Shep Rose, Craig Conover & Austen Kroll’s Friendship History

Austen met Shep when he relocated to Charleston around 2016, and the two “became fast friends and found each other to be worthy competitors when it came to getting the attention of ladies,” according to the former’s Season 4 bio as a new cast member. Reflecting on the early days of his and Shep’s friendship in a January 2026 interview on The Viall Files, Austen explained, “We were a step down from good buddies. We were buddies.”

As of 2026, Shep and Craig have known each other for roughly 13 years and have had individual friendships with Austen for about 10 years.

Shep and Craig are still friends in 2026, though the former revealed in an exclusive interview with Bravo Insider that they are still navigating some “highs and lows,” after wrapping Season 12 of Southern Charm.

“We really didn’t define our relationship at its current state,” Shep explained. “So, that’s a constant source of hand-wringing, I think on both of our parts. I think that there is a real respect for what we’ve accomplished, as far as the show being 12 seasons. But there’s also sort of a new reality that we both feel, and it’s hard to verbalize, even though we talk all the time.”

Similarly, Craig and Austen both told Bravo Insider in separate interviews that they decided to “restart” their rollercoaster friendship ahead of Season 12. Though they are friends today, the two still had some major work to do in repairing their bond while filming.

“Austen and I burned our friendship to the ground and decided to restart, so you get to see this new friendship between me and Austen, which I think viewers will really enjoy,” Craig teased. “We hit rock bottom in our friendship, so we threw it all away, and in the offseason, we went on a snowboard trip. We said, ‘You know what? Let’s start anew. We have too much fun to not.'”

Not only is Austen still friends with Shep, but he even named him as the Charmer with whom he currently shares the tightest bond. “Shep and I have grown close. We seem to be each other’s confidantes,” Austen told Bravo Insider. “That’s not to say that everything’s perfect. But Shep and I are definitely probably closer than we ever have been. Shep is like a brother to me.”

During Season 6, which aired in 2019, Shep adopted a puppy that he decided to name Little Craig, or Lil Craig. In a previous Bravo Insider interview, Shep explained that he’d gotten the idea to name his dog after Craig from one of his father’s law clients. “The genesis of Lil Craig is this: My dad was a lawyer for many years. He’s retired now, and he had a client that owned a giant farm,” Shep said. “And the client affectionately named a mule after my dad. My dad’s name is Rip, so one of the mules was named Rip. I was a child at the time, and I just thought that was so funny. So, it’s an homage, trust me. And a jab.”

Yes. Craig and Austen are still business partners who co-own a bar, By The Way, in addition to The Waverly, a Charleston event space that they opened in 2025 as a venue for weddings and other large celebrations.

As Austen noted in his recent Bravo Insider interview, he and Craig keep things “very professional” with their other business partners, regardless of whatever “tension” they might be navigating. Their professional responsibilities, meanwhile, have also led to them both reining in their friendship drama, as “difficult” as that was, at times.