Kyle Cooke is clearing up the timeline of his split from Amanda Batula, and he is not holding back.
In a revealing new interview with People, the Summer House star opened up about the end of his marriage to Amanda, what really happened after she said she was moving out and why he denies her claim that he “stepped out” in their marriage.
Fans are now watching the breakdown of Kyle and Amanda’s relationship play out on In the City. According to Kyle, Amanda told him she was moving out during their four-year anniversary dinner, which was filmed on September 25. However, he says her actual move did not happen right away.
“She doesn’t move out until the beginning of November,” Kyle reveals.
Kyle says the original idea behind Amanda moving out was not necessarily to fully end things, but to create enough space to see if they could repair the marriage.
“When she finally did move out, we were creating separation, to make an effort with one another. So the idea was we go to couples therapy and we go on a date every single week. Well, none of that happened. We weren’t really putting in any more effort or work into the marriage,” Kyle says.
Kyle admits busy schedules and the holidays made things even harder. One major breaking point came when Amanda “bailed” on attending a New Year’s Eve event with him after the two had gotten into a fight earlier that day over a brand partnership.
Kyle says he stayed out late that night partly out of spite.
“I’m not saying that was the right way to handle it, but at that point, I guess I was just almost pushing her away,” he says. “And I guess that set the wheels in motion for her.”
By the week of January 12, Kyle says he and Amanda decided it was time to tell fans what was going on in their marriage.
“She took the first stab at a statement and I read it and I’m like, ‘Oh, we’re splitting up.’ I sent it to my mom and my mom’s like, ‘This kind of looks like you guys are closing the door and not even leaving it open,’” Kyle says.
The split became even more complicated after Amanda later moved on with their Summer House costar West Wilson. The romance shocked fans because West had previously dated Ciara Miller, one of Amanda’s former closest friends, and because Amanda and Kyle’s separation was still so fresh.
During the Summer House reunion, Amanda claimed Kyle had “stepped out” in their marriage. Kyle is now denying that he was ever physically unfaithful.
“I never stepped out physically in my marriage,” Kyle says. “Am I guilty of inappropriate behavior? Absolutely. But I’m talking about leaning in to talk to someone at a loud, noisy club. I’m a very personable, extroverted, flirty guy. I’ll own that. Too flirty for a married man, yes. I acted out by staying out too late, it was not a physical affair.”
Kyle’s comments give more context to one of the biggest accusations that came out during the reunion. While he admits his behavior was inappropriate and too flirty for someone who was married, he insists there was no physical affair.
He also says he helped Amanda after the split by driving a car full of her belongings to her new apartment. However, months later, Kyle claims she still has items at his place and that his patience is running out.
“I’m trying to be as patient as can be, but I think my patience has run out. I think she has a boyfriend that can come over and probably help pack up a car,” Kyle says.
He then added, “I will not be there.”
Kyle’s comment appears to be a direct reference to West, who is now dating Amanda after months of speculation and reunion fallout. Amanda and West confirmed their romance in March and have since faced major backlash from the Summer House cast, especially Ciara and Kyle.
