The Viall Files – E1058: Going Deeper with Austen Kroll

Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Nick Viall (with co-hosts)
Guest: Austen Kroll (Southern Charm)

Episode Overview

This “Going Deeper” episode features Southern Charm star Austen Kroll in a candid, wide-ranging conversation with Nick Viall and co-hosts. They delve into the intricate dynamics of male friendships, commitment issues, the realities of filming reality TV, past relationships, personal loss and healing, as well as behind-the-scenes Southern Charm drama—including Austen’s relationships with Craig Conover, Shep Rose, and Madison LeCroy. The tone alternates between introspective, humorous, and authentically honest, giving listeners deep insights into both Austen’s personal journey and the unique world of Bravo reality television.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Austen’s Reality TV Origin Story & Male Representation on Bravo

• Entry to Reality TV:
  • Recruited by Shep Rose for Season 4, knowing almost no one else on the cast.
  • “It was basically, Shep, I don’t know anybody else.” (05:36, Austen)
• Male Friendship Dynamic:
  • Nick notes that Austen, Shep, and Craig attract a unique audience—for male relatability on Bravo.
  • “You guys represent, like, heterosexuality on Bravo reality TV.” (03:31, Nick)
  • Austen: “We all call up one another when the other one fucks up… We love to tell the third person who’s not involved in the fuck up about the other one’s fuck up.” (03:42)
• Vulnerability & Drama:
  • Austen appreciates that the show highlights that men can be as dramatic and sensitive as women, subverting gender stereotypes.
  • “I’m sensitive and I’m petty… I guess, yeah, that’s the formula that’s made Bravo.” (05:18, Austen)

2. Personal Loss and Resilience

• Giving Context:
  • Austen lost his older sister Kyle in a tragic accident at age 7 (She was 9), a subject not widely discussed before on-air.
  • “It’s a horrible little club or fraternity to be a part of.” (13:06, Austen)
• Healing after Tragedy:
  • Austen credits the arrival of his younger sister, Katie, as the family’s healing force.
  • “Katie came to our family and was the biggest blessing the Kroll family could have ever gotten.” (11:14, Austen)
  • “It was like our whole family rebirth.” (12:15)
• Impact on Relationships:
  • Admits that therapy has revealed connections between childhood loss and his adult commitment issues.
  • “I don’t know if anyone… has noticed over the last nine years… that I’m a bit of a commitment phobe… My therapist would attribute it partly to that.” (15:16, Austen)

3. Commitment & Relationship Patterns

• Austen's Commitment Issues:
  • Longest pre-TV relationship: about two years. (16:04)
  • Confesses hitting a “panic mode” around the commit-or-breakup milestone.
  • “It gets to the point for me where… ‘forever’—big, long scary term.” (16:14, Austen)
• Reality TV’s Influence on Relationships:
  • Filming artificially accelerates relationship progression:
    • “Being on the show speeds up everything by 10 months, because they want answers now.” (20:22, Austen)
  • Discusses the pressure and pacing unique to dating on camera.
• “The One That Got Away”:
  • Reflects on messy breakup with Madison as the “big blow up, messy love.”
  • Speaks fondly of most recent girlfriend, highlighting peace, health, and acceptance outside the Bravo world. (18:47–19:38)
• Navigating Single Life and Settling Down:
  • Nick and Austen swap stories about being single in their thirties, chasing dreams, and how personal security and self-acceptance become prerequisites for partnership. (21:47–24:43)
  • “Until a guy feels settled in his own personal life… there’s zero chance that I was actually gonna… be anyone’s boyfriend.” (23:34, Nick)

4. Southern Charm Friendships: Craig & Shep

• The Reality of Reality TV Drama:
  • Arguments on camera are authentic, but sometimes heightened due to the format—it’s “your job” to verbalize conflict for the audience.
  • “Men… typically… let’s just… sweep it under the rug… Then we get on camera and… it is our job. I can’t leave here and text you… you just gotta say it.” (31:09, Austen)
• On Craig Conover:
  • Austen admits to being a “master Craig button pusher.” (31:59)
  • Describes the evolution of their friendship—from easygoing to frequently questioning Craig’s loyalty.
  • Memorable quote: “I’ve begun to question [if Craig values the friendship]." (34:12, Austen)
  • Nick unpacks the public feud and the emotional toll of on-air accusations, e.g., cheating rumors.
    • “Once an accusation comes out… you’re already guilty in some people’s eyes and you will never live it down.” (38:39, Nick)
    • Austen: “I just can’t believe you so callously and thoughtlessly just, like, threw this out there about one of your ‘best friends.’” (39:04, Austen)
  • Addresses the difficulty of balancing business (owning a bar together) after personal and podcast fallout.
• On Shep Rose:
  • Non-calculated and less strategic (vs. Craig); sometimes thoughtless but sincere.
  • Friendship Repair:
    • “At the end of the day, I'm simple like that. That’s all I want to hear… I’m gonna fuck up too.” (46:11, Austen, on apology and accountability)

5. Friendship Dynamics, Expectations, and Miscommunication

• Nick and Austen discuss differing expectations in friendships and the complications added by fame, business, and televised lives.
• Austen: “Friendship means something to me, that it means something to you…” (36:14)
• Love Languages and Friendship Needs:
  • Austen and co-hosts psychoanalyze Craig’s and Austens’s own love languages (52:12–53:34).

