Craig Conover is breaking his silence on the scathing remarks Kyle Cooke recently made after he invested in an alcohol brand that competes with the “Summer House” star’s own company, Loverboy.
“Craig is deeply disappointed and saddened by Kyle’s abrupt accusations,” a publicist for the “Southern Charm” star exclusively tells Pvnew Friday.
“The truth only hurts one person in this instance, and it’s not Craig. Therefore, he will not comment further on this matter nor be drawn into an unprofessional arena.”
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The rep adds that Conover — who is an attorney and owns a successful lifestyle brand called Sewing Down South — is “focused on opening his new retail store in Nashville next week and growing his companies and team bigger and better.”
“Craig has learned to blame himself and not others for everything that happens in his life, including the success of his products and companies,” the spokesperson concluded.
“He looks forward to continuing to share his life with everyone and thanks all his friends and supporters, whom he views as family.”
Reps for Cooke and Loverboy did not immediately issue a response.
The candid statement confirms social media speculation of a rift between Conover, 35, and Cooke, 41.
Eyewitnesses noticed that the two Bravolebrities — who’ve had a friendship in recent years — did not mingle with each other at Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live” 15th anniversary party this week.
Ironically, it was on “WWHL” in which Cooke slammed Conover for his investment with Spritz Society.
“Look, I wish him the best, but the way he handled it … it really rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m just trying to take the high road,” the Loverboy CEO told host Andy Cohen on the May 23 episode.
He then alleged of his friend-turned-foe, “He has a reputation of lying, and he lied to me.”
Cooke also claimed at the time that Spritz Society founder Ben Soffer took him out to dinner to allegedly “milk” information out of him before Conover’s deal was announced, calling it a “really shady operation.”
Soffer’s wife, Claudia Oshry, who is the co-founder of the sparkling wine company, then slammed Cooke for his remarks on her podcast, “The Toast.”
“No one was thinking about Kyle — like, nobody thinks about Kyle and Loverboy. Like, two things can exist, and two people can be successful, and there’s a million canned cocktail companies besides us, and they’re all bigger than us, so it’s not a big deal,” she said after Cooke’s “WWHL” appearance.
Since then, Cooke has further addressed why he felt so “disappointed” that Conover had invested with a competitor, claiming the Charlotte-based reality star had “sprung this collaboration” idea on him.
He also alleged that he had told Conover he’d “love to put an offer on the table to kinda counter it.”
“Like, here’s a good friend of mine. I just figured he’d at least give me an opportunity to hear me out,” Cooke said on the “Trading Secrets” podcast earlier this week.
“And, to be honest, I kind of feared that this would impact our friendship, because this has been my blood, sweat and tears for the last five years.”
When Pvnew spoke exclusively to Conover in May — after his Spritz Society partnership was first announced — he explained why he “always” wanted an alcohol brand as part of his business portfolio.
“I’m just such an easy sell. I’m just such a yes man,” he told us at the time. “I’m excited! Part of my investment came with designing my own flavor, I will have my own can.”
The Bravo star added that he “always respected” Cooke’s hustle when asked about Loverboy, but also claimed even then that investing in his then-buddy’s brand “wasn’t an option.”
