What happens in the Hamptons … doesn’t stay there! Craig Conover got real about the Summer House moment that caused a rift between him and BFF Austen Kroll.
“I was just really disappointed,” the 33-year-old reality star exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 22, while promoting his new book, Pillow Talk: What’s Wrong with My Sewing? “I don’t watch the shows, just for my own sanity, but when I found out that he was kissing Lindsay [Hubbard] after kissing Ciara [Miller], I was just like, ‘Dude, that’s literally everything that Lindsay wanted to happen.’ He just crushed Ciara. … I was just really disappointed in him.”
Craig, who has been friends with Austen, 34, since he joined Southern Charm in 2016, explained that he stopped talking to the Kings Calling Brewing Co. founder after he learned of his actions over the summer in the Hamptons.
Fans saw the drama play out on the Monday, March 21 episode of Summer House, where Austen made out with his longtime friend Lindsay, 35, at her birthday party shortly after rekindling his romance with Winter House flame Ciara, 26. The love triangle came to a head during the episode when Ciara confronted both Austen and Lindsay about their hookup.
The Sewing Down South founder told Us on Tuesday that viewers weren’t given all of the facts regarding the behind-the-scenes drama, which began on Winter House months prior. (On the Bravo spinoff, which filmed in early 2021, Austen sparked up a romance with Ciara despite Lindsay’s best efforts to take their friendship to the next level.)
“What you didn’t see on Winter House was Lindsay was way worse. I mean, she lied about saying she was in love with Austen and she just went after Ciara and him every second she got,” Craig claimed, alleging that Lindsay invited Austen to her Hamptons party with the “goal” of trying to “win that battle with Ciara.”
The Delaware native told Us that he “couldn’t believe” how Austen treated Ciara while in New York in the summer of 2021. Craig revealed that he was also annoyed by how Austen dealt with his now-girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, when she got caught in the middle on the episode.
“[Austen] and Paige fight like siblings anyway [but] whatever happened with them, obviously I wasn’t happy about either,” the attorney told Us. “We just needed a break. I think he needed to find himself.”
The “Pillows and Beer” podcast cohosts have since buried the hatchet after taking a few months apart.
“Austen’s actually in a really great place now,” Craig said, noting that fans will see the besties “resolve our situation” on the upcoming season of Southern Charm. “Since last fall, [Austen] and Paige [and] Ciara [have] been working to better themselves. So I feel bad a little bit that he has to, like, replay [all] of this now eight months later.”
The Bravo personality added: “Current day we’re in a great spot. [He] and I are about to go on tour and we’ve worked through all of our issues. But it wasn’t the best showing.”
Looking back, Craig said that Austen “didn’t understand” how Ciara felt about him when he went to visit her and Lindsay. “I think he regrets all of it. It wasn’t malicious. He was just drunk and stupid,” the lawyer told Us.
When it comes to the Charleston School of Law alum’s relationship with Lindsay, however, things aren’t as black and white. Craig said on Tuesday that he did apologize to the Hubb House PR founder for his part in all the drama, including calling her a “loser” when he appeared on season 6 of Summer House. (Lindsay claimed earlier this month that he never said sorry for his comment.)
“I apologized to her at the pool that [next day but] they cut it,” he claimed to Us, teasing that his ups and downs with Lindsay will also be part of Winter House season 2, which they recently filmed in Vermont. “Somehow this stuff just keeps going on and on and on. I think for the viewer they’ll be entertained, but we had a nice time and it was a great experience.”
Pillow Talk: What’s Wrong with My Sewing? hits bookshelves on Tuesday, March 29. Summer House airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
