Rodrigo Reyes Is Transforming Bravo’s Long-Running Hit Show “Southern Charm” — & Having Fun While Doing It

Rod is finishing up his third season on the show, and it feels like we’re just now getting to know him as viewers. An entire episode centered around his and fiancé Tyler Dugas’ engagement party, and he’s getting more in the mix when it comes to the group’s interpersonal drama. Rodrigo’s an expert at getting the tea and spilling it to someone else in the group, and he’s not afraid to call people out. In short, he’s a great reality star.

Before Southern Charm season 11 came to a close, SO.GAY caught up with Rodrigo to chat about his time on reality TV, his endearing friendship with costar Austen Kroll, being nominated at the 2026 GLAAD Media Awards, and where you should go next time you find yourself in Charleston.

SO.GAY: Hi, Rod! How was your photo shoot yesterday?

Rodrigo Reyes: Yeah, actually! But not for anything like this—for, like, the local city paper. A friend of mine sends it to me every year as a joke, but it’s from like 2009 for The Charleston Gate for its gay issue which said, like, it’s okay to be gay, and it was three guys and clearly wanting us to look very gay and one straight guy looking like he just rolled out of bed. It was ridiculous.

SO.GAY: So we’ve come a long way to this photo shoot, and being tapped to do something like this means that you’re being noticed and you’re being recognized by the community. That must feel pretty good.

Rodrigo: It really does, because I’ve been on this show now for three years… well, actually, I was being featured on this show for the past three years, and it’s nice that this year, more than any of the rest, there has been a bigger push to show more of me. It’s very nice to see that there was an appetite for people to actually want to know my story, versus like, “Well, why is Rod just literally there?” 

And the truth is that there was never some proper introduction to me on the show. It was just like one day I was there. So then people are like, “Who the hell is this guy?” But everyone that’s part of this friend group knows who I am, because I’m friends with everybody, but for the audience it was very sudden, so they’re like, “Who is this guy? Why is he here? He’s a shit stirrer.” I was like, “Okay, well, fine. I mean, call me a shit stirrer. But if everyone comes to me with all their shit, I gotta stir it up.” I can’t be the only one with all these crazies in my brain. I gotta spread it out.

SO.GAY: So does that mean that your relationship with the viewership has changed? Because you maybe had to prove why you deserved to be there? 

Rodrigo: Yeah, I think so. And I feel like, I mean, it was really kind of incumbent on what they chose to show versus people being like, “Well, why didn’t you say anything here?” It’s like, “Well, I don’t have control over that.” They needed to know that I’m there for a reason, and I’m not just some random plant or some DEI hire. That’s not what it is. I’m legitimately friends with this group. There’s only, like, two or three people on the show that I met through the show. Everyone else was through friendships that were formed before the show, before they were even on the show.

SO.GAY: You’re the only out gay person on your cast. What’s that like? Do you feel any sort of burden of representation when it comes to any aspect of your identity?

Rodrigo: I’ll give you an example that kind of speaks to that. We just had the Charleston Wine + Food festival, and I had three different people come up to me who were Latino tell me that my presence on the show meant so much to them. And I’ve gotten the same thing with being gay. I think people are just happy to see that I’m not…not everyone has to be, you know, Jack from Will & Grace. And not everyone is Will either, for that matter. Some people are, but I’m really just Joe Schmo. Really, I’m just like everyone else.

Like, I date men but, in this friend group, it’s not a big deal. I mean, being in LA and having more gay friends that live in LA and being around them… I do kind of miss that. But here in the South, I have gay friends, but it’s just different. In Charleston, there’s like one gay bar. In this town, whether you’re gay or straight, you go to a lot of the same places, whereas in LA or New York, you have communities where people come together. Here, it’s more of a melting pot and everyone folding into each other. 

SO.GAY: Which is nice, but you must miss elements of that community sometimes.

Rodrigo: Oh, absolutely. I used to live in West Hollywood. When I was a teenager, I was going to The Abbey, which was insane, and I just got really burned out of LA by the time I was 18. So, yeah, feeling that community [when I visit] is really nice, but I will say, I have a very good group of friends here. We have, like, two couples that we’re very good friends with. In fact, that’s how we met Austen before the show because he grew up with them. So, the six of us hang out together all the time.

Sometimes I feel like—and it’s the same thing with being Latino—I’m losing a bit more than I wish I had. I wish I had a little more of that. I don’t feel like I’m deprived, but I do understand the importance of seeing your community and being part of your community. That being said, if—at the very least—I can be a representation of that on television where people are like, “I’m so glad I get to see this gay person on television who isn’t just a caricature”… that honestly means the world to me.

SO.GAY: Well, on multiple fronts, you’re pushing a show like Southern Charm—which has historically been very heteronormative and very white—forward, and that’s really important. So, for you to feel that feedback from viewers who appreciate that, it just means that it’s being well received and that people feel seen by you, and that hopefully that happens more and more as the show continues. And you speaking to feeling like you and Tyler are integrated into more general friend groups, that’s absolutely reflected on the show, too. 

When I was coming up with questions for this interview, I did keep coming back to your friendship with Austen, because that straight-gay male friendship is not something you see spotlighted all the time on TV It’s usually a gay guy with a woman—which, of course, we love—but this is different and refreshing. Can you speak to that friendship a little bit because, as you said, it predates the show and it’s clearly a special bond for both of you.

