Although they’ve endured their fair share of drama over the years, the men of Southern Charm have established a close bond that continues even when the cameras go down.
Whitney Sudler-Smith spoke about the dynamic at BravoCon 2025, as he enjoyed a night out with his fellow Southern Charm-ers Craig Conover, Shep Rose, Austen Kroll, and Rodrigo Reyes.
“It’s incredible,” Whitney told People magazine about the friendships within the cast. “We’ve all become a tight-knit, close community of good friends. We hang out off-camera, and we are good friends, and I think it’s a testament to the strength and integrity of the show.”
Whitney Sudler explains how Southern Charm came to be
Whitney isn’t just a Southern Charm friend, he’s also one of the series’ executive producers. He dished on the show’s origins in an exclusive interview with BravoTV.com, revealing he got the idea for Southern Charm while visiting his mom, Patricia Altschul, in Charleston.
The filmmaker said he immediately noticed that some of the residents were “crazy and compelling,” so much so that he called down a camera crew to capture it all.
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“I said, ‘Hey, let’s get a crew down here,’” he recalled. “‘There’s something here — a TV show or a documentary or whatever.’ That was the germination of Southern Charm.”
Patricia, who has been a Southern Charm fixture since Season 1 (2014), admitted she never expected her family to be involved with reality TV. But after a team began filming in the Holy City, Whitney’s fellow producers suggested he and his mom appear on the show.
Although Whitney was initially hesitant, he eventually agreed and talked his mom into it.
Patricia Altschul explains how Southern Charm is different than other shows
“I think it’s fun,” Patricia told BravoTV.com about her Southern Charm experience. “I mean, I don’t ever stress. I just say whatever comes into my head. I’m unfiltered.”
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Patricia credited the show’s success to the genuine friendships within the cast, particularly among the men.
“It’s different than any other reality show. The women come and go, but it’s really about the men,” she said. “They’re our Southern version of [The Real Housewives franchise].”
Craig Conover sheds light on the Southern Charm “insane bond”
And, just like the Housewives, the Southern Charm men are no strangers to in-group tensions. Craig told People magazine he was “nervous” for BravoCon because there were “unresolved” issues among the cast. But despite the lingering drama, Craig suggested he was grateful for the journey.
“Honestly, Whitney, as much as he loves to give us crap, we wouldn’t be here without you,” he told Whitney. “You ever consider that?”
“It’s fun, because look, 250 people, maybe, have ever done what we’ve done,” Craig continued. “Maybe 50 have done this as long as we’ve done [it]. And so we have this insane bond no matter what… We’ve shared our lives with America and 125 other countries around the world — it actually really is awesome.”
Get a closer look at Whitney’s friendship with Shep and their recent getaway to London.
