On Southern Charm, a staple in the Bravo reality series oeuvre, things tend to get a little messy in the romance department. The up/down, on/off relationship between Madison LeCroy and Austen Kroll (that, hallelujah, ended in 2020) is just one example of the wild interpersonal drama that has gone down in Charleston, South Carolina. The two clearly didn’t bring out the best in one another – as demonstrated by the incessant cheating, insults and arguments of theirs that began to permeate throughout the rest of the cast. However, LeCroy explained why she feels “redeemed” of her on-screen behavior nowadays.
Speaking to People, the sharp-tongued hairstylist hinted at the antics of her over on the recent Bravo crossover season of Winter House. While their mutual co-star Craig Conover found a girlfriend among the blended cast there, Austen Kroll famously continued his playboy-esque ways via casual hookups. (And the tension from them eventually trickled over onto the next season of Summer House and their cast, to boot.) Apparently, Madison LeCroy thinks what transpired just proves how much Kroll is to blame for their own tumultuous romance and how she came across. She told the outlet:
I'm redeemed at this point. He got it coming for him. Austen showed his true colors so now people can see why I was acting that way. Anyone can tell, I was just better at the game he and Craig [Conover] had been playing the entire time. They were mad about it.
To put it another way, the Southern Charm men know exactly the right buttons to push, but Madison LeCroy is more than willing to pick up the gauntlet they throw down. Viewers saw this tricky dynamic play out in spectacular fashion during the show's Season 7 reunion special in 2021. Craig Conover and Austen Kroll, in fact, lobbied many accusations at LeCroy, one of which being how she allegedly hooked up with Alex Rodriguez of MLB fame. She, in turn, denied the finer points of what they were saying while also going tit-for-tat with the insults. LeCroy reflected on that particular drama, saying:
I take no shit, but I'm not going to mean to anyone for no reason. I react to how everyone else reacts to me. That's what you saw.
The Bravo alum has largely moved on from those issues, though, with a new man: Brett Randle. Following the A-Rod drama, she and Randle actually got engaged, and she credits him for making her into a much “better person.” Randle, in turn, is supposedly very private – hence why he doesn’t appear on Southern Charm and why their wedding won’t be filmed for the show. Nevertheless, LeCroy sees their totally different relationship dynamic, and it not being for public consumption, as a good thing:
I'm in a different headspace. I'm truly happy in my relationship because I'm finally with someone who loves me in the way that I need. He's the most incredible man. He's there for me, no matter what. I turn to him for advice, and he knows how to be a man. It's refreshing to be with someone like that. And refreshing to feel like I'm not so mean and toxic on the show.
Do I detect a little shade here? The statement seems to be a sly reminder of the many times Madison LeCroy said that Austen Kroll wasn’t a man on Southern Charm… So the hatchet isn’t totally buried after all? The former couple have been rather cordial in their brief interactions so far on Season 8 of the series. Yet, in the last episode, which featured LeCroy’s engagement announcement, Kroll takes a major shot at his ex-girlfriend by comparing her to Medusa. LeCroy then reacted with some hilarious shade of her own in the press afterwards.
I guess that’s the peril of having to work alongside one’s ex: the drama is never fully over. Find out how Madison LeCroy, Austen Kroll and their co-stars fare in the remainder of Southern Charm Season 8. New episodes air Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo as part of the 2022 TV schedule and later on Peacock Premium.
