Summer House's Kyle Cooke sarcastically declared mid-argument with Amanda Batula that if she wanted to follow her dream of starting her own swimsuit line, he was going to become a DJ. Now, it turns out that he's actually pursuing this "passion" of his — just don't expect Ciara Miller or Paige DeSorbo to be front row at any of his gigs.
The two clashed with Kyle on Season 8, Episode 13 over his dismissal of Amanda's business idea, and they continued to do so on the May 16 episode of the Summer House After Show. As Paige put it, "What are we, six months out and he's DJing and she didn't do what she wanted to do. And I think that says everything. He shut her down then went and pursued a passion project."
Ciara shared a similar sentiment, noting that Kyle is still chasing his dream of being a DJ even though "all he does is talk about how busy he is with Loverboy, and how he has no time, and how he doesn't know what the phase of his life is because he just has so much going on."
"So you go and start another project?" Ciara continued. "It feels very backwards, and almost — I would be insulted if I was Amanda, because I'm like, you've got all the time in the world to do what you want to do."
Added Paige, "And him coming and saying that he's 'trying to build a life for their family' — and she's not? Like, I don't get where she wasn't. How did that get translated to you that she wasn't by saying, 'Hey, I think I'd like to start my own company and do a line of bikinis and bathing suits.' Like, amazing! She should!"
Kyle Cooke's Reaction to Amanda Batula's Swimsuit Idea vs. Carl Radke's Loverboy Return
Paige and Ciara also took issue with Kyle being dismissive of Amanda, yet extremely supportive of Carl Radke despite them both being in search of their passions. As Ciara put it, "The same things that Kyle is wanting for Carl in him finding something that he's passionate about and trying to get him to find his niche, I was like, [this] is the same exact situation between Carl and Amanda, but Amanda, you're shutting it down."
"You're thinking of ways how you can help Carl even though he quit your business and you're sitting there reinforcing how good he is, how qualified, and looking for connections for Carl," Ciara continued. "That's not even someone you're married to, and you're doing all that."
Kyle Cooke Defends His Reaction to Amanda's Business Idea
On the same episode of the Summer House After Show, Kyle shared why he had such a strong response to Amanda expressing her desire to start her own business.
"There's gonna be all sorts of opportunities for us to follow our passions, interests, hobbies," he explained. "And hopefully a lot of things turn into money-making machines — some of them don't have to — [but] that's what I want."
"The irony here is I was excited to hear that Amanda wants to pursue these things, I just didn't have it in me in that moment to be like, 'Yay!' because I'm living in a different reality with really high stakes," Kyle added, referencing Loverboy's financial issues. "And I thought she understood."
Amanda Batula's Thoughts on Kyle's DJ Career
While Ciara and Paige may not be thrilled with Kyle's new venture, Amanda is standing by her husband's side.
"So, now I'm the wife of a DJ," Amanda told Danielle Olivera on the Summer House After Show. "I mean, Kyle's always loved music. He loves his speakers. Only Kyle can play the music in the house. So, this man is so adorable. He goes every Sunday to take lessons in New Jersey. He bought all the equipment. Sometimes I'll make dinner and we'll eat and he'll be like, 'I'm going to go practice DJ-ing for a while."
"It's for sure giving midlife crisis," she added with a laugh, "but I'm being as supportive of it as I can."