Southern Charm fans are in for a wild ride this season, according to Austen Kroll and Salley Carson.
“[We] dive a little deeper into our personal stories, which I’m excited for people to see maybe a more vulnerable side of me that they haven’t seen,” Salley, 31, tells Us exclusively.
Austen notes it’s been “a long time” since season 11 aired last fall, so it’ll be “fun” for viewers to see how the cast has “progressed in life.”
Southern Charm returns to Bravo next month, with cameras following Austen, Salley and their group of friends in Charleston, South Carolina. Along with longtime stars Craig Conover, Shep Rose and Madison LeCroy, season 12 brings a new face into the mix with Allie Newman.
In the first look at the new season, which dropped Monday, October 5, Allie wasted no time jumping into the drama during a cast trip to Maui, Hawaii. When Whitney Sudler-Smith claimed someone in the group is accused of having a “love child” — a rumor Austen hints was “addressed prior” to the bombshell reveal — Allie quickly offered to show pics of the baby in question.
“I knew Allie prior, so did Salley,” Austen tells Us. “You’ll definitely see their history and you’ll hear about our history … but, of course, you never know how someone’s going to kind of mesh with a group like ours.”
As for how the dynamics shifted with a new costar, Salley teases, “I think she came in starting good with the group, and then drama happens.”
Austen, who has spent nearly a decade on the hit reality show, admits he almost feels “bad” for anyone who tries to come into the already established group.
“It’s not the easiest, you know?” he explains. “I mean, people have these, like, long history and relationships, and trying to come in and be like, ‘Hey, I’m the new person,’ that’s [tough].”
Salley chimes in, adding, “Especially when you don’t have, like, a solid relationship going into it, you know?”
Following appearances on the spinoff Southern Hospitality (and a whirlwind stint in Bachelor Nation), Salley officially joined Southern Charm during season 8 in 2024.
“It is tough,” she says of settling into the cast, “but … this is my family. I love them.”
Things are getting spicy in Charleston among the Southern Charm cast — well, according to Salley Carson and Austen Kroll, that is. “Some friendships, I feel like, are lost,” Salley, 31, exclusively teased to Us Weekly of the upcoming season while teaming up with Fireball for the dad bod whisky fanny pack. “A couple friendships […]
In a separate interview with Us earlier this year, Salley hinted some friendships had been “lost” while filming the upcoming season. As the premiere approaches, Salley stands by her statement — and hints at tension with Charley Manley and Molly O’Connell.
“It kind of did a number on me, to be honest with you,” she says of the drama between her and Molly, whose potential romance with Austen took Us by surprise in the season 12 trailer. “You’ll see that all play out.”
As for Salley and Austen’s own relationship status, the pair admit some “boundaries” needed to be set at the start of the season.
“I like where we are [now],” Salley tells Us. “We have a lot of fun together.”
When Austen hints there are a lot of opinions from “other people” about their close friendship, Salley replies, “And guess what? Who cares what they think? F*** ’em.”
Southern Charm season 12 premieres on Bravo Thursday, November 12, at 9 p.m. ET. Stream new episodes the next day on Peacock.
