Podcast hosts Nick Viall and his wife, Natalie Joy Viall, have been condemned online for what listeners are calling a 'tone deaf' and insensitive line of questioning directed at reality star Austen Kroll regarding the tragic death of his sister. The incident occurred during the latest episode of their show, The Viall Files, released on Wednesday.
A Painful Topic Raised Abruptly
The controversy erupted less than ten minutes into the interview when Natalie Viall abruptly began interrogating Kroll about his deceased sibling, Kyle. Austen Kroll, the 38-year-old star of Southern Charm, was just seven years old when he witnessed his nine-year-old sister fall 150 to 200 feet from a hiking trail during a family outing, leading to her death.
Natalie pressed for graphic details, asking, 'Were you there when she fell?' Kroll, visibly uncomfortable and bouncing his knee nervously, replied, 'Yeah, yeah.' Undeterred, Natalie continued probing: 'You were? Where? What was this cliff? Like.'
Kroll's response hinted at the enduring pain, as he deflected by mentioning the town where it happened had been 'wiped off the map by a hurricane' and that 'there was no love lost with my family on that one.' He pointedly refused to name the location.
Kroll's Emotional Revelation and Viall's Ill-Timed Comment
Kroll went on to share how his family coped with the unimaginable loss, explaining that his younger sister Katie was born afterwards. 'If my older sister Kyle were here still, then my younger sister Katie wouldn't be here. It was literally a cause and effect,' he said. He described the period between the tragedy and Katie's birth as 'the dark ages for our family,' and his sister's arrival as a 'rebirth' for them all.
In a move widely criticised, Nick Viall then chose this moment to tell his guest how 'grateful and lucky' he was to have 'never experienced anything that tragic.' The 45-year-old, who is a father to a nearly two-year-old daughter, River, added that as a new dad he finds it hard to watch content where bad things happen to children.
Fury Erupts on Social Media
The reaction on Instagram was swift and severe. Users blasted the hosts' lack of tact and empathy. One commenter, @popcu1turefiend, demanded: 'Can someone give Natalie a class on how to interview and not bring up horrific childhood trauma within 10 minutes?! Like WTF?'
Others were equally scathing. @alisonvirginia wrote: ''What was this cliff?'' Has got to be one of the dumbest, out of touch questions I have ever heard.' Many noted the particular insensitivity given that the Vialls themselves have suffered three miscarriages, with @persianfirecracker asking: 'For someone who has had multiple miscarriages; how are you this tone deaf?'
Rather than issue a public apology, Natalie Joy Viall, a 27-year-old surgical technologist, later posted an Instagram Story of her husband and child in bed with the caption: 'The stomach bug has wiped us out. See [you] in 2027.'
The episode aired just months after Kroll and his family marked a poignant milestone. On June 3, they returned to his sister's alma mater, Stone Ridge Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Kyle Kroll Memorial Award, honouring a fourth-grade student.
