Austen Kroll has chosen not to reach out to Lindsay Hubbard or Carl Radke following the news of their broken engagement.
“I’m trying to give them space and privacy while she’s trying to figure it out, or, while they’re trying to figure it out,” The “Southern Charm” star exclusively tells Pvnew.
Kroll – who shared a few smooches with Hubbard just a few months before she began dating Radke in summer 2021 – admits that he has “not been in contact” with either of them.
“[It’s] not because we’re not friends or anything, but because I’m sure that everyone and their mother is trying to be in contact with them, and I’m trying to give them space and privacy,” he clarifies.
Kroll, 36, teases that when it comes to what went down, he “probably knows a little more” than fans, but only because Craig Conover – who dates Radke and Hubbard’s “Summer House” co-star Paige DeSorbo – is “one of my best friends.”
“It’s more about me just trying to give them space, making sure they figure it out,” he explains. “I’m sure they’re getting text messages and blown up like crazy, and the last thing they need is another person to do it.”
Pvnew also spoke with Conover, 35, who told us that Radke and Hubbard’s breakup will “make more sense” when viewers watch the newest season of “Summer House.”
“For two months, we had all dealt with this. You know, it’s not like they had a great summer and all of the sudden this happens,” he spilled.
Pvnew confirmed on Aug. 31 that Radke had called off his engagement to Hubbard less than three months before they were set to say “I do” in Mexico.
Hubbard broke her silence on feeling “humiliated” over the situation two weeks later in a lengthy statement shared via Instagram.
“I would like to start by saying thank you for allowing me the space and time to process my emotions, heal, and grieve the loss of not only my relationship, but my friendship with someone I considered my best friend for 8 years,” she began in the Instagram post.
The former publicist referred to the last few weeks as the “most heartbreaking and emotional” of her life
“My entire life and future was ripped out from underneath me and I’ve had a hard time making sense of it all – with no answers or closure on why,” she continued. “I feel humiliated by how it went down, and simultaneously heartbroken that it happened in the first place.”
Prior to her first statement, Radke had sent a letter to wedding guests explaining the situation and how “devastated” his ex-fiancée is.
“The fact of the matter is Lindsay is devastated and I’m crushed with how all this transpired. I graciously ask for some patience and grace to heal and recover while we navigate this extremely difficult time,” he wrote in part of a lengthy letter obtained by People.
Shortly afterwards, a source told Pvnew that Hubbard “did not approve” of Radke’s letter before it was made public.
“There is no ‘we,’” the source said. “She’s definitely hurt by it, for sure.”
Radke proposed to Hubbard in front of Bravo cameras last August after less than a year of dating.
Season 9 of “Southern Charm” premieres with a supersized episode Thursday, Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
