Kyle Cooke and his Loverboy business felt the support from Summer House fans amid the scandal surrounding his estranged wife, Amanda Batula, dating their costar West Wilson.
“As luck would have it, the episode where I talk about the financial stress of the business, was the same exact day — can’t make this stuff up — that Amanda and West put out their joint statement,” Kyle, 43, said on the Monday, May 11, episode of the “Trading Secrets” podcast. “Fluke timing. It was actually my birthday, I’m in that old guy [costume]. I was wearing prosthetics. It was August 2, which is two days before my actual birthday. And it just created this outpouring of support.”
He continued, “Literally, everybody that went on drinkloverboy.com and bought something or bought a presale item, helped cash flow the business so I didn’t have to put more of my money on the line. I’m not joking, the support from our fan base saved Loverboy. Because I was like, ‘I could put more money in but that doesn’t go to paying down the loan. Or, I could basically start the bankruptcy process.’ That was literally my reality a month and a half ago.”
Amanda, 34, and West, 31, confirmed their romance in March, two months after she and Kyle shared their separation following four years of marriage. In the wake of the shocking announcement, Kyle made headlines when he said in an interview that Summer House costar Carl Radke was a “mess” during the drama. The phrase quickly circulated online, something Kyle capitalized on with a merch drop.
“We did a ton of presales for merch,” Kyle explained, sharing that he sold “thousands” of the product. “I asked Carl, I’m like, ‘Have you seen how viral this is going?’ He’s like, ‘Honestly, it’s the only little bright light in all of this’ because he’s like, ‘It’s making me laugh.’ To me, that sounded like he kind of opened the door to me doing a merch run. Like, I wanted him to be OK with it.”
He continued, “We actually had the same exact idea at the same time to do a portion of proceeds for Release Recovery, which is the mental health organization that he runs for. The fact that we were able to presale that merch, because we did not have it ready to go obviously. And then we also did a presale for Limoncello and Espresso Martini. So people being willing to put their money down and wait for something, literally saved the business.”
Amid the scandal, fans have watched cracks start to form in Amanda and Kyle’s relationship during season 10 of Summer House. Looking back, Kyle shared that he’s felt “so misunderstood” while dealing with the financial woes of his business.
“The toughest episode of all time for me is yet to come on season 10,” he said on the podcast. “I basically hit my breaking point. I spiraled. I felt so misunderstood. … I was staring at the same exact problem for a second year in a row. I might actually have to come in and cash flow the business with my own investment of god knows how much money.”
While some have questioned whether Kyle needs to pursue a DJing career in order to support himself financially, the reality star confirmed he needs multiple revenue streams while juggling an SBA loan and more expenses.
“When people are like, ‘He’s got the show income. He’s apparently DJing, is that really true? Is he really DJing to make money or is he just doing it to get out of the house?’” he said. “No guys, I’m literally looking for any and all revenue streams.”
Summer House airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
