Craig Conover’s ‘Pillow Talk’ Book: 10 Revelations About ‘Southern Charm,’ Naomie Olindo, Adderall and More

Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock; Courtesy Naomie Olindo/Instagram

Craig Conover’s ‘Pillow Talk’ Book: 10 Revelations About ‘Southern Charm,’ Naomie Olindo, Adderall and More

As Southern Charm fans know, Craig Conover is never one to shy away from expressing his opinions. In his new book, Pillow Talk: What’s Wrong With My Sewing?, the reality star is sharing his side of the story. “As much as a non-Southern Charm book that it is — it’s a balanced book where you do get to see a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff that happened, which I’m really happy the network was OK with because everyone always wonders how we ended up on the show and how our friendships grew and where they were sprouted,” the 33-year-old author exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Tuesday, March 29, release. “So I think people love reading that. Who knows what [producer and costar] Whitney [Sudler-Smith] will think, but I hope they all like it.” Craig added that he isn’t worried about what close friends and costars Austen Kroll and Shep Rose will think. “Shep, he’ll be fine. He might disagree on some of my analysis of our relationship,” he admitted. While viewers may have thought his ex-girlfriend Naomie Olindo wouldn’t be thrilled about the book rehashing their romance, Craig told Us that she was part of the process. “We interviewed Naomie for the book, so she had a lot of input and was very much involved,” he said, adding that she’s been “super positive” about the memoir. [jwplayer EIShQZMC-zhNYySv2] When Southern Charm premiered on Bravo in 2014, original cast members included Craig, Shep, Cameran Eubanks, Thomas Ravenel and Whitney. Kathryn Dennis, who would go on to welcome two kids with Thomas, was featured in a recurring role until season 2. The show is set to return for its eighth season later this year, with Craig, Shep and Kathryn in full-time roles. Both Craig’s current girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo, and Naomie will also be featured. “Obviously, you know, hanging out with your ex isn’t normal,” the Sewing Down South founder told Us. “It wasn’t too bad, but yeah, there are situations where you’re just like, ‘This is a wild situation to be in.’ [Paige and Naomie] are fine. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to in the new season. … Paige was in Charleston a lot during filming, and you’ll get to see her dynamic with pretty much everyone.” Pillow Talk: What’s Wrong With My Sewing? is out now. Scroll through for the biggest takeaways:

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On Adderall Addiction

Craig started taking Adderall in college when he was “overwhelmed by the plethora of distractions” around him, but his “abuse” of the ADHD drug was “kicked into high gear” during filming for season 2 of Southern Charm in 2014.

“In those early seasons, I often blamed my internal demons on the outside pressures I was facing. Thus: The stress of work caused me to party a lot. The need to finish my work caused me to take Adderall. The anxiety of needing to ‘be on’ when I went out to the bars caused me to take more Adderall. And so on,” he wrote.

Craig revealed that by the end of season 3, his daily dosage included three 15 mg pills, “morning, noon and night.” He also admitted that during his relationship with Naomie, he started to hide how much Adderall he was taking and would conceal pills around their homes. “I had the pills stashed everywhere, just in case,” he wrote. Craig came clean about his addiction during the season 6 reunion of the show and is currently off the drug.

Credit: Tommy Garcia/Bravo

How He Joined ‘Southern Charm’

Craig was originally contacted via a Facebook message from an old friend who filled him in on Whitney’s plans to make a show about Charleston. Craig didn’t know who Whitney was at the time, but he and his then-roommate agreed to meet him several times.

“Somewhat strangely (or not), the topic of the show rarely came up. … Looking back, he certainly was ‘casting’ us, but he was also meeting the city of Charleston — its people, its bars and restaurants — through us,” Craig wrote.

When it came time to sign onto the show, he was hesitant, even Googling, “Should I go on a reality TV show?” (Naturally, the results didn’t help.)

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

His 1st Impressions of Shep, Cam and Kathryn

Craig wrote that he wasn’t “impressed” with Shep when they initially met at a party with Whitney, claiming he saw him “rudely dismiss one of the waitstaff.”

“Shepard Rose showed no particular interest in [my roommate and I], and we returned the favor,” he wrote.

Cameran, however, he describes as “a sort of mythical creature in Charleston” who everyone knew or knew of. “Like every other heterosexual male in town, I had a crush on this elusive woman,” he wrote. 

Before officially signing on, Craig, Shep and Cameran got lunch to discuss the show which led to an early bond. “We were able to talk through our concerns, our hopes, and our expectations, and that helped tremendously,” he wrote.

Craig also had a good first impression of Kathryn. “At this early stage of filming, four of us — Thomas, Whitney, Shep, and I — had all tried our luck with Kathryn. (But of those, I was the only one who never got very far.),” he wrote.

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Thomas Ravenel and Season 1’s ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Dinner

Craig revealed in the book that the first time he showed up to film already drunk was Thomas’ infamous The Glass Menagerie dinner during season 1 — hence his candid dig at Kathryn about her sleeping with the former politician, Whitney and Shep in a three-week period.

