Why Summer House's Kyle Cooke Blames Andy Cohen For His Drama With Craig Conover

Drama is a centerpiece of reality television. Whether it's a romantic relationship that goes sour or a friendship that has its share of bumps in the road, viewers seem to thrive off the tension. Entertainment can come in many forms and, for reality fans, it seems to come from watching drama play out in real life.

Craig Conover and Kyle Cooke are both reality stars in the Bravo universe. Both men are known for appearing in Summer House and the spin-off Winter House. Craig has also been a cast member of Southern Charm. The two have been friends for a while. However, when Craig invested in a brand which is a competitor of Kyle's, it drove a wedge between the two.

Andy Cohen Asked Kyle About Craig Not Investing In Loverboy On Watch What Happens Live

Kyle Cooke founded the alcohol company Loverboy in 2018.

During a May 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen asked Kyle if he was upset with Craig Conover when he invested in Spritz Society instead.

"Look, I wish him the best, but the way he handled it, and we don’t have time to get into it, really rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m just trying to take the high road," Kyle said. "He has a reputation of lying and he lied to me."

However, Craig told Us Weekly in September that the two resolved the drama between them. "Unfortunately for you, we did film it," he said, referring to the upcoming season of Summer House. "That has to carry the tag of you have to wait and watch that. I love Kyle and we have a really fun history and relationship and he’s one of my favorite people on the network. I’m glad I was able to go out there and you’ll get to see how that all went."

Kyle served as the DJ for the Us Weekly + Pluto TV Reality Stars of the Year Party the following month. He took the opportunity to echo Craig's previous statement regarding the drama between them.

"Andy [Cohen] caught me off guard," he said, playfully blaming the host for igniting the drama. "Ultimately, I cherish friendship above everything else and I think that’s why I was hurt. But [Craig and I are] good. We’re good."

Kyle also shared that, with the recent season of Summer House complete, he's looking forward to focusing on Loverboy and his career as a DJ. "I feel very fortunate to be in this world, to have this platform," he said. "It’s been a journey. I’m trying to make the most of it, but I also just wanna stay true to myself."

Kyle was asked to give fans a taste of what they could expect to see in the upcoming season of Summer House. He revealed that viewers might be surprised by the dynamic between exes Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke.

"I’m really proud of how they handled it because it could have been really weird and it could have sucked the air out of the room," Kyle said. "But they were very mature about it. Obviously, it’s been a dominant part of the show for a couple of years now. It was good to just kinda let it breathe."

Craig Revealed Why He Chose To Invest In Spritz Society Rather Than Loverboy

In May 2024, Craig told Page Six the reason behind his decision to invest in Spritz Society, rather than Kyle's Loverboy. According to the reality star, he "always" wanted to have an alcoholic brand in his investment portfolio. However, Craig said the brand needed to be "true" to him, so he chose Spritz Society.

"[Spritz Society] is wine-based and they’re great and they’re just so fun right now. It’s a fun summer drink," Craig told the outlet.

Craig first tried the brand when attending a Taylor Swift concert with girlfriend Paige DeSorbo.

He then learned it was discovered by podcasters Claudia Oshry and Ben Soffer, who were friends of his. "So when [the opportunity] presented itself, I’m just such an easy sell. I’m just such a yes man," Craig said, laughing. "I’m excited! Part of my investment came with designing my own flavor, I will have my own can."

While Craig founded the pillow company Sewing Down South in 2018, he said it was the Spritz Society investment that helped him understand the "pains" his friends have experienced in the industry.

"Obviously I’ve always had respect for Austen and Kyle and all of them, but being in the liquor business or wine liquor business now, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is a new territory,'" Craig said. Craig once again said that he "always respected Kyle’s hustle," but "didn’t understand it at times" until he got involved himself.

"I understand why he’s had to work so hard, because the grind in the alcohol business is extreme," Craig said, while applauding Kyle's wife, Amanda Batula, and BFF Carl Radke for being so dedicated to Loverboy. Craig told the outlet that he "would have loved to invest" in Loverboy, but that it "wasn't an option."

"I have nothing but respect for those guys and I will always be a Loverboy fan. But guess what? I’m all the way down in Charleston, and I’m on a different show and we’re going to have Spritz down there now," Craig explained. He revealed that his girlfriend encouraged him to "have a conversation with Kyle" before announcing his investment in Spritz Society.

Kyle Said He Let His Emotions Get The Best Of Him On Watch What Happens Live

During an episode of Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast, Kyle said he "let [his] emotions get the best of [him]" when reacting to Craig's investment decision. "Craig never expressed interest [to invest in Loverboy]. He never once asked to invest in Loverboy," he said.

According to Kyle, he met with Craig in "early February" when the two were in New York City.

During the conversation, Craig "sprung this collaboration" idea on Kyle to invest in Spritz Society.

"The next day, I texted him like, ‘Hey man, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what you said about this opportunity you have [with Spritz Society] and please hold off from signing anything. I’d love to put an offer on the table to kinda counter it [with Loverboy]," Kyle recalled. He said they both had a brief "back and forth" before "Craig essentially said it was too late."

"Was I disappointed? Absolutely," Kyle admitted. "Like, here’s a good friend of mine. I just figured he’d at least give me an opportunity to hear me out. And, to be honest, I kind of feared that this would impact our friendship, because this has been my blood, sweat and tears for the last five years."

Spritz Society co-founder Claudia Oshry claimed that Craig told Kyle he would "invest in you if you don’t want me to do Spritz," but Kyle "said no." During the podcast, Kyle addressed this claim and said there was no truth to it.

"Someone said Craig gave me the offer to reconsider, because I had not given him an opportunity to invest in Loverboy, which is not true. He just never asked. I would have loved for him to do exactly that…that just never happened," he said.

Claudia also said Kyle doesn't offer equity, which he also denies. Kyle said he has "had investors since 2019," is "not a sole owner" of Loverboy, and was filming the second season of Winter House with Craig when he was "very vocal" about fundraising.

Kyle then discussed his dinner with Claudia's husband, Spritz co-founder Ben Soffer, "about two weeks before" Craig told him about his investment opportunity. Kyle said that he "really enjoyed the conversation" with Ben, but found it "odd" that Ben wasn't "transparent" with him about his prior meeting with Craig.

"If Ben was spending three hours with me and three hours with Craig in a 24-hour period, he didn’t tell me that he was talking to Craig, and he didn’t tell Craig he had dinner with me, and I just found that odd," Kyle said. "I just wish he was a little more transparent with his intentions."

In the end, Kyle said he was just "bummed" about what happened between him and Craig, because he "thought [they] were good friends." "I just didn’t think one of my good friends would go hop in bed with a competitor, and so that’s it," he said.

Kyle also said he was "beating [himself] up for letting [his] emotions get the best of [him]" on Watch What Happens Live. "I wish I wasn’t so reactionary, [but] at the end of the day, I don’t really think anything I said was not true, but I could’ve handled it better," he revealed. Kyle also apologized for "being reactionary."

"I’m not gonna let this hopefully interfere with our friendship. I just wish the friendship was taken into a little more consideration, or maybe I have a different interpretation of our friendship," Kyle said.