,” the Pillow Talk: What's Wrong with My Sewing? author said at the time. “I don't watch the shows, just for my own sanity, but when I found out that he was kissing Lindsay [Hubbard] after kissing Ciara, I was just like, ‘Dude, that's literally everything that Lindsay wanted to happen.’ He just crushed Ciara. … I was just really disappointed in him.” Conover noted that they have since mended fences. “Austen's actually in a really great place now. Since last fall, [Austen] and Paige [and] Ciara [have] been working to better themselves. So I feel bad a little bit that he has to, like, replay [all] of this now eight months later,” he told Us. “Current day we're in a great spot. Him and I are about to go on tour and we've worked through all of our issues. But it wasn't the best showing.” Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
Conover and Kroll’s tension appears to hit an all-time high during season 8 of Southern Charm. “Craig, chill the f—k out,” Kroll told his friend in the May 2022 trailer for the season as the duo wrestled against a car and then onto the ground. “Say ‘I’m sorry!’” Conover yelled at Kroll after getting him into a chokehold. The reason for their fight, however, was not disclosed. Bravo
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