6. Reflecting on Past Relationships: Madison, Sally, and More

• Austen & Madison:
  • From “beta bitch” slurs to authentic reconciliation:
    • “When you’re unbothered, it’s such a freeing thing… we can just, you know, move on now and maybe be what we were always supposed to be. And that’s gay best friends.” (57:24–57:46, Austen)
• Potential for Romance with Sally:
  • Acknowledge a new, close friendship that is much discussed on-air.
  • “Sally and I grow close, and we are close now… but no, we’re not dating.” (75:46, Austen)

7. Shep’s Capacity to Settle Down

• Psychoanalyzing Shep:
  • Austen doubts Shep can “flip a switch” after decades of bachelor living.
  • “I just question if Shep will be able to do that… just given how long he’s been single.” (64:15, Austen)
  • Attributes Shep’s difficulty in relationships to ingrained single lifestyle and struggle to adapt.
• Shep & Taylor:
  • Austen believes Shep truly regrets screwing up with Taylor and may consider her “the one that got away.” (71:50–72:05)

8. Life Post-TV: Cast Updates

• Brief discussion of former castmates Taylor, Kathryn Dennis (including recent legal issues), and the challenges women face in reality TV due to internet scrutiny.
• Austen expresses confusion over recent online behavior from Kathryn Dennis but chose not to respond. (68:56–70:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On reality TV regrets:
  • “No regrets. Like, everyone has them… But to your point, like, you don’t get to pick and choose…” (10:16–10:23, Nick)
• On personal growth:
  • “A little bit of delusion for sure goes a long way.” (09:25, Austen)
• On friendship fallout:
  • “All you had to do was say this. And he might be saying the same thing… Maybe we just speak different languages.” (73:53–74:47, Austen, about Craig)
• On letting go of anger toward exes:
  • “When you’re unbothered is such a freeing thing… and then when you’re truly unbothered… it’s so freeing.” (57:24, Austen)
• On vulnerability in male friendships:
  • “Men… get petty, will be dramatic, will worry about some of the same stuff that… we just assume the ladies are arguing about…” (04:49, Nick)
• On the accelerated reality TV relationship timeline:
  • “Being on the show speeds up everything by 10 months, because they want answers now.” (20:22, Austen)
• On Shep’s romantic future:
  • "The way that you have been living your life for 46 years is as a single person who does what he wants, when he wants..." (61:14, Austen)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:32] — Introduction: How Austen joined Southern Charm
• [03:31–05:28] — The “Bravo Bro” dynamic: Male relatability on Bravo
• [10:43–13:39] — Austen’s family tragedy and resilience
• [15:16–16:30] — Therapy, commitment issues, and the impact of loss
• [18:47–20:21] — Reflecting on breakups and “the one that got away”
• [23:45–24:43] — Confidence, self-worth, and being ready for love
• [31:01–36:14] — Behind-the-scenes of filming conflict and realness in friendships
• [38:08–39:04] — The fallout of Craig’s cheating accusations
• [46:11–47:18] — Repairing with Shep and what friendship needs
• [57:24–57:46] — Austen on reconciling with Madison
• [61:14–64:15] — Austen psychoanalyzes Shep’s romantic prospects
• [71:50–72:05] — Does Shep regret losing Taylor?
• [73:41–74:47] — Could Austen and Craig “break up” as friends?

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation balances humor, deep emotional honesty, and unapologetic realness about the often complicated lives of reality TV stars. Austen Kroll is more vulnerable than usual, sharing the childhood trauma that shaped him, his struggles with commitment, and the sometimes painful intricacies of deeply entwined “bro” friendships. Nick facilitates a supportive but probing space, encouraging Austen to reflect, laugh, and at times, question the future of his closest relationships.

This episode offers listeners a rare, unvarnished look at the humanity behind the drama—making clear that behind every on-screen feud, messy breakup, or viral moment are people reckoning with real feelings, old wounds, and the perennial hope to do better.

Listen if:
You want to understand the real people behind Southern Charm, enjoy candid conversations about male friendship, or simply appreciate authentic talks about love, loss, and self-growth—with plenty of spicy Bravo tea along the way.