Craig Conover On The Recent ‘Southern Charm’ Drama: “I Don’t Know How Austen’s Gonna Make it Through This Season”

By Lea Palmieri @littleleap
Published June 5, 2019, 1:22 p.m. ET

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“I finally slept last night, I’m well-rested, so I’m rambling a lot today,” Craig Conover tells me when we sat down to lunch at The Smith in New York City. As the Southern Charm star sipped tomato soup, we discussed the beginning of Season 6, and why this is finally a “non-fuckup” season for him, due in large part to him finding his head-clearing happy place in the Bahamas. We talked about his process for everything from sewing to breaking bad news to his pals to traveling with pillows, and Conover was as classically candid as we can always count on him to be.

Tell me about your assistant, how did this come to be?

Her name is Anna-Heyward Smith and she’s a registered nurse, she worked in the ER for a while and then she went to trauma. She’s a friend of mine and we were on the boat this summer [in the Bahamas], and my designer Cintra kept trying to get a hold of me to make decisions about stuff even though I was like, ‘Cintra, just do it yourself.’ It was driving Anna-Heyward crazy so she started to respond to Cintra and they started texting back and forth, and she would do my phone calls. I kinda felt bad she was doing all this for free but it also was really working for me. So I was like, why don’t we make this official since [she wasn’t working] down there anyway. She was able to really hold me accountable while I’m trying to learn how to hold myself accountable and it just worked. It was awesome but I don’t think I need it anymore which means she did her job. She helped me get to a place that I wanted to be and so it was good.

Craig Conover's jerky shipment on Southern Charm
Bravo

What was the deal with all that jerky?

So Jack Link’s messaged me, they sent that to me as a thank you for helping with the hurricane rescue but I really had no idea where it came from. It was very plausible that I had [ordered it] and for Anna-Heyward to think that I had is plausible, too.

Craig Conover mixes his morning shake on Southern Charm
Bravo

What was that drink you were mixing forever?

My mom got me hooked on those when I was in high school, Carnation breakfast drinks. I don’t really eat in the morning, I’m not a big breakfast person so I just chug two of those and it at least gives me a base until lunch.

How often do you sew, is it every day?

When I’m happy and on top of things, yes, I’m sewing. If I fall behind or feel like I’m trying to catch up, I’m not able to do it because it used to be that a lot of things I do as escapes to procrastinate. For some reason, sewing did used to be that but now it’s such a positive thing, for some reason my brain doesn’t revert to that to procrastinate.

I’ll get my to-do list done for the day and then I can sit down and really be creative. I’m designing and creating a lot now instead of trying to hammer out pillow after pillow after pillow, and that requires me to be not worried about anything else.

I like being on top of things, it’s just something I’ve always struggled with. You’ll see this season, even though I’ve finally gotten myself together and there are all these opportunities in front of me, that self-destructive nature still haunts me. I’m really good at starting stuff. I used to only have two speeds, either I was going 100 mph or I wasn’t going at all, and now I’m learning that balance of, you can be really passionate about something, but to be consistent.

Have you heard from other dudes that enjoy sewing?

I have actually. I’ve gotten a lot of messages from wives that say, my husband is the seamster in the house, he does all our kids’ costumes. But then I have a few messages from guys like, hey man, I didn’t even realize that I was closeted with this stuff, I didn’t realize I hid it from everyone, but I love sewing and we love that you’re exposing it and making it a normal thing to be on TV like, yeah, whatever, guys sew. People at the golf tournament [that came up to me] in-person said they love to sew and their grandmother and mom taught them when they were little. I read that 70% of clothing designers are male and obviously they probably started sewing at some point.

I hear there’s a bit of a sewing party that we’ll see soon. 

It’s like my version of a housewarming party. At this point, only Cameran had seen the house. I also purposely didn’t tell anyone that I had a designer that had redone my house. So when everyone comes over it’s like my second attempt at a housewarming party, but it’s a sew party. Patricia comes which is really cool, and Michael. You would think it’s so simple, but it turns into a fucking insane asylum, which for some reason in this group always happens, which is awesome.

Do you drink and sew or is that bad?

I always have a drink with me when I’m sewing. Sewing’s an enjoyable thing and I drink red wine while I sew. I try to keep it away from the fabrics obviously, but yeah I have a glass of wine and I listen to covers on YouTube, like Taylor Swift covers and that’s where some of my best creations have come from. Either that or Eminem. I’ve never thought about this but more rugged pillows and stuff, if I’m just knocking them out, I’ll listen to Eminem’s original albums. But when I was making Andy’s baby pillow and stuff where it’s a lot of embroidering or appliqué then I listen to Taylor Swift covers and mash-ups.

