Southern Charm star Craig Conover is responding to angry allegations his Summer House buddy made in May. Kyle Cooke accused Craig of investing in another alcohol brand that competes with Kyle’s LoverBoy.
“Craig is deeply disappointed and saddened by Kyle’s abrupt accusations,” the Sewing Down South’s rep said on June 7. “The truth only hurts one person in this instance, and it’s not Craig … Therefore, he will not comment further on this matter nor be drawn into an unprofessional arena.”
Craig is “focused on opening his new retail store in Nashville next week.”
A rift between the two friends
Fans suspected a cooling of the former pals’ friendship recently, and the statement confirms it. Bystanders at Andy Cohen’s 15th-anniversary party for Watch What Happens Live saw it firsthand. The two Bravo stars seemed to avoid interacting with each other at the event.
“Look, I wish him the best,” Kyle said on WWHL on May 23. “But the way he handled it … It really rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m just trying to take the high road.”
He then added, “[Craig] has a reputation [for] lying, and he lied to me.” Uh oh. Kyle’s Summer House costar Paige DeSorbo is not going to like that. She and Craig have been dating for nearly three years.
Further allegations
Kyle claimed that just before announcing the deal, the Spritz Society founder took him out to dinner to “milk” him for information. He labeled the situation a “really shady operation.”
Kyle explained that he was so “disappointed” that his (former?) friend invested with a competitor. To take a page from Lindsay Hubbard’s book, Kyle felt “blindsided.” Craig just “sprung this collaboration” on him. He also says he offered to “put an offer on the table to kinda counter it.”
“Like, here’s a good friend of mine,” he said. “I just figured he’d at least give me an opportunity to hear me out … To be honest, I kind of feared that this would impact our friendship … This has been my blood, sweat, and tears for the last five years.”
Both Southern Charm and Summer House are currently streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WAS IT SHADY FOR CRAIG TO INVEST IN A COMPETING COMPANY? SHOULD HE HAVE TALKED TO KYLE FIRST?
