Fans of “Southern Charm” are weighing in on a photo posted by Austen Kroll—and some are wondering if he’s sending a message.
On February 21, the 37-year-old Bravo TV personality and businessman posted to his Instagram story to share a photo of a Scrabble board and a woman with long brown hair playing the game with a glass of beer in front of her. The woman’s hand was clearly visible and showed a huge diamond sparkler on her left ring finger. “Friday,” Kroll captioned the pic.
Fans reacted on social media, with some wondering if the ring in the photo means Kroll is engaged to his girlfriend Audrey Pratt.
Fans Scoured the Scrabble Board Looking for Clues
In February 2025, Kroll’s photo was reposted on Instagram and X, with the question, “Are Austen and Audrey engaged?
“Looks like it,” one Instagram user wrote.
“He definitely seems to like this one,” another noted of Kroll’s relationship with Pratt.
Fans also zeroed in on the Scrabble board looking for a secret message.
“Not me scouring the Scrabble board, thinking there was an engagement announcement before clicking on the picture and seeing that rock!” a fan wrote on Reddit.
“Lmao same I turned it upside down trying to find ‘marry me’ or something,” admitted another.
“Lolll I was like, ‘which clue word am I looking for?’ And then … I saw the gigantic stone,” wrote another fan.
“I kept looking for ‘will you marry me’ but then I saw the ring 🙄,” another Reddit user wrote.
Kroll has been dating Pratt since late 2023 after meeting her in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, according to BravoTV.com. During a “Southern Charm” season 10 episode, he admitted it was a “big step” for him to refer to anyone as his girlfriend after failed romances with Madison LeCroy, Olivia Flowers, and other past flames.
Austen Kroll Previously Said He Would Take His Time Before Getting Engaged
Kroll has not confirmed who was in the photo he posted or if the ring in question is an engagement ring. He has been vocal about wanting to take things slow with Pratt regarding an engagement.
“We’re not putting pressure on something like that so soon,” he told E! News in a December 2024 interview. “In my opinion, far too early. But we’re just having fun and enjoying each other as much as possible.”
In December 2024, Kroll also told The Daily Dish that he would want to date for several years before getting engaged. “We haven’t really even breached that subject,” he said of his relationship with Pratt at the time. “She’s gonna live in Charlotte for another year. And that’s completely fine because there’s no rush to me. I am certainly one of those people [who] would take, like, three years before I even began to think about popping a question or, you know, something like that.”
