Molly O’Connell is finally setting the record straight on her short-lived romance with “Southern Charm” star Shep Rose. The model and musician revisited their fling at BravoCon 2025, months after the pair shared a kiss in the season 10 finale. And as she explained, their choice wasn’t driven by drama—just practicality.
Molly O’Connell Says She and Shep Rose Are ‘Better as Friends’
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, O’Connell said she and Rose genuinely enjoyed each other but quickly realized the spark fizzled before season 11 filming. “I think we are just better as friends,” O’Connell said. “I think on paper, all of it makes sense, but it’s Shep at the end of the day. But I love Shep. He’s so much fun. We had a fun time — a good time, not a long time.”
The season 10 reunion revealed more about what actually happened after their finale kiss. Rose confirmed, “I mean, we might’ve hung out after. We had some adult fun.” When Andy Cohen asked Molly if Shep “left her satisfied,” she didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I mean, I had fun.”
When Cohen pressed further on why nothing serious developed, Rose admitted they hooked up “one more time,” but his travel schedule kept them from seeing each other. Madison LeCroy even weighed in, saying Rose and O’Connell “could be a love match,” adding, “This version of Shep, yes.”
Shep Rose Admits the Timing Was Off—But He Saw the Appeal
During season 10, episode 10, and in the “Southern Charm After Show,” Rose revealed he had no idea O’Connell had feelings for him. “I’d heard around the campfire that Molly was sort of into me,” he said. He explained they’d known each other more than 10 years, and because O’Connell once had a brief connection with Whitney Sudler-Smith and later set Rose up with a friend, he didn’t think romance was on the table.
Another complication? Rose was dating Sienna Evans at the time. “Hooking up with somebody else would have screwed my head up even more,” he said.
Still, Rose admitted O’Connell had qualities he admired. “She’s so real and so honest and she doesn’t hold anything back. And authentic. Those are all wonderful qualities,” he told Austen Kroll.
O’Connell shared similar praise for Rose. “I’ve always thought Shep’s a super handsome guy and is very smart,” she said. While she pointed out his past mistakes—“obviously he cheated on Taylor, so not that part of the moral thing”—she emphasized that intelligence and values matter most to her.
So why didn’t they give dating a real shot? O’Connell summed it up simply: “On paper, you know, everything is what I would like. But we’ve been in Charleston forever, and nothing ever happened.”
New episodes of “Southern Charm” air Wednesdays on Bravo.
