Craig Conover Explains Why He Joined Raya After Paige DeSorbo Split

Craig Conover is addressing “the Raya thing” and why he was seen on the dating app following his split from Paige DeSorbo.

Conover, 35, said during a Thursday, February 6 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that “after a certain stage” in the breakup, he decided to join Raya.

“I needed validation, but it didn’t feel as good as I thought,” the Southern Charm star admitted. (Us Weekly confirmed late last month that Conover was on the celebrity-favorite dating app.)

Andy Cohen joked that Conover’s Instagram DMs are “absolutely bonkers,” which earned a laugh.

“Yeah, but I’m actually sad about the breakup,” Conover replied. DeSorbo, 32, announced in December 2024 that her and Conover had split the month prior after three years together. He said during Thursday’s talk show appearance that they had discussed marriage in the weeks before their split.

“It’s funny because, yes, the DMs — ever since the Raya thing, people are like, ‘Well, if you’re dating I’m coming in here.’ But I got thousands of messages from people who got broken up with during the holidays too,” Conover added. “We are all so much more similar than we think.”

DeSorbo has since revealed that she broke up with Conover after Thanksgiving — which they spent together with her family. During Thursday’s WWHL appearance, Conover also claimed that the split wasn’t mutual, despite what she had previously said.

“I didn’t tell her what to say [about their breakup on her podcast, ‘Giggly Squad.’]. I got a text and she said, ‘I’m announcing it on my podcast,’” he said. “And then she said it was mutual, which it wasn’t, I didn’t know about it, she called me and told me.”

Conover also addressed rumors that DeSorbo had cheated during their relationship. (She has continued to vehemently deny fan speculation.)

Related: Craig Conover Unfollows Paige DeSorbo After Their Split

Craig Conover is no longer keeping up with Paige DeSorbo on social media. Us Weekly can confirm Conover, 35, is currently not following DeSorbo, 32, on Instagram, but she is still following him. The subtle social media shift comes less than a month after DeSorbo confirmed their split. “I love him, I think he loves […]

“I don’t want to be involved,” he stated. “I got broken up with. I’m the ex-boyfriend, moving on with my life. I’m not going to get sucked into the mud with them. Her cast … like, commenting on how I am grieving and that I’m sorry that I’m not reading Reddit everyday, getting on there and defending her. Like, I never said you cheated, so I’m not a part of this.”

Overall, Conover said “it’s been a whirlwind” since their split.

“I’ve been sitting in it, listening to people be like, ‘Love isn’t enough.’ Guess what? Love is enough and I hate that I’m being drawn into that. If two people love each other, you’ll make it work,” he added. “For all the long-distance people watching … like, we didn’t want different things, she just wanted other people and that’s fine. She didn’t want those things with me anymore and I’m not mad at her for that but I don’t like this ‘love isn’t enough’ thing because you’ll make it work.”