According to Shep Rose, it’s the year of Craig Conover on Southern Charm season 11 after his split from Paige DeSorbo.
Shep, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, July 29, that Craig, 36, does “a lion’s share” of the work for the cast on the upcoming season, making for “interesting television” in the wake of his and Paige’s split.
“I’m not going to speak for him, but he is coming off that breakup — very public breakup — [so] get ready,” Shep teased of Craig’s story arc while promoting his own partnership with UScellular for their Pinky Promise Ring. “I really think it’s going to be a fantastic season.”
Shep pointed to the group’s “deep-seated relationships” and “deep-seated differences” as part of what makes the new season so good.
“We all kind of have the dirt on each other, so that’s always lurking,” he said with a laugh. “We talk about that this season, me, Craig and Austen [Kroll] and Whitney [Sudler-Smith], too. It’s like, ‘Guys, we have to stop playing Gotcha so much.’ Sometimes we can weaponize information and we’re all guilty of it.”
While their friendship dynamic will be a central story this season, Shep said that Craig’s vulnerability after his 2024 split from Paige, 32, was one of the bigger surprises.
“I was really proud of him coming out of the gates. I didn’t know what he was going to do because, and he’ll admit that when he was in his previous relationship, he, sort of, isolated himself a bit,” Shep explained of the Sewing Down South founder. “And that’s OK that he was trying to prove some things to himself and to her. And he did a fine job, I thought.”
Shep noted that now that his longtime friend had to “recalibrate everything” after the breakup, and fans will “really get to see that.”
“I’ve enjoyed seeing it and he has my full support and also my empathy in a breakup situation,” Shep told Us. “We’ve all been there and it’s a new normal that you have to figure out.”
Paige announced in December 2024 that she and Craig had called it quits after three years of dating. After rumors surfaced that Paige was unfaithful during their relationship, she clarified the timeline of their split.
The Summer House alum denied in February that she ever cheated on Craig, telling listeners of her “Giggly Squad” podcast that she broke up with him after Thanksgiving. She also claimed the pair last spoke in early December 2024.
Paige later alleged on an episode of Summer House that Craig texted other girls when they were still together, which he denied. As their breakup continued to get messy, the Summer House and Southern Charm casts began taking sides.
“I think people break up all the time. Dirty little secret here. Yeah, it happens. There doesn’t have to be a hero or a villain,” Shep told Us on Tuesday reflecting on the Bravo stars publicly backing their costars. “People fall out of love and maybe — and when one person feels stronger than the other, then things get out of balance and that’s OK. It’s happening the world over as we speak.”
He added, “So I just didn’t think it had to go to a place where it was, I don’t really know the gossip mill, but any finger pointing I think is a little much in my opinion.”
While Craig and Paige have different stories about the end of their relationship — Craig claimed he bought an engagement ring before the split, while Paige argued the ring didn’t exist — they have both moved on.
Us broke the news in March that Craig was dating model Natalie Buffett, but the pair parted ways three months later. Us confirmed in July that Paige is dating Joe D’Amelio after they were seemingly spotted together in Italy.
Craig’s life as a single guy will be on full display when Southern Charm returns — which, according to the reality star, includes flirting over fruit.
“If I had a crush on a girl, I would take her into my garden and pick a strawberry for her and have her try it,” Craig told Interview magazine earlier this month, confirming that his garden was in full bloom during filming. “And then I have blackberries all over my fence line and blueberry bushes by them, so you go and pick some blueberries and blackberries. I think fruit is very sexy.”
According to Shep, Craig’s love life isn’t the only relationship that fans will get to see play out on Southern Charm. He teased that Craig and Austen’s friendship, which has its own ups and downs, will be back in the limelight.
“Me and Craig are fine, let’s put it that way. Me and Craig are totally fine, and me and Austen are totally fine,” Shep told Us. “As a whole, it’s a little rocky, but it’s interesting. And we’ll always love each other. There’s no doubt about that.”
As fans wait to see what transpires on screen, Shep is promoting more in-person connection as a Pinky Promise Officiant for UScellular. The company created a Pinky Promise Ring to wear as a reminder to stop doom-scrolling and put down your phone to lead a more engaged lifestyle. (The ring itself is designed to make it harder to hold your phone.)
“It’s more about connectivity in real time, and it’s about putting your phone down and connecting and being present with people,” Shep explained. “What better message can you propagate than that? In my opinion.”
Shep noted that he uses the ring as a reminder to reset, mostly at mealtime. “Let’s face it, my mom and dad, they’re on their phone too. I mean, it’s very easy to sort of be antisocial, even though that’s not your personality, that’s what it appears to be,” he said. “And so, at meals, I put my phone away and I do not pick it up unless I’m waiting on an Uber or something like that.”
