Southern Charm star Craig Conover has shocked fans by admitting to his struggles with alcohol in the latest episode of the show.
In an episode that aired on Thursday, the reality TV personality, 36, shared he is an 'addict' while having a discussion with his close friend and co-star Austen Kroll about their fractured friendship.
Conover and Kroll both got emotional when the former made the revelation in the season 10 episode, which was filmed in the spring and summer of last year.
The conversation began when Kroll, 37, addressed how they have not been spending much time together ever since Conover started staying home more and wouldn't go out with him.
In his chat with Conover — who revealed he is 'ready to find love' again in an exclusive chat with DailyMail.com, just three months after his split from Paige DeSorbo — Kroll asked him to 'loosen the reins a little bit.'
That was when Conover told him: 'But I can't, because I don't have any leash on myself. That's any addict.'
Southern Charm star Craig Conover confessed to his struggles with alcohol in the latest episode of the show; pictured September 2024 in Nashville
In an episode that aired on Thursday, the reality TV personality, 36, admitted he is an 'addict' while having a discussion with his close friend and co-star Austen Kroll about their fractured friendship
He continued, 'I was like, "F***, me trying not to be an alcoholic is now affecting my friendship with Austen."'
The pair got emotional when Conover told his friend that he has been 'in the trenches' by himself while 'trying to better' his life.
Breaking down in tears, Conover admitted to Kroll: 'And then you were like, "Oh, you're never with me anymore."
'I'm like, "Dude, I can't. I gotta stay on my couch because if I leave my couch, I'm gonna drink a bottle of Jäger and do dumb s***."'
Kroll also teared up and told Conover that he had 'never' heard him refer to himself as an 'addict.'
'No, I've never said it out loud,' Conover told him. He later said to Kroll: 'I'm really lucky, dude. I'm lucky I got out of it.'
He credited his then-girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, for helping him overcome his struggles.
'She was right with me this entire time,' he said about his now-ex — whom he separated from in late 2024 after three years of dating.
Conover and Kroll both got emotional when the former made the revelation in the season 10 episode, which was filmed in the spring and summer of last year
The conversation began when Kroll, 37, addressed how they have not been spending much time together ever since Conover started staying home more and wouldn't go out with him; pictured October 2022 in New York City
'There's a reason that me and Paige are so close,' he added.
'I just could not imagine being closer to someone. Like, I'm so lucky that she chose to be like, "I see someone there." She helped me beat this demon.'
Kroll also noted Conover's past addiction to Adderall and said his new admission 'explains a lot.'
They hugged it out before apologizing for the roles they each played in their strained friendship and expressed their love for each other.
In a confessional, Kroll added: 'Craig's addiction doesn't doesn't excuse him from being an a**hole. It doesn't excuse him from being an angry f***ing person.'
However, he said he appreciated how his friend was able to be 'vulnerable' with him.
'It doesn't excuse a lot of things, but it is a starting point, and it definitely is not what I expected him to say, and I have to give him grace for finally being as open and vulnerable as he is with me right now.'
In his chat with Conover Kroll asked him to 'loosen the reins a little bit.' That was when Conover told him: 'But I can't, because I don't have any leash on myself. That's any addict'; pictured February 14 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
He credited his then-girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, for helping him overcome his struggles. 'She was right with me this entire time,' he said about his now-ex — whom he separated from in late 2024 after three years of dating; pictured March 2024 in New York City
In a confessional, Conover said: 'Man, is it freeing just to be transparent. If we would've just had this conversation sooner, it would've saved us a lot of heartache and grief and frustration.'
In the summer of 2024, Conover first mentioned his sobriety journey when he said he had given up drinking liquor but was continuing to drink beer and wine in a conversation with Page Six.
Later that same year, he said he had 'pretty much stopped drinking' completely in a People interview.
Southern Charm airs every Thursday at 5 p.m. PT on Bravo with streaming available the following day on Peacock.
