Mind Reading: Southern Charm’s Craig Conover On Rising Above Bullying, Chasing Happiness

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentMind Reading: Southern Charm’s Craig Conover On Rising Above Bullying, Chasing HappinessByCathy Applefeld Olson,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Cathy Applefeld Olson is a journalist and founder of Hollywood & MindFollow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 02:51pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Craig ConoverGabe AraujoWhen you sign up for a role on reality television, you sign up for your share of public scrutiny. Craig Conover, a staple on Bravo’s Southern Charm since the series launched in 2014, is no exception. What’s different for Conover, says the Charleston, S.C.-based founder of lifestyle brand Sewing Down South, is that the online vitriol pales in comparison to the bullying he experienced as a child. And that has made all the difference for him.“The good thing is they could never do anything to me on TV or social media that would ever touch what they did back then,” Conover says, sharing that when he signed his first contract for the Bravo series at age 24, some of those demons from his past were still in his head. “Ten years later and I was still thinking about it. It’s crazy how long bullying stays with you. And one of my biggest goals on TV is to touch on this.”Growing up with tics and routines that sometimes made for an hours-long bedtime regimen brought its share of torment, from the elementary school bus to the high school soccer field. “The style of bullying I’d deal with regularly is a ‘friend’ who would sit with you when we first got on the bus and then they’d act like they didn’t know me when everyone else got on the bus. Which really can mess you up, not knowing when you can fully believe someone, or whether someone’s going to leave you,” he says.The silver lining, Conover says, is that he very early honed his skills of self-validation, and empathy.As a child, “I was empathetic to the...