Rodrigo: I view Austen like a brother. He and I can fight with each other, and we do a lot of fighting, but it’s crazy, because it’s more like how siblings would fight one another and give each other shit. We poke at each other, and I just have fun with Austen. It’s just like any other friendship where we like to go out and have a good time. We’re both snarky bitches. And, you know, as Madison said, he’s like the ultimate gay best friend. [Laughs]

He’s just so open and free with his feelings, and he doesn’t get caught up in the idea of, “Oh, my God, why is he hanging out with him?” On one of the episodes where we’re in Mexico, Austin kisses me. First off, I don’t remember that, and he didn’t remember that, either. But he’s just so free and totally comfortable with himself. I don’t think he worries about that at all. It’s just about these perceptions that people have of what a relationship between a gay guy and a straight guy should be. It’s like, “Oh, well, they have to be doing this if they’re hanging out all the time.” And it’s like, “No, I mean, we could just be friends that think the same things are funny. We like the same music, we like traveling.” Those things can exist at the same time.

SO.GAY: We saw you and Tyler’s engagement party this season, and I think seeing a bit more of him this season has helped to shade in your presentation on the show, but what’s Tyler’s relationship like to the show?

Rodrigo: First of all, everyone loves Tyler. They want Tyler to be there because he’s very funny, and he’s probably one of the nicest people. It’s funny, because Whitney of all people, is always like, “I love Tyler.” With any of our friends, if they need help, he’s willing to help them. He’s there, and he’s present, and I would say, more often than not, people probably would prefer Tyler over me. I’m funnier, but whatever. 

He initially had some hesitation about filming and our lives being put on blast and maybe he was thinking about the possible possibilities of being attacked by people online. And I’m like, “I mean, that’s just the nature of the beast, whether if you’re on television or if you’re just online.” So I think it took him a while, but he’s had some really funny moments on the show and it makes me really grateful that people can see him being funny. 

SO.GAY: You were recently at the GLAAD Media Awards, where Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality were both nominated for Outstanding Reality Program, which got me thinking about how you’re part of this new wave of queer representation on Bravo in general. Do you feel that?

Rodrigo: I will say that I felt a really giant sense of pride being at the GLAAD Awards. When they showed the preview package for each show that was nominated in the reality category, I kind of got emotional when I saw the portion for Southern Charm, because it really was me and Tyler and our engagement party. It was focused on us. I had a giant sense of pride about that. Mind you, I did know that Southern Hospitality was going to win. I just felt it when I saw the nominations. Their showrunner and their executives really put a lot of thought and time into showing these characters, which is important because they are a giant part of that friend group. I just thought they did a really good job of showing that.

It’s very nice to see that Charleston—as small as it is, it does have a pretty sizable gay community—can show and represent our community in this small Southern city in a positive way.

SO.GAY: What’s your relationship like with Southern Hospitalityand its cast?

Rodrigo: I feel like, at some point, there was some weird animosity between some of the guys on both sides. It was kind of a weird dynamic to have, because there’s enough space to exist for all of us so, for me, I’ve always been supportive and happy for them and for any and all success that they have. It’s like, why are you unnecessarily fighting? Why are certain people punching down and why are certain people trying to punch up?

SO.GAY: it’s good to hear, though, that there wasn’t ever any animosity between you and TJ and Michols. That should be a supportive dynamic!

Rodrigo: Listen, I’m here for letting those little queens find their light. I’m here for it. Like, by all means, baby girl, let’s get you some some bronzer, and let’s put you out there.

SO.GAY: So what was it like seeing them up on stage with Leva after Southern Hospitality won? You must have had pride in seeing that, too. Because you’re part of Bravo being at the forefront of progressive representation on reality TV.

Rodrigo: I was tearing up. I was so proud of all of them. Leva has this cast of characters that all have such interesting stories to tell. I watched their their premiere episode, and I was like, “God, they’re so insane.” They’re very entertaining, and I just hope that they get the viewership that I think they deserve.

SO.GAY: What are some of your favorite hot spots in Charleston?

Rodrigo: I tell people a pretty solid list of places to go to all the time. 167 Raw is probably the best seafood in the South—on the East Coast, honestly. It’s just so fantastic. My friend’s father started it as a fish market in Nantucket. I also always tell people go to the rooftop bar at the Dewberry hotel, this mid-century modern hotel. You get 360-degree views of downtown. And on a nice day, it’s like the perfect spot to go. Halls, because it’s an institution. Everyone loves Halls. Marbled & Fin—ugh, I’m doing two steakhouses, which is insane. But, like, that’s also a really phenomenal restaurant. Chubby Fish, too. It’s not very big, and they just got a Michelin star. 

I’ll say Vern’s, as well. They just got a Michelin star as well, which sucks, because I can’t get in like I used to. [Laughs] I’ll say one more, because it’s worth mentioning: Donna, which is a new spot in town.

SO.GAY: Last question for you: What is “so gay” about you, Rod?

Rodrigo: Besides anal? Hm… what’s so gay about me? Honestly, I used to be obsessed with watching old Chanel fashion shows, those ones with the big production values at the Grand Palais. I’d just be like, “Ah, this is so amazing.” Like, I just think it’s just so beautiful and fascinating. Because at one point in college, I thought I was going to do fashion journalism, so I used to be very obsessed with womenswear—like, very obsessed.

It’s funny over time to have watched my personal style just kind of fall off a cliff to where I’m just wearing gym shorts around. I’d say my obsession with Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion is also so gay. By the way, I met that old lady once. You know, that old lady in the diner? I was at a bar in college, and she was there because her grandson went to Arizona State, as well. So she was there, and I was losing my mind. My friends were like, “Why are you losing it over this old lady?” I’m like, “You don’t understand. She’s so funny. You just don’t get it. You’ll never get it.” That’s what’s so gay about me, is that you’ll never get why I love this old lady from this one scene of a movie.

Follow Rodrigo Reyes on Instagram here and learn more about Bravo’s Southern Charm here.