- - ‘Southern Charm’ Stars Call Out Nick Viall and Natalie Joy for Not Apologizing to Austen Kroll

Grace GalanteJanuary 17, 2026 at 9:36 PM

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Photo by Bravo on Getty Images

Southern Charm's Leva Bonaparte and Rodrigo Reyes are calling out Nick Viall and Natalie Joy for not apologizing to Austen Kroll.

In the comment section of an Instagram post by an account called @queensofbravo on Saturday, Jan. 17, the duo called out the former Bachelor and his wife for not apologizing to their co-star.

The couple are currently facing backlash for questions Joy asked about Kroll's sister's death on a recent episode of TheViall Files podcast, which many viewers found to be insensitive.

"They 10000% owe not just @krollthewarriorking an apology but his whole family. They are such lovely people. I’m in shock that one hasn’t been issued yet. I gasped when i heard it. Anyone who thinks otherwise is unwell. He may have taken it gracefully that’s due to his character-it’s wasn’t okay," Bonaparte said.

"Hey stop it everyone! They’re too busy calling other people to clean up their mess to apologize. Have some compassion. 🤭," Reyes added.

The Instagram post also included podcast clip of former BacheloretteRachel Lindsay — who is a friend of Viall's — calling on Joy to apologize.

RELATED: Natalie Joy Under Fire for Insensitive Questions About Austen Kroll’s Sister’s Death

The controversy first erupted after the Wednesday Jan. 7, episode of The Viall Files, when Joy appeared to abruptly change the topic of conversation from Southern Charm to Kroll’s sisterKyle, who tragically passed away at the age of 9.

“Quickly jumping out of Southern Charm, I’m sure we’re gonna jump right back into it, but going into your childhood, I didn’t know this about your sister passing at 9,” Joy said, to which Kroll replied, “Okay we are switching gears.”

“You obviously don’t have to answer, my question is, how old were you when that happened?” Joy continued, before Kroll answered that he was 7.

“How did your family keep, because you’re obviously so close to your family today, your parents and [sister] Katie, how did your family keep y’all together during that time?” she asked, to which Kroll responded, “One word: Katie.”

“Katie came to our family and was the biggest blessing that the Kroll family could’ve gotten,” he explained. “Our story is very interesting because if my older sister Kyle were here still, my younger sister Katie wouldn’t be here.”

Kroll described the year-and-a-half between Kyle passing and Katie being born as a “torturous” period for his family, but noted Katie coming into the family felt like a “rebirth” for all of them.

Viall then asked Kroll if Katie had a spiritual relationship with her late sister, but soon after, Joy jumped in to ask if Kroll was there when his sister fell.

Kyle died during a hiking trip with her family, including Kroll, when she got around a protective barrier and fell from a cliff.

“What was this cliff?” Joy asked.

Kroll declined to provide the name of the town the accident occurred in, but said it was “wiped off the map by a hurricane” and that “there was no love lost with my family on that one.”

Viall then asked Kroll how he dealt with the tragedy over the years, with Kroll admitting his “commitment phobe” reputation on Southern Charm may have to do with the trauma of losing his sister at a young age, though he does not blame any of his past behavior on the tragedy.

Neither Joy, Viall, nor Kroll have yet to publicly address the controversy.

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This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”