Keeping their heads held high. Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard stars Silas Cooper and Jasmine Ellis Cooper opened up about “controlling husband” comments.
“At the end of the day, I understand why some folks may see it that way,” Silas, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the series premiere on Sunday, May 7, referring to his housemates’ claims he is “controlling” over wife Jasmine, 31. “I don’t want to be on defense about it. I understand why folks may look at it and I respect their opinion.”
The Army Reserve officer, who filmed season 1 of the Summer House spinoff in 2022, noted that he’s grown since the beginning of his and Jasmine’s marriage. (The twosome tied the knot in June 2022, shortly before cameras documented their summer on Martha’s Vineyard.)
“I think one thing I’ve learned about myself is that routines have worked for me. Structure has worked for me. Knowing that I care about the folks around me, and I have a huge responsibility [is part of who I am],” Silas continued. “Whether it’s army, whether it is this woman I love, whether it’s the job I have. And sometimes I’m not as flexible and I can own that.”
The finance worker insisted that he wants the audience to know “everything I do is out of care and love for the people around me.”
Jasmine pointed out that her husband isn’t the only Martha’s Vineyard star who will be in the hot seat this season. (The series follows an all-Black cast of 12 friends as they vacation on Massachusetts’ Martha’s Vineyard.)
“I think you’re always gonna have moments in the season where you’re gonna have a lot of fun with us, but we have a lot of [serious] conversations too,” the former Playboy Club bunny told Us. “And we all have a moment. Every single one of us has a moment, and with that, there’s no black or white.”
She explained that “the audience are gonna feel different about everything” as the season progresses.
“We’re real people and we’re sharing our lives and we’re happy to,” Jasmine added. “But it’s gonna get a little bumpy along the way. We’re OK with that.”
The budding screenwriter noted that what fans might not know is that Silas returned from army training shortly before their nuptials, so the couple were getting back into the groove when the show filmed.
“I think our friends knew that [Silas] being gone for half a year for military training was, like, a thing that was happening. But [then] to come back and have the wedding and have this trip, I think we all kind of underestimated how we had to relearn each other,” Jasmine said. “And we are not even [at] one year of marriage yet.”
The Rock Bottom cocreator added: “So it was exciting to be present for all of our friends, but still show up for each other and have a good time. It wasn’t the easiest every moment, but we didn’t. I think we did a good job.”
Looking back, Jasmine told Us that she and Silas are “like a family” with all their housemates. That dynamic, however, meant that they “might argue [and] we might fight, but we’re gonna take a shot and move at the end of the day.”
Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard airs on Bravo Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
