Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
The news of Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke’s separation did not come as a shock to avid Summer House watchers, who have seen the duo duke it out in bathing suits, on flamingo pool floaties, and with various flavors of hard seltzer in hand since the show’s first season in 2016. You know who else doesn’t seem all that affected by the impending Bravo divorce? Cooke and Batula, who appeared together with the rest of the cast on Tuesday’s episode of SiriusXM’s Front Row and seemed totally chill.
When co-hosts Kiki Monique and Dorinda Medley asked how they were doing since announcing the news, Batula shared that “it’s easier to get along, but we’re good. We talk all the time.” She added, “We’re both traveling, so I’m watching the dogs, he’s watching the dogs … We’re co-parenting the dogs together. I still call him if I have questions.” Batula said that she also still calls her ex for help with the smoke alarm in her apartment.
“Every step we’ve taken, there’s a little bit of, like, a weight has been lifted,” Cooke added of the split. “And, ironically, I feel like, this last week, having kind of pressed ‘post’ [on their separation announcement] together, it felt like we were a little more lighthearted.”
“I mean, look — more than anything, I want her to be happy,” he concluded. “I want us both to be happy.”
That’s a lot of laughing and joking for a couple who just ended their four-year marriage and nearly decadelong relationship. Then again, during an interview with man-on-the-street Adam Glyn last week, Cooke did confess that he and Batula had been carrying their breakup around for some time like “the worst-kept secret.” He didn’t clarify when exactly the split took place, but it sounds as though they had plenty of time to process it before last week’s joint Instagram post.
“This isn’t, like, a big breakup where there’s a smoking gun and there’s a lot of hate. There’s absolutely some frustration … I’ve done things; she’s done things,” Cooke told Glyn. “But we’ve got each other’s backs. We care about each other. We still love each other.” Color me impressed and cautiously excited to watch the upcoming season.
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