Kyle Cooke, the founder of Loverboy, expressed regret for allowing his emotions to get the best of him after his friend and “Southern Charm” co-star Craig Conover decided to invest in a competing alcohol brand, Spritz Society, instead of Loverboy. Cooke shared that Conover approached him with the collaboration idea to invest in Spritz Society when he was in New York City in early February. Cooke attempted to counter with an offer for Conover to invest in Loverboy instead, but Conover informed him that it was too late.
Despite feeling disappointed by Conover’s decision, Cooke clarified that Conover never expressed interest in investing in Loverboy prior to the Spritz Society opportunity. Cooke also denied claims made by Spritz Society co-founder Claudia Oshry that Conover offered to invest in Loverboy if Cooke didn’t want him to invest in Spritz Society. Cooke emphasized that he has had investors since 2019 and is not the sole owner of Loverboy, debunking the claim that he does not offer equity.
Cooke also discussed his dinner with Ben Soffer, the co-founder of Spritz Society, which took place about two weeks before Conover revealed his opportunity with Spritz to Cooke. Cooke found it odd that Soffer was not transparent about his meetings with both Cooke and Conover. Cooke expressed that he was primarily disappointed in how the situation unfolded with Conover as he considered him a good friend. He was particularly bothered by the fact that Conover decided to invest in a competitor while they were filming together and working on fundraising for Loverboy.
Despite feeling upset by the situation, Cooke admitted that he had been too reactionary in his response to Conover’s investment during an appearance on “WWHL.” Cooke expressed regret for letting his emotions get the best of him and acknowledged that he could have handled it better. He hoped to have the chance to reconcile with Conover and apologize for his reaction, emphasizing that he did not want their friendship to be impacted by the ordeal.
Cooke made headlines for his comments on “WWHL” where he criticized Conover for his investment and accused him of lying. Conover has yet to respond to Cooke’s claims, but Oshry addressed them on her podcast and defended Conover’s actions. She refuted Cooke’s claims that Conover offered to invest in Loverboy instead and called Cooke a liar while telling him to “eat my ass.” Despite the public spat between Cooke and Oshry, Cooke remains hopeful for the opportunity to mend his relationship with Conover and move past the disagreement. He reiterated his desire to take the high road and not let the incident affect their friendship.
