A rumor about Austen Kroll cheating on his then-girlfriend, Audrey Pratt, surfaced on Southern Charm Season 11, Episode 4 — and Austen didn’t hold back when addressing the gossip.
Here’s what went down: In the heat of an intense argument, Craig Conover brought up that Shep Rose had dirt on Austen that would “literally ruin” his life. Once Craig had pulled the pin on that metaphorical grenade, Shep had no choice but to reluctantly reveal the “totally unsubstantiated” rumor that he’d heard about Austen.
According to Shep, two women had approached him during a recent trip to New York City, claiming that Austen was “talking to” one of their friends. The implication was that Austen was romancing this individual, even though he was still dating Audrey at the time.
Instead of bringing the rumor to Austen’s attention, Shep had consulted Craig, who advised him not to repeat the claim, out of risk of disturbing Austen’s “peace.” (That is, of course, until Craig referenced it himself in front of the whole group.)
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Once Austen was clued in to what happened, he vehemently denied the infidelity claim in a confessional.
“Come the f–k on. There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that I have cheated on my girlfriend,” Austen insisted, “which is why it upsets me so much that my two friends can so callously spread just bulls–t.”
During their heated exchange, Austen also blasted Shep for trusting Craig with the “conjecture” about his love life. What’s more, he questioned if the two were even his “real friends” in the first place.
Austen Kroll revealed Audrey Pratt’s reaction to the cheating rumors
As Austen had also put it to Shep, he didn’t understand how speculation about him supposedly talking to “some f–king girl in New York” would “ruin” his life, anyway.
“Dude, I’m talking to girls at the bar, and f–king Audrey knows,” he explained. “And she tells me that she talks to guys at the bar.”
Later on, when Rodrigo Reyes dropped off Austen’s two new kittens, Austen revealed how Audrey reacted when he filled her in on the cheating claims.
RELATED:Â Madison LeCroy Shares Her Blunt Take on Austen Kroll and Audrey’s Relationship
“I called Audrey, and she was like, ‘How was the dinner party?'” he shared. “I was like, ‘Well, ya know, my two ‘great friends’ brought up some baseless rumor. And she wasn’t like, ‘Is this true?’ She was just like, ‘I’m sorry. That sucks.'”
As Austen continued in a confessional, “It feels amazing to have the support of my girlfriend. You know, security with me and Audrey is like … at the very, very top.”
Inside Austen Kroll and Audrey Pratt’s relationship issues
Despite Austen’s assertion that he was feeling secure in his long-distance relationship, he had already expressed doubts about their longevity in the first few episodes of Southern Charm Season 11.
During a sitdown with ex Madison LeCroy in Episode 3, for example, Austen unpacked how his feelings on their future seemed to change, based on whether Audrey was at home in Charlotte or visiting him in Charleston.
“I just feel that when she’s here, I’m like, ‘This is f–king good and easy,'” he explained. “But then, I also have the other end of it where I feel like when she’s gone, I’m like, ‘Is this, like, forever?’ Am I supposed to have those thoughts about the person that I could potentially spend the rest of my life with?”
Austen elaborated to a producer, “I’m, you know, 37, going on 38, and I’m like, ‘Am I a guy who’s gonna get married?’ Like, how can someone be so sure of such a f–king forever-long commitment?”
As fans now know, however, Austen and Audrey broke up sometime after he made those comments. During BravoCon 2025, he even mentioned how his conversations with Madison helped him make the decision to call it quits with Audrey.
As you wait to see how his breakup with Audrey plays out on Southern Charm, find out what Austen recently revealed about his dating life, post-split.
