“Southern Charm” star Austen Kroll has never shied away from sharing his life on camera, but a recent podcast appearance brought one of his most personal experiences back into focus.
Austen Kroll Reflects on Childhood Tragedy
Kroll appeared on “The Viall Files” podcast with Nick Viall and Natalie Joy, where the conversation eventually turned to his childhood. Joy brought up the death of Kroll’s older sister, Kyle Kroll, who died at age 9 during a family hiking trip after falling off a cliff.
Kroll shared that he was 7 years old when the tragedy occurred. As the discussion continued, he grew uncomfortable and chose not to go into specific details about the location, explaining that the town where it happened was later wiped out by a hurricane.
“There was no love lost with my family on that one,” Kroll said, making clear the subject remains deeply personal.
When the clip was posted on social media, fans were quick to call out the podcast hosts for their pointed questions about his family tragedy.
“The way I was RAGING when I saw the clip about his sister. How dare they!!!” one fan wrote.
Another fan noted, “I was actually mad for him. He handled it like a gentleman.”
Why Austen Kroll Chose to Share His Sister’s Story on ‘Southern Charm’
Kroll has previously explained why he eventually chose to open up about his sister’s passing on “Southern Charm.” During a 2018 interview with Bravo’s “The Daily Dish” he shared that discussing Kyle’s death on camera was not something he took lightly.
“Well, I definitely was reluctant,” he said. Kroll explained that opening up felt appropriate when he began sharing deeper parts of his life on the show. After talking about Kyle on camera for the first time, he said he immediately called his mother to let her know. According to Kroll, she supported his decision as long as it felt right to him.
He also noted that many of his castmates were unaware of the tragedy. “Shep didn’t know about it. Craig didn’t know about it. Nobody knew about it,” he said, adding that it was never something he discussed casually.
Kroll later shared how welcoming his younger sister, Katie Kroll, helped his family heal. Katie was born about a year and a half after Kyle’s death, and Kroll has described her arrival as a turning point. “Enter Katie and we finally became the whole family again,” he said.
The ‘Southern Charm’ Star Has Continued Sharing His Family’s Ongoing Journey
Viewers were introduced to Katie in season 5 of “Southern Charm,” when Kroll talked about their close relationship and how supportive she has been in his adult life. In later seasons, Katie appeared again as someone Kroll leaned on while working through career decisions and relationship issues.
During the season 8 reunion, Kroll also reflected on his parents selling the family’s childhood home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“There are definitely some dark times that happened in that house,” he said, referencing Kyle’s passing. He also shared that the home was where Katie was born, calling it a place where the family finally found a sense of healing.
“Coming home always put me at ease,” Kroll said. “And the fact that it will no longer be my go-to place is slowly starting to sink in.”
Fans can catch Austen Kroll when new episodes of “Southern Charm” air Wednesday nights on Bravo.
