“It’s Tough”: Austen Kroll Opens Up About Painful Fallout With Kathryn Dennis

Charleston, South Carolina is a relatively small city. The stars of Southern Charm expect to run into people they know on the regular. But oddly enough, Austen Kroll says he hasn’t seen former castmate Kathryn Dennis in a while.

Even though Kathryn lives in Charleston, Austen hasn’t seen her in some time. But it’s not for lack of trying on his part.

“I have reached out a few times,” Austen said. “We used to like to get pedicures together. And so I’d be like, ‘Hey! Let’s go get a pedicure!’ And she’d be like, ‘Yeah! Let’s!’ And then, radio silence from her. And that’s just tough. It’s tough when the other person doesn’t reciprocate.”

Kathryn and Austen were close friends at one time

On January 30, Austen and Patricia Altschul were guests on Watch What Happens Live. Miss Patricia confirmed that she hadn’t heard from Kathryn in some time either.

Austen has a reputation for pursuing his female co-stars as well as his friends’ ex-girlfriends from time to time. But his friendship with Kathryn has always remained platonic. Despite being fired from the show after Season 8, she has managed to remain close with some of her castmates, including Austen.

During Season 8, cameras followed the two friends to the nail shop. They sat side by, getting pedicures while gossiping about their friends and sipping champagne.

“I have always had a soft spot for Kathryn,” Austen admitted in a confessional. “I mean, look, I did win Drama King in high school, and Kathryn is certainly dramatic as well.”

Kathryn was even invited to spend Thanksgiving with Austen and his family in 2018. She’s almost a member of his family.

Kathryn’s had many struggles over the years

But Kathryn’s had a tough time in recent years. She’s a single mom to two young children, but at times has lost custody due to her issues with substance abuse. She’s had a couple of run-ins with the law. She got a DUI in 2024, and was involved in an alleged alcohol-related hit and run, but she was never charged. She’s been in and out of rehab and has had custody battles with her children’s father.

These days Kathryn’s keeping a lower profile. But she does like to share an update on her Instagram now and then.

In a June 2024 post, Kathryn shared a gorgeous selfie captioned with her favorite words of wisdom. “Inner Peace Self Worth — it’s been my mantra since I was 21, still going strong,” she wrote.

Southern Charm is streaming on Peacock.