Craig Conover Explains Open Beer Can in His Car While Driving in ‘Southern Charm’ Scene

Peacock Craig Conover and Paige DeSorbo.

Craig Conover set the record straight on a “Southern Charm” scene in which it looked like he had an open container of alcohol in his car while driving his girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, in Charleston, South Carolina.

In the season 9 episode “Playing House,” Conover and DeSorbo went to a dinner party at Madison LeCroy and her husband Brett Randle’s house. While getting out of his car, Conover grabbed an open can that appeared to be beer and downed it after DeSorbo told him it was weird to bring in his own open drink. Conover dumped the last remaining bit into the grass as DeSorbo scolded him. “Craig! Act like you’ve been someplace before!” she said.

Addressing fan comments in December 2023, Conover clarified that he had been drinking a non-alcoholic beer en route to LeCroy’s house.

Craig Conover Responded to Concerned Fans After They Questioned His Drinking

PeacockPaige DeSorbo and Craig Conover on “Southern Charm.”

Conover posted the scene in question to Instagram as he teased the “Southern Charm” episode. In the clip, he drove DeSorbo through an Idyllic neighborhood before parking in front of LeCroy and Randle’s home. He then grabbed a canned beverage and proceeded to drink it after DeSorbo scolded him.

“You don’t need to bring your own drink in!” the “Summer House” star said. “Is that weird?” Conover asked, before drinking the beverage down and tossing the empty can back in the car.

Several fans posted comments on Instagram. “Is he drinking and driving?” one viewer asked. “They lost me at drinking and driving👎🏽,” another wrote, adding a thumbs-down emoji.

Conover chimed in to clarify that he was drinking non-alcoholic beer in the scene. “It’s Budweiser Zero,” he wrote. “I always have a cooler packed with some in my car. Not sure why they cut that detail 🙂.”

Budweiser Zero is a low-calorie, alcohol-free brew made for those who want to cut back on alcohol without missing out on the taste of beer, per the company’s website.

Conover certainly knows the risks of drinking and driving. A 2021 Instagram post for his Conover Law Firm reminded followers about the dangers, especially during the holiday season. “With the holidays just around the corner, please remember that it is ILLEGAL to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher in SC,” he shared at the time.

Craig Conover Quit Drinking Hard Alcohol in 2022

While he was sober in the 2023 “Southern Charm” scene, Conover was seen in rare form during the third season of  the spinoff “Winter House.” He was visibly drunk while filming several episodes of the Bravo mash-up, to the point that DeSorbo talked about him in her confessionals.

Months later, Conover addressed his drinking during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live.” The Sewing Down South founder said “Winter House” served as a wake-up call for him.

“I don’t want to be that person anymore. Like, I hate that person and I knew I was going to have to face this,” he told host Andy Cohen in November 2022. “So I’ve changed for the better.”

Conover then confirmed that he quit drinking hard alcohol. “As soon as Paige told me that my behavior was affecting her, I was like, ‘S***,’” he said. “So I found some Delta 8 gummies and I was like, ‘I’m gonna eat these instead of drinking hard liquor.’”

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