Andy Cohen is sharing his reaction to Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula’s split.
The Summer House costars announced their separation after four years of marriage earlier this week, and Cohen, 57, offered his commiserations on the Tuesday, January 20, episode of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“I am sure that was a difficult decision,” Cohen said. “But we are proud of you two for choosing what is best for you, because to paraphrase a certain someone, marriage should be fun,” he added, referring to Cooke’s famous line on Summer House.
Cooke, 43, and Batula, 34, broke the news of their split in an Instagram statement on Monday, January 19.
“After much reflection, we have mutually and amicably decided to part ways as a couple,” the former couple shared. “We share this with a heavy heart and kindly ask for your grace and support while we focus on our personal growth and healing.”
“It feels ironic to ask for privacy during this time since we’ve always tried to be open and honest about our relationship, but your kindness and respect will go a long way as we try to navigate our next chapter,” they added.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly before announcing their split, Cooke and Batula teased how their relationship struggles will play out on Summer House season 10, which premieres on February 3.
“We’re figuring out what we want out of life and out of the relationship,” Batula told Us. “We’re sort of trying to talk through that and figure it all out in real time. It’s going to be a very raw season.”
Among the issues documented on season 10 is Cooke’s career as a DJ.
“There’s no particular issue — what you’re seeing is a 10-year relationship. … A lot of people don’t make it very far, and that’s on or off camera,” Cooke reasoned, telling Us that his career is “an easy thing to point a finger at.”
“I’m not trying to discredit how Amanda feels — her frustrations are totally valid. I think that’s part of what we’re trying to figure out,” he added.
Just weeks before their split, Batula spoke to Us about her future with Cooke.
“Being on the same page with what our future looks like, what we want in life, where we’re going career-wise. … Things just sort of became different for us,” she said. “I mean, honestly, I’m gonna have to watch it back and figure it out with everyone else, because I still don’t know! … I’m going to be learning a lot watching the show back.”
Cooke shared, “Love is challenging and complicated. Relationships are challenging and complicated. Marriage is challenging and complicated,” adding that season 10 is his “most challenging season ever.”
“I’m proud of how open and honest [Amanda and I] are,” Cooke said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of people that can relate or identify or learn from some of the challenges that we’ve had. Ultimately, we’re just trying to navigate this just like anybody else. It’s just very different, because for a decade, we have had the luxury of all of our friends talking excessively about our relationship and then the entire internet. So, it’s not easy, but I realize this is what we signed up for, but I think that I’m hoping people understand and hopefully have some level of respect for us putting it all out there, and this is by no means a moment to choose sides. We’re trying to navigate this to the day.”
