Summer House star Kyle Cooke has revealed why he and his estranged wife Amanda Batula have not yet officially filed for divorce following their separation.
Speaking nine months after the couple announced their breakup, the 44-year-old reality television personality explained that busy work schedules and emotional hesitation delayed formal legal paperwork. Cooke and Batula, 35, announced their separation in January 2026 after four years of marriage and nearly a decade together. Addressing their current standing at Page Six's Virtual Reali-Tea Awards 2026 at the Edison Ballroom in New York City on Sept. 6, the disc jockey disclosed that neither party had rushed to finalize the divorce.
"It’s been a little slow going, she was busy, I was busy," Cooke told E! News in an exclusive interview at the event. "We’re still working on the details of that." The Loverboy founder acknowledged that confronting formal legal discussions proved difficult. "It’s never fun to have those formal talks and maybe there’s a side of us that put it off a little bit," he confessed. "But, yeah, we will eventually make it formal and sign on the dotted line."
The split followed years of public relationship challenges documented on the Bravo reality television series, which follows a group of friends sharing a summer residence in the Hamptons. Reflecting on their breakup during a Bravo conversation at the 92NY in January 2026, Cooke told People, "I don't think anything can kind of prepare you for a big public breakup. But I think that more important than anything is just making sure that Amanda is good, and it's just been amazing having her support, because it is not easy."
Single Life and Filming Season 11
Despite the unresolved paperwork, Cooke entered production for season 11 of the reality show with a newfound sense of independence. Filming in the Hamptons share house offered him an opportunity to reset after years of marital strain. "I carried a lot of stress these last many years," the Bravolebrity reflected to E!. "It truly felt like a weight had been lifted and I could let my hair down. Well, I don’t have a mullet anymore. But I could just be myself and not have to apologize for everything."
Cooke noted that the dynamic inside the house shifted dramatically for the new season, with every cast member entering without a partner. "I had a lot of fun," he said. "I feel like we returned to the roots of the show to some extent. Everybody entered single, which is a first." Embracing what he described as a "Hot Boy Summer" over recent months, Cooke added, "Everybody keeps telling me this is exactly what I should be doing. I feel so fortunate to be traveling and filming and everything in between."
Longtime castmate and close friend Lindsay Hubbard backed Cooke's perspective regarding the renewed house energy. "It makes for a great TV show when there's a lot of single people in a house every weekend," Hubbard told E! ahead of the season premiere. She added cheekily of her friend, "Kyle is a great wingman."
New Romances and Friendship Drama
While Cooke remained single, Batula moved on with former costar West Wilson. The pair sparked romance rumors in 2026 after years of friendship before confirming their feelings had evolved. The relationship created tension within the group because Batula's close friend Ciara Miller had previously dated Wilson for several months before a chaotic breakup in 2023.
"What’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected," Batula and Wilson wrote in a joint statement released in March 2026. "Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care."
Wilson and Miller had experienced an on-again, off-again romance since 2022 before separating ahead of the season 10 premiere in February 2026. Although Miller hinted at lingering feelings during episode seven, admitting there was still an "attraction" between them, Wilson's new relationship with Batula in March 2026 effectively ended any chance of reconciliation.
Marriage and Past Relationships
Other cast members have navigated very different relationship trajectories over the course of the series. Comedians Hannah Berner and Des Bishop remain married after tying the knot in a beachside ceremony in 2022 following two years of dating. Shortly after their 2021 engagement, Berner told People, "He lets me be me, and we laugh together. I make him laugh, and he makes me laugh." She added, "I really just fell in love with how his mind works. And I really listen to his advice, and I really just respect him."
The couple created memorable show history when they decided to have sex in Cooke and Batula's bathroom, a prank that likely forced production to relocate houses for the current season. Before meeting Bishop, Berner was involved in a complex romantic dynamic with Luke Gulbranson during season four. Their uncertain connection nearly disrupted the house the following summer before Bishop messaged Berner directly on social media in 2020.
Gulbranson later pursued a brief romance with Miller, followed by a relationship with Tayshia Adams that ended in 2025. Meanwhile, season 10 newcomers KJ Dillard and Dara Levitan established a lasting bond after entering the house single in summer 2025, and the couple remains together today.
Split Couples and Broken Engagements
Several high-profile crossover relationships ended in separation. Craig Conover of Southern Charm and Paige DeSorbo of Summer House began dating in 2021 but called it quits in 2024. Reflecting on the split on her Giggly Squad podcast in 2024, DeSorbo praised her ex. "I have so much love and respect for Craig," she said. "I think he is one of the best people I have ever met in my entire life. I will remain the biggest fan of him and want the best for him and he truly will get the best because he is the best."
DeSorbo explained that the breakup was mutual and necessary for their respective futures. "It was just the right decision for both of us moving forward in our lives and the direction in our lives that we didn’t force," she stated. Prior to her relationship with Conover, DeSorbo dated Perry Rahbar off-camera for a year in 2020. Rahbar declined to appear on television, and social media posts indicated he became engaged in 2023.
High-Profile Breakups and New Partners
Carl Radke has experienced several public breakups throughout his time on the show. After years of friendship, Radke and Hubbard confessed romantic feelings at Cooke and Batula's 2021 wedding. The couple moved in together in 2022 and got engaged later that year. However, Radke called off their scheduled 2023 wedding shortly before the event.
"I was completely blindsided," Hubbard told US Weekly after the cancelled wedding. "He blew up my entire life. I was crying, I was angry, and I had to find closure on my own. Now I’m at a place where I feel really good about moving on." Hubbard subsequently welcomed a daughter named Gemma in 2024 with her then-boyfriend Tanner Kufe.
Radke also addressed earlier romantic history with former castmates. Following a brief 2018 romance with DeSorbo, the two maintained a close friendship. When DeSorbo left the show in 2025, Radke told E! News, "I love Paige. We're sad to see her not be a part of it, but understanding that she had a lot going on this summer."
Earlier in the series, Radke hooked up with Lauren Wirkus before their relationship ended in 2018. Radke took responsibility for the fallout during a 2019 interview with The Daily Dish, stating, "I chalk that up to a lot of just immaturity on my end. Also, I think, just my communication skills with her, I struggled really to be honest with how I felt."
Lasting Friendships and Cast Updates
Danielle Olivera and Robert Sieber parted ways in 2023 after being viewed by fans as a stable couple. Though initially describing the breakup as amicable, Olivera expressed frustration after Sieber quickly began dating a coworker. "He's with someone he works with, and someone I had called out during our last breakup conversation and he told me I was crazy," Olivera told The Daily Dish in 2023. "Women's intuition, every time." Olivera has since gone public with tech entrepreneur Eoin Heavey.
Other past couples have managed to preserve friendships after breaking up. Original cast members Hubbard and Everett Weston entered the house as a couple in 2017 but later split. Weston married Courtney Cavanagh in Ireland in 2023, with Hubbard attending the ceremony. Similarly, Miller and Gulbranson formed a friendship after their brief 2021 involvement.
Meanwhile, Hubbard's romance with Stephen Traversie ended in 2021 after two years together, memorable for his season five slide presentation. As the show prepares for its upcoming season, the evolving dynamics of the Hamptons share house continue to draw attention from fans tracking the cast's changing relationships.