Are you surprised the drama kicked off so early in the season? 

I don’t know how Austen’s gonna make it through this season. Between him and Madison, it was already so tense leading up to this point that he’s come to me for a lot of advice because he can draw parallels that I went through with Naomie. It was different but I had my relationship play out and I was fortunate that I think I’ve always had a good head space about this stuff and been able to handle it. I mean, it still sucked, I’m not gonna lie, but I think he’s gonna lose his mind. Their relationship already would make any normal person lose their mind, so having it play out, yes, that did surprise me that they’re already battling after the first episode.

It’s fun for once having a non-fuckup season. I get to feel good about myself on TV and in life. I like myself and you’re starting to see the true colors of me and that’s cool. Over the last two seasons, I’ve been starting to really develop a lot more of my personality.

You’ve found your happy spot in the Bahamas, but would you ever want to do a show there?

It’s a struggle for me because the island that I’m on is such a special hideout, and it is for a lot of people. It’s almost like Charleston was 15 years ago. I feel like I would be betraying the people there [to bring cameras]. I don’t care if people find out about it, I’m a capitalist, if you want to come and support I like to share, contribute to the economy. But I would be completely betraying everyone that’s accepted me there and I would be turning it into something that it’s not.

There’s a way to do it and it would be like a fun travel adventure show with me and Shep. The island is honestly they say more dramatic than our show. It’s a small little island and there’s a lot of stuff that happens. One time [with the cast] would be fine, like a trip, but not to consistently film down there.

How does one get an invite there?

I want to share it with everyone. My parents got to come which was awesome. Shep’s been down a couple times, Austen’s been down. I’ve had an extra bedroom and bathroom since last summer and I’m like, get on a plane and come visit. Everyone has this mental block that you can’t just go to the Bahamas, but you can. Get on a plane on Thursday or Friday and fly down, we’re on the east coast. The LA people, the Vanderpump cast are like, you don’t realize how lucky you are to be that close to the island and you don’t use it enough. It’s an hour and a half flight from Charleston. It’s interesting to see how it’s hard for people to pull the trigger to just come visit. All you have to do is fly into the airport and everything else is taken care of. It’s a really cool spot.

How did you feel telling Austen about Madison’s Instagram habits? 

My rule of thumb is, it’s my duty as a friend to make them aware of the situation and then whatever the hell happens after that is on them. It might drive me crazy afterward and I won’t understand it, but yeah, of course, it sucks having to tell your buddy or tell anyone that their partner is being unfaithful. But you’re a wussy if you don’t. You’re not a good friend if you don’t because you’re letting your friend get actively fucked over. Could you imagine getting cheated on and finding out your friend knew?

But the problem is when people then make their own decision and obsess about it. I’ll probably be eating my words because that happens this year, but really it’s just because their relationship is so exhausting. Austen and Madison’s negativity affects other aspects of their lives and other people and that’s where the anger comes from because it’s like, dude what the fuck. We’re trying to have dinner or go on a trip and you’re just on your phone yelling at each other. It’s just exhausting.

But at the same time, I did feel bad because I’m really good friends with Madison too. She used to date one of my best friends for years and I went through this with her but she was on the other side, and I think she would understand.

We see that Shep got himself into some trouble with a lady over pictures on Instagram, has that ever been a problem for you?

Was that when he got caught wearing girls’ underwear? He doesn’t get any shit for that stuff though. There’s no shock value because people are not shocked by anything that he does. For me, I definitely act differently at a house party with my friends than when I’m out.

I’ve only hung out with girls that are comfortable with what I do and confident to know I’m gonna be taking pictures with a lot of people, that’s my job. I’m good at making people feel engaged, that doesn’t mean I’m flirting with them. A girl wouldn’t survive if she was jealous because I don’t have time, I’m gonna go talk to these people. Naomie used to be great about it, she would just go sit at the bar, before she was on the show, and wait for me to do my lap and was fine.

You brought a bunch of pillows as presents to New York – how do you travel with them?

I took the insert out and just brought the covers, so I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to find the inserts. I ended up having to buy a regular pillow and cutting it open in the green room [at WWHL] to stuff one of them. But it worked out, I improvised.

Southern Charm airs Wednesday at 8pm ET/PT on Bravo. 

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