Salley Carson is not holding back about what really went down with Venita Aspen during “Southern Charm” season 11 — and according to Salley, their tension wasn’t just about Craig Conover. It was about boundaries, friendship expectations, and what Salley described as Venita getting “overbearing” and even “controlling” at times.
The two women revisited their season 11 drama during the January 14 episode of the “Southern Charm: After Show,” which aired after viewers watched Craig, 36, tell Salley, 30, that he wasn’t interested in dating — despite what Salley believed were mixed signals. With emotions still raw, Venita, 32, and Salley unpacked why their once-close friendship hit a wall, and why their interpretations of “girl code” were totally different.
Salley Carson Calls Venita Aspen ‘Overbearing’ and Says She Tracked Her Location
Salley said she didn’t understand why Venita felt she broke “girl’s girl” rules by pursuing Craig, especially since Venita never dated him.
“How many guys have we dated that our friends don’t necessarily agree with?” Salley asked. “I know that they had beef, but she never dated him … Also, who stuck by her with the [Jarrett “JT” Thomas] thing?”
Salley pointed out that she supported Venita through her complicated situation with JT — even when Salley didn’t fully agree with it.
“Venita wanted to still date him, and I’m like … ‘If you like this guy, I will try to like him for you,’” Salley said, adding that she felt Venita later “forgot all of that” once the Craig situation happened.
But the moment that really set viewers off? Salley said Venita tried to police her time with Craig.
“I would be at Craig’s house, not doing anything … and she’s like texting me like she sees my location,” Salley claimed. “She’s gotten better, but she, for a good bit of the summer in our friendship, was very overbearing and a little bit controlling. It was a lot.”
Venita defended herself by saying she was just trying to keep Salley safe and prevent her from doing something she’d regret.
Venita Aspen Says She Felt Salley Wasn’t a ‘Girl’s Girl’ in the Moment
Venita made it clear she wasn’t accusing Salley of being a bad friend overall — but she did feel abandoned in key moments.
“Salley’s not not a girl’s girl,” Venita clarified. “She was not a girl’s girl to me in the moment that I called it out.”
Venita said she considered Salley a close friend, and that closeness came with real conversations — even uncomfortable ones.
“She is someone I considered to be a good friend, so that means the conversations aren’t going to be easy, happy, and go lucky,” she said. “They’re gonna be hard.”
Venita also revisited her own situation with JT, admitting she ignored warnings from friends because she believed she saw a different side of him.
“I was like, ‘Guys, I see such a different version of him,’ down to Salley,” Venita recalled.
Molly O’Connell, 37, jumped in and suggested Venita may have been reacting “from a place of hurt,” and Salley agreed that some of Venita’s behavior felt hypocritical.
Both Women Reflect on Their Friendship Falling Apart in Season 11
Salley also claimed Venita’s possessiveness didn’t stop with Craig. She alleged that Venita seemed jealous when Salley started spending more time with Charley Manley.
“When me and [Charley Manley] started hanging out a lot, she got a little jealous,” Salley said.
Still, Venita sounded emotional when reflecting on losing their friendship.
“I love that girl,” Venita said. “Salley and I became friends so instantly, and when you’re an adult, that is not an easy thing to do … to make a friend so quick as an adult and then a year later to basically lose that friendship, it was kind of like, oh, cuz it happened so easily. So it pulls on the heartstrings.”
The two also discussed their tense interaction at Madison LeCroy’s sleepover. Salley said Venita gave off an “I told you so” vibe after Craig friend-zoned her — and she admitted that hurt more than anything.
“My biggest thing is I expect friends to treat me the way that I treat them,” Salley said. “And then I get disappointed, because I don’t get it back.”
“Southern Charm” season 11 airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
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Was Salley’s ‘Southern Charm’ Storyline Purely for Cameras?
Salley Carson Says Austen Kroll Interview ‘Broke My Heart,’ Demands Public Apology
Venita needs to go
Their whole ‘insta bffs for a storyline’ incl fake relationships is exhausting. These shows are really going downhill w people who just want to be reality stars