Southern Charm‘s Craig Conover set the record straight on comments he allegedly made about Charley Manley after their first official date.
As seen on Season 11, Episode 10, a game of telephone ensued after Craig opened up to Austen Kroll, Shep Rose, and Whitney Sudler-Smith about his and Charley’s “fun” oyster farm outing. Afterward, Shep repeated what Craig said to Salley Carson, who then gave Charley her version of what she’d heard.
By that point, as Craig claimed on the Southern Charm After Show, his actual remarks about Charley had been totally misrepresented.
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“What I said was I need to be [intentional] with my actions, because the last thing I want to do is get, like, balls-deep in this relationship and then realize that I don’t actually like her, and it was just, like, a crush or, like, a rebound,” Craig clarified, alongside Madison LeCroy. “And then all of a sudden you have to, like, hurt them. And that was the conversation.”
What Craig Conover said about dating Charley Manley on Southern Charm
As a refresher, Craig shared during Austen’s birthday dinner in Southern Charm Episode 9 that he and Charley had an “awesome” first date, before opening up to the guys about his fears in continuing his romantic pursuit of the Season 11 newcomer.
“So, is it OK to hang out with her a couple times, or, like, do you have to make a decision now?” he asked his friends. “I don’t know. I am overthinking this a lot right now, because the last thing I want to do is to, like, have Charley drop her guard and then me realize that, like, I don’t like her.”
Shep, meanwhile, joked that Craig should give Charley “some credit,” pointing out that she could just as easily realize that she’s not interested in him either.
“I do. What I’m trying to say is, like, do you just not start going on dates with someone because it might not work out and you don’t want to hurt them? Or do you just f–kin’ live?” Craig asked, prompting Shep to playfully suggest that they “just have some naughty, naughty sex for a month and a half.”
However, Craig still continued to wonder, “How do you do that without having to, like, lead ’em on? … Is there any risk in going on, like, a second date?”
What Shep Rose and Salley Carson claimed Craig Conover said about Charley ManleyÂ
While en route to Whitner Slagsvol’s family estate during Southern Charm‘s Feb. 4 episode, Charley was debriefing Salley and Molly O’Connell on her and Craig’s date when the stories first appeared to diverge.
“Well, the other day, I get told that he’s going around saying that you’re gonna fall in love with him, and he doesn’t want to hurt you,” Salley stated. “He’s been saying it to, like, all the guys.”
Though Molly suggested that maybe the guys were “twisting” Craig’s exact words, Salley doubled down: “That’s not what’s happening. He is the f–kin’ problem.”
RELATED: Craig Conover Defends Friend-Zoning Salley Carson — And She Reacts (EXCLUSIVE)
While reuniting with Charley at Whitner’s family farm, Craig vehemently denied the statement that Salley claimed had come “straight from Shep’s mouth.”
Though Salley insisted that she was simply looking out for Charley’s best interest, Craig vented in a confessional, “It’s getting harder not to think that Salley’s actions are intentional, because she knows I don’t like her like that, and she doesn’t want Charley to be happy either. That’s not a true friend.”
Finally, when Craig eventually confronted Shep, the latter also denied Salley’s characterization of their chat.
“There’s nobody more respectful of females than Craig Conover,” Shep told his friend, before warning him to “be careful” of what he says around Salley. “She’s an agent of chaos.”
As the drama plays out, find out why Charley didn’t initially tell Salley about her and Craig’s date.
