Shep Rose finally exploded on Austen Kroll during the newest episode of Southern Charm and admitted he was not cool with Austen kissing his ex-girlfriend Taylor Ann Green.
“You can’t change. That’s the problem here, Shep,” Austen, 36, told Shep, 43, during the Thursday, December 14, episode of the Bravo series after the two pals had been day drinking on a boat in Jamaica. (The episode filmed earlier this year.)
Shep fired back, saying, “I have a lot of good friends and I don’t need you,” to which Austen replied, “I care about people, and I would never say that to you.” Shep argued that Austen’s claim about caring for others was “rich,” hinting that he was still upset over Austen kissing Taylor, 28, shortly after she and Shep called it quits in 2022 after two years of dating.
After tiptoeing around the conversation for weeks, Austen finally fessed up to how his hookup with Taylor transpired. “You certainly painted out Taylor Ann to be the victim,” Austen alleged, telling Shep, “She f–king grabbed me, my friend. She came on to me motherf–er. Not the other way around.”
Viewers learned earlier in season 9 that Austen and Taylor kissed in late 2022 after their respective splits from Olivia Flowers and Shep. Austen and Taylor initially kept their hookup a secret, and once it came out, Shep chose to forgive Austen and not discuss it further. Olivia, 31, had a different approach and slammed both Austen, whom she dated in 2022, and Taylor, who was one of her best friends.
“I would never betray you,” Shep insisted on Thursday’s episode, claiming that he chose to take the high road after Austen’s actions. “What I’m trying to say is, overwhelming I’ve been gracious and kind to a guy who hooked up with my f–king girlfriend a month after we broke up.”
Austen argued that Shep told him it was “all good” so he was “just taking your lead” and moving forward with their friendship. “You don’t give a f–k about anyone except for yourself,” Shep claimed. When Austen asked, “Do you really believe that?” Shep responded, “When it comes to women, yes.”
Shep noted that when he was Austen’s age he was “a f–king scoundrel,” but he alleged that Austen was worse. “You are a total scoundrel,” Shep said of his longtime friend. “If that’s how you feel, I don’t know what to say,” Austen concluded.
Shep and Austen left the room at a standstill, and Shep later told the cameras that Austen’s inability to tell him the truth earlier is what bugged him. “Right after the Austen and Taylor thing, Austen and I spent three weeks in Australia together. He didn’t say a word,” Shep said during a confessional. “Do you have any concept of friendship? Loyalty? [Does] that enter into your brain at any moment?”
Elsewhere in the episode, Olivia once again made her feelings about the scandal known after new stories about Austen and Taylor resurfaced on the internet.
“The level of betrayal in the friendship is bizarre. And your inability to recognize this is baffling to me. It just keeps going,” Olivia told Taylor, claiming she should’ve told her everything from the start. “I hate you and Austen. But I hate even more that our friendship is f–king broken. I don’t know how to be your friend anymore, so I hate you for that. I hope he was f–king worth it.”
Southern Charm airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
