Austen Kroll Reflects on the Passing of His Sister, Kyle, and How His Family Navigated the Loss

AKroll has definitely lived his life like an open book since joining Southern Charm back in Season 4. And in addition to sharing career highs and lows, as well as romantic ups and downs, Austen also lets fans into his family life, including when he opened up about the passing of his sister, Kyle Kroll. 

Austen first discussed the family tragedy during his debut season with Chelsea Meissner, and, later on in Season 5, he shared how the Krolls picked up the pieces and welcomed his younger sister, Katie Kroll, after Kyle's accident.

How did Austen Kroll's sister, Kyle Kroll, pass away?

Austen previously revealed that Kyle fell off a cliff during a hike when they were kids.

"Well, I definitely was reluctant," he said about opening up about Kyle's death during a 2018 interview with The Daily Dish. "What you saw last year [in Season 4] was me fall for somebody on camera and I felt like a next step, when we're talking about our lives and our families, was to open up to Chelsea about it. And I think the second that I opened up to her, and we left our date, I called my mom and I told her that I talked about Kyle on camera."

He added that sharing about his family's past in that moment "just felt right," and he got his mom's OK to talk about it if it felt right for him. He noted that, until then, no one in the group had any idea about it.

"Shep [Rose] didn't know about it. Craig [Conover] didn't know about it. Nobody knew about it. And I was like, 'Well, why would you? I don't just walk around talking about this.' Though people do wonder why my little sister [Katie] is so young. So all that I wanted was to make sure that I had the opportunity to talk about it and to have it portrayed in the right light. And now [in previous seasons], we get to meet my little sister; it's like I could talk a little bit about how our family was kind of broken there for a little bit. And then enter Katie and we finally became the whole family again. It's just an interesting look at my family and I wanted to make sure it was told in the right way and to the right person and I think that it was."

Since his early seasons on the show, Austen has reflected on his sister's passing including during the Season 8 reunion.

"It wasn't easy [to share about my sister]," he noted in that 2018 interview about even broaching the subject to begin with on the show.

Austen Kroll discusses his younger sister, Katie Kroll

In Season 5, when Austen was discussing his family, fans got to meet his younger sister, Katie.And while Austen says she didn't tune into the show much before her big brother signed on, she approves of his life on TV. "Does she think that it's cool? Yeah, she thinks it's so cool," Austen shared. "I think that she thinks that it's cool. She's in college and she has girlfriends that reach out to her and they're like 'Your brother is on this thing. Do you know Patricia [Altschul]?' She thinks it's cool ... She thinks it's interesting."

In more recent seasons, Katie has been a support system and source of advice for Austen as he has navigated ups and downs in his romantic life.

Austen Kroll reveals his family's reaction to Southern Charm

And you can bet that Austen really does love bringing his family along for the ride. "Yeah, I think that it's kind of like when I get to film with my family, it's kind of pressure [is] taken off, like I can just sit back. I mean sometimes, because we've obviously seen them jump down my throat about my professional life, but being with them I just get to cut loose and be myself," he said back in 2018.

And after some adjusting and after Austen gave them advice, the Krolls have definitely gotten used to life in front of the cameras. He explained, "This year, when I asked them, they're like, 'So when do you need me?' And that makes me happy that they're so willing to be a part of the process with me."

Austen Kroll's family moves from his childhood home

In Season 8, which aired in July 2022, Austen opened up about his parents selling his childhood home in Charlotte, North Carolina and it's connection to his late sister, Kyle. 

Austen's talking with his parents at their home shown in Southern Charm Season 9, Episode 6. Photo: Bravo

“It’s easy to think about all of the good things that happened in my childhood home. There are definitely some dark times that happened in that house,” he said, referencing the tragic loss of his older sister, Kyle. “But the beautiful thing about this house is that [my younger sister] Katie was born there. It was new life being brought into the home, and it was the first time that our family had really had a time to heal together.”

“Coming home always put me at ease,” he said at the time. “And the fact that it will no longer be my go-to place is slowly starting to sink in.”