Craig Conover was ready to walk away from Southern Charm after last season, admitting he felt the Bravo series no longer fit who he was. However, after some conversations with the network and production, he ultimately decided to give the show another chance.
During an interview with Parade, Conover, 38, opened up about how close he came to leaving the reality series, which he has starred on since its 2014 premiere.
“Yeah, I was done,” Conover admitted when asked whether he considered not returning after last season’s reunion. “It’s been an amazing chapter in my life, but I felt like it didn’t fit who I was anymore.”
The turning point came after a particularly difficult Season 11, which followed Conover’s split from girlfriend Paige DeSorbo. His increasingly volatile behavior throughout the season strained his relationships with nearly everyone in the cast. His outbursts during the group’s Mexico trip, including yelling at Salley Carson and telling Venita Aspen she didn’t exist in his world, drew widespread criticism.
By the two-part reunion, Conover was facing a near-unanimous reckoning from his castmates over his temper, fractured friendships, and treatment of women. He described the experience as a “pile-on,” initially pushing back against the criticism, but eventually apologizing for his behavior and acknowledging that he had been bottling up feelings of rejection. The confrontation left him questioning whether he wanted to continue on the show at all.
But rather than simply walk away, however, Conover said he decided to have some conversations about the show’s future and whether it could evolve alongside its cast.
“We’ve been on for a really long time, we have 160 episodes,” he explained. “Maybe our lives have grown, they’ve changed since we first started this.”
Conover credited Bravo and the production company for being willing to listen, revealing that he was ultimately encouraged to take another chance on the series.
“They said take a chance on us, and I said, why not?” he recalled.
This season, Conover said viewers can expect to see more of the cast’s everyday lives, including relationships evolving, friendships being repaired, and some potentially coming to an end rather than being forced for the cameras.
He also revealed that the cast has made a concerted effort to bring some fun back to filming. For the first time in approximately six years, everyone is in a group chat, and Conover makes the cast check in every Friday with a selfie showing where they are. They’re also going to cast dinners together.
“I’m very happy,” he said of his decision to return. “I feel like everyone kept their word.”
Conover also teased a fresh start with longtime friend Austen Kroll after their friendship hit a rough patch last season. The two recently reunited for dinner in New York City, and Conover said viewers will see them attempt to rebuild their relationship.
“We basically, we ended our old friendship and started anew,” he revealed.
As for the upcoming season, Conover said filming was genuinely fun, adding that he hopes viewers get to see the cast’s relationships grow and change in a more natural way.
Southern Charm season 12 premieres Thursday, Nov. 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.