“Thomas, for obvious reasons, was a polarizing person to be friends with. But I have to admit that I always got along well with him,” Craig noted. “He never turned his sights on me, and we were able to have honest discussions from time to time, especially about his relationship with Kathryn.” 

Craig also included a story from season 1 hunting trip in which he revealed off camera that he told Thomas that “Kathryn hadn’t exactly been faithful during their brief relationship. I told him to be careful about falling head over heels.”

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He Had Major Financial Issues at the End of Season 2

After Craig’s roommates moved out, he was unable to afford his rent. His credit cards at the time were “entirely maxed out” as he made minimum payments on several cards. “I could barely afford gas by this point,” he wrote. “I was in a bad place. I had no job. I was in a state of purgatory with law school and the bar exam.”

His parents eventually helped him out of his debt.

Credit: Courtesy Naomie Olindo/Instagram

Namoie Joining the Show

According to Craig, Naomie was “part of the original group of local Charlestonians whom the show’s producers had invited to the Millford Plantation” ahead of season 1.  After her social circle and parents advised her not to do the show, however, she took her name out of the running early in the casting process. When they started dating ahead of season 3, he made it clear to Naomie that she should only do the show if she wanted and after a lot of discussions, she agreed. While Craig was expecting to have a “ride or die” ally after two tough seasons, their first real fight went down on screen after Naomie didn’t take Craig’s side when he confronted Whitney over his feelings for Kathryn.

"I had told Naomie all about this, even that I was going to confront Whitney with it,” Craig wrote, adding that Naomie understood his plan and agreed with it. “I looked at Whitney and said that the only reason he was still so upset with Kathryn three years later is because she had chosen Thomas over him. … Whitney freaked out. Then Cam, who was always close to Whitney, freaked out. … That’s when Naomie turned to me and said, ‘Would you just quit?’ And that, I believe, is the moment when our relationship started to fall apart.”

Craig added that he felt “betrayed” that Naomie aired “so much of our dirty laundry in front of the cameras” over seasons 3 and 4, thinking she would “want to play the game” with him.

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Shep Tried to Kiss Naomie

Craig claimed Shep trying to make a pass at Naomie during a party for Charleston Fashion Week on the night of Craig and Naomie’s unofficial first date.

“Of course I was pissed, even if I hadn’t made it clear to Shep that I was interested in Naomie. She had refused his advances anyway,” he wrote. 

Credit: Courtesy Craig Conover/Instagram

His Breakup With Naomie

Craig recalled a heartbreaking moment from a friend’s wedding in which Naomie cried over the vows after the bride promised to be the groom’s “biggest fan.” In turn, she told her then-boyfriend that she will “never be [his] biggest fan,” which Craig deserved. While they moved past the comment, viewers may recall Naomie’s disapproval of Craig’s sewing and criticism of his plans.

“Despite what viewers saw on the show, Naomie in private really didn’t have a problem with my lack of a viable profession. She knew I was trying to finish my thesis so that I could then take the bar, and it didn’t bother her,” he wrote. “What bothered her was my schedule; what bothered her was how I went about doing what I did. … It was as if once the camera turned on, Naomie became the girlfriend she thought the audience wanted to see.”

As their rocky romance continued, Naomie confessed that she didn’t “love” Craig anymore after he expressed concerns about her plans for her friend to move in with them.

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The Show Affected His Law Career

Craig’s journey to taking (and passing the bar) was well-documented on Southern Charm, but fans may not know that when he did finally pass the test, the South Carolina Supreme Court called him over a “tip” about struggles with “substance abuse” from the Bravo show.

“The justices had zeroed in on specific moments in the show when my friends had indicated I could have a drinking problem. Per the court’s request, Cam and Shep had even provided affidavits to explain some of their comments about me from the show, in order to speak to my character,” he wrote. “I was fortunate in that both Cam and Shep had extolled me as a person, but I had to answer for some of my antics. I had to take them through every moment that had caused them concern from the show. I had to convince them that my connection to Thomas began and ended with my time on the show.”

Craig wrote that he was grilled for an hour and a half but got a call on the way home that he would be able to move forward with his law career.  

Credit: Courtesy Natalie Hegnauer/Instagram

His Romance With Natalie

Southern Charm viewers briefly met Natalie Hegnauer on season 7 after she and Craig “fell in love during our quarantine.” She subsequently moved to Charleston, but their relationship struggled. “We started to argue a lot more, especially after we had been drinking. And so, in August of 2020, I stopped drinking for two months,” he wrote.

By Thanksgiving, however, he recalled being “disappointed” when she initially planned to go on a ski trip with her friends instead of celebrating with him. When he went to film Winter House in January 2021, he heard about her having dinner with his costar Madison LeCroy and the twosome never recovered. 

“Natalie knew full well how I felt about Austen’s ex. So when I returned, we both agreed that the relationship wasn’t working anymore,” he wrote. “What had happened between us during quarantine just couldn’t last in the real world, and while that is unfortunate, I don’t regret a moment of it.”

Craig added that “nothing happened” between him and Paige during season 1 of the Vermont spinoff “despite rumors.”