"I have a proposal" — Southern Charm star Craig offers $30,000 to buy out Austen from their podcast

Season 10 episode 8 of Southern Charm was released on January 30, 2025. It saw Craig Conover express his wish to end his involvement with Austen Kroll on their podcast Pillows and Beer. He decided to meet Austen to finalize the details and also took Shep Rose along to help mediate the discussion.

Austen was surprised to see Craig and Shep arrive together, as it had been years since they'd made a joint appearance. Before the meeting, Craig spoke to Jerry, his business partner, who suggested offering Austen a buyout worth between $35,000 and $50,000.

“I feel like I have a proposal with the podcast that should be pretty f*cking great. Maybe we gave you like 30 grand, but I keep ownership of it,” said Craig.

Craig decided to start with a lower offer and proposed that he give Austen $30,000 to give up his ownership of the podcast. However, Austen rejected the offer, stating that he hadn't been thinking about the podcast lately.

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Tensions rise on Southern Charm as Craig and Austen's friendship hangs in the balance

On the latest episode of Southern Charm, Craig Conover asked Austen Kroll what he wanted from him, and the latter said that he just wanted to repair their friendship. However, Craig was confused and said that he believed everything was fine between them.

He reminded Austen that he had gone to Craig's house and started the conflict. Austen explained that he intended to help Craig find a better balance between work and personal life.

Craig felt betrayed by Austen's actions on Southern Charm and asked Austen again what more he wanted from him. He then asked Shep to help him resolve his issues with Austen on Southern Charm.

Shep Rose shared his thoughts with Craig, saying that he and Austen believed Craig's actions were just a publicity stunt. Shep also described Craig's behavior as insincere and fake.

“There’s a part of Austen and I that thought it was all a PR thing. Like, 'I’ve got to... if I want my business to flourish, I have to be squeaky clean," Shep told Craig.

Craig reacted strongly, telling his friends that they either needed to support him or stay away.

Despite their disagreement, Craig and Austen continued to work on their podcast together. Austen hinted that viewers would see their conflict play out and eventually resolve over the rest of the season.

He also described the upcoming episode to People magazine in a January 30 interview, saying it was an emotional one with tears, hugs, and mixed emotions. The cast member added that the show's focus on real friendships made the changing dynamics between the cast members interesting to watch.

Craig also shared his thoughts with the publication, explaining that people often get confused when someone's priorities change. He said some people struggled to understand why someone would give up one thing for something else.

Craig noted that while people would wonder how someone left behind the good times, he believed that there was more to life than just these moments. He added that he and his coworkers had many enjoyable moments during the season.

Craig explained that some cast members were trying to move on to new stages of their lives, while others were confused about why they weren't changing. The cast member also noted that the second half of the season would be his favorite episodes of Southern Charm so far.

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Catch new episodes of Southern Charm as they air on Thursdays at 9 pm ET on Bravo.