Andy Cohen wasn’t the only one a little taken aback by Craig Conover’s PSA to America about the cast of Summer House on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on Thursday, March 27.
“It is an incredible word salad,” Kyle Cooke told Us Weekly during an exclusive interview at the Milk-Bone x Jif Peanut Butter collaboration event in New York City on Friday, March 28. “I’m not quite sure what to make of it because there’s a lot to still unfold on Summer House. So he, maybe, put the cart ahead of the horse.”
On Thursday, host Andy, 56, pointed out to Craig, 36, that there were signs that his now-ex-girlfriend Paige DeSorbo was unhappy in their relationship on season 9 of Summer House, which is currently airing. Craig maintained that he was shocked by Paige, 32, ending things and accused the cast of flipping the script.
“I, obviously, was surprised when she left me. I’m just kind of focused on moving forward. I’ve seen that they made up a couple stories, so it seems like after the breakup didn’t go how — her side of things, I think, convinced her that the breakup was going to go a certain way and through choices that she made after the breakup, things turned on her,” Craig said “I haven’t done anything but try to move on in my life and I’m really happy in the chapter that I’m in, but it seems like her and her band of friends have just decided — who were all friends of mine, I mean I was a great friend to all of them, Ciara [Miller], Amanda [Batula], Kyle — and now, the vitriol is nasty. I just want to encourage America to never act like that because I think it’s disgusting.”
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Kyle, for his part, feels like Craig is the one “really committed to this war.”
“I’m in touch with Shep [Rose]. I’m in touch with Austen [Kroll],” he said of Craig’s Southern Charm costars.
The two Bravo casts have been filming with each other on and off for their respective shows and the spinoff Winter House for years, with the crossovers becoming consistent when Craig and Paige started dating in 2021. On the most recent episode of Summer House, which aired on Wednesday, March 26, fans saw the long-awaited sit down between Kyle and Craig over the latter’s involvement in a rival canned cocktail company. (Kyle launched LoverBoy on Summer House in 2018, while Craig became an investor in Spritz Society in 2024.)
“Ultimately, I was so over it by then. I realized that there was really no talking sense or helping Craig see my side,” Kyle told Us on Friday. “I just wanted to try and prioritize the friendship, and a lot of that was because of Paige. I was kind of walking on eggshells [around Craig] much like the entire Southern Charm cast. In retrospect, I didn’t have to because Craig and Paige are no longer together. But I thought it would’ve been the end of it.”
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Kyle claims that Craig “hasn’t talked to me since” that weekend in the Hamptons during summer 2024. (Craig and Paige split in late November 2024, going public with the breakup before the end of the year.)
“I actually texted him when they broke up, just checking in, saying, ‘Hey, I’m sorry. I know we had a rough year, but I was rooting for you guys and I’m here if you need me,’” Kyle said. “He not only did not respond, he just unfollowed me after the outreach. You only do what you can do.”
Kyle also noted that he learned new things about Craig’s collab following the Charleston resident’s visit to the summer house.
“I didn’t realize that the collab he was working on was called Lemon Ice Tea. His whole lie was that he thought I only did teas. He didn’t know my Spritz line — even though he was part of the launch and has been drinking them for four years. He didn’t know I launched Espresso Martinis — even though I launched it in Winter House. [He said] he thought I only did teas,” Kyle said. “And I was like, ‘OK, that’s a lie, but we’re just gonna leave it there.’ That was how he justified his Spritz collab. And then what did he do? He launched a Lemon Ice Tea. So I think people can start to understand why I was like, ‘Wtf?’ I didn’t decide to call him out on all the lies in that damn dingy ’cause I was just so over it and it’s just not worth my time.”
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As fans continue to debate the fallout over Craig and Paige’s breakup (and Spritz wars), Kyle was joined by wife Amanda at Friday’s event with their dogs, Ryder and Reece.
“We’re at the Milk-Bone, Jif collab in Union Square. Ryder, I don’t think she’s ever had this much stimulation. She’s very food motivated. She’s three and a half. We rescued two sisters, and if there’s one thing that they can smell from the opposite end of our apartment, it’s peanut butter,” Kyle explained. “So the Milk-Bone Jif collab is probably the collab that makes the most sense — and I’ve seen a lot of collabs and I’ve done some collabs. If you can eat Jif, your dog can eat Jif. This is a very convenient alternative to straight up giving your dog peanut butter.”
Friday’s event also included a unique museum experience showcasing pretend Milk-Bone collaborations, including a Barking Bar, sneaker collab, the “Butt Bit” (a fitness band for your dog’s tail), a human dog bed and a selfie stick made out of a real stick.
“I think one of the funniest things I’ve seen all day is the selfie stick. I tried to take it off the wall,” Kyle joked. “But then they had these hilarious names for canned flavored water. One of ’em is [called] tennis ball. They have a thirst trap, which is a camera at the bottom of the bowl. I think that is absolutely hilarious.”
