'Summer House' star Kyle Cooke on the 'rollercoaster' ride of sharing ups and down in marriage to Amanda Batula
Watching the ups and down with married couple Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula has been a core part of Summer House, with Batula, in particular, becoming a fan favourite cast member, including a lot of excitement about her prioritizing her mental health and starting her own business ventures. While Batula previously stuck to working for Cooke's Loverboy beverage brand, her decision to try to step away from being so tied to her husband resulted in cheers from Summer House viewers.
Additionally, Batula has been particularly open about struggling with her mental health, eventually making the move to seek out a treatment plan. And we've seen Cooke be by her side throughout the process, from the more tense times in their relationships to the happy moments, like this week's episode where Batula has a preview event for her swimwear line.
But throughout the nine season of the show, Cooke and Batula have been quite open and honest about their relationship, from navigating their careers to discussions about whether or not they want kids.
"It's obviously a bit of a rollercoaster. We, for better, for worse, we're not good at guarding things or walling things off. What you see is what you get," Cooke told Yahoo Canada in Toronto. "We've had our ups and downs, and they very much played out on national television, which is not easy. ... You go through it, you then get asked about it, and you're [in] confessionals. Then airs, the internet weighs in, then you do a reunion. And that's a tough pattern to do."
"But in a weird way, I think filming helps us. It's like, if I can't get Amanda to couples therapy, filming is like the next best thing, because you can't brush things under the rug. You can't avoid the awkward or tough to talk about moments, and it's a little therapeutic. ... It almost helps us come to the table and air things out in a way that doesn't naturally happen. We're so different from one another, we're pretty good at like, OK we might have a disagreement without any real resolution, but with filming, it's producers like, 'No, we've got to resolve that.'"
Reflecting on Batula opening up about her mental health on the show, Cooke highlighted that they're really "partners," and he's always looking for ways to help support her.
"I think it was just over a year ago that she kind of told me, 'Hey, I've downloaded an app. I'm kind of trying to learn more about my mental state,'" Cooke shared. "And then she first went on some type of antidepressant and I was just so relieved because. I, quite frankly, through our ups and downs, I never know what's really going on here, and I just give her a ton of love and respect for feeling confident enough to share this."
"I was happy to roll up my sleeves, because part of what she kind of deals with is not only some depression, but some heavy procrastination. So for people that are struggling with mental health, sometimes a huge roadblock is reaching out and finding help. And so I was kind of a relieved that she had this epiphany. ... I wanted to kind of help and make sure she got the right care and all that good stuff. We're married, we're partners, and so in a very productive way, it allowed us to understand ... a little piece of our relationship, and try to find ways to help and improve."
For Season 9 of Summer House, the most dramatic moments we've seen with Cooke, so far, have related to an argument with Paige DeSorbo, the "rage texting" incident. It stemmed from Cooke's response to DeSorbo's then-boyfriend, Craig Conover, investing in a rival beverage company, and the rehashing of the Season 5 issues between Cooke and Hannah Berner, DeSorbo's "Giggly Squad" co-host, who said on a podcast she was fired from the show for promoting another seltzer brand and not getting along with Cooke.
"Paige and I had never talked about any of the Hannah stuff, and particularly on the Hannah side of things, there's a kind of a long laundry list of things," Cooke said. "I just was like, if Paige and I are cool, there's no point in going down that road."
"At the end of the day, I was reacting to Hannah doing press interviews, ... and I think that I'm an easier person to take that up with then maybe even addressing it with her best friend and business partner. So it's like, Kyle, for the time being, you're the problem. And I'm like, Oh, I'm just reacting. Sure, I'm an emotional guy, and I let my reactions get the best of me. But ... there's a lot of history there. ... I think we have a mutual understanding and we're close enough as friends, ... we hash it out at the beach so fast. It also kind of reminded me why I felt comfortable venting to her in the first place."
Cooke has also joined the long list of reality TV stars entering the TV competition space, after joining the cast of The Traitors. Comparing Summer House with The Traitors, Cooke highlighted the differences in interest in each participant's personal life makes the experiences particularly unique.
"It's two totally different animals," Cooke said. "[Summer House] is literally all about your personal life and it can not be more the opposite on Traitors."
"It doesn't matter what's going on in your world, once you get to that castle, none of that's relevant, except if you're apparently Tom Sandoval. ... All of the drama has nothing to do with your personal life, which is a very weird dynamic to walk into, because most people are coming from where I'm coming from, where it's like, your life is kind of picked apart or the topic of conversation, or the story arc of a show. ... It's all gameplay. ... It's super intense, but it was a totally different feeling."
But Canadians fans of Cooke and his TV work will be pleased to know that there's work being done to get Loverboy drinks to Canada, with plans to manufacturing it locally.
In the meantime, Cooke broke down what Canadians need to know about the products.
"I think of it as [five different] product lines. The hard teas, we're the number 'one better for you' hard tea, so it's all natural and it's zero sugar. So if you want something light, refreshing, ... start with the hard teas," Cooke highlighted. "If you're looking for more flavour, maybe a little more alcohol, little more of a cocktail experience, try the spritz. The Limoncello Spritz is to die for. That's what [the Summer House] cast drinks, you see everybody with a yellow can."
"And then if you're looking for a little more firepower, our cocktails are 12 per cent [alcohol], so they're double the spritz. And it's kind of like a low sugar, but full flavour espresso martini and cosmo. Now, if alcohol isn't for you, that's when we came up with [non-alcoholic]. So we have our original lemon ice tea and peach, ... and now we have Flowerboy, which is a THC social soda. So it's THC plus a bunch of functional ingredients that give you this alcohol-like buzz, without the alcohol."
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2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Smallville' star Laura Vandervoort on combatting typecasting, voicing her opinion on set: 'Being put in a box, it can be very frustrating'
Born and raised in Toronto, Laura Vandervoort is a force whenever she's on screen. Beginning her acting career at age 12, from classic Canadian projects like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, to series with huge fandoms like Smallville, The Handmaid's Tale and even Hallmark Christmas movies, Vandervoort does it all with an infectious presence, which she's also bringing behind the camera as a director. As Vandervoort described, she was "introverted" as a child, a "tomboy" and "super nerdy," a kid who spent most of her time playing sports. But when she saw the 1991 movie My Girl, starring Anna Chlumsky, that sparked a new interest for her. "I'd never seen someone my age emote those kind of feelings before, and it kind of stirred something in me," Vandervoort told Yahoo Canada. "And I was like, 'I want to do whatever that is.' And my parents were like, 'Absolutely no. Child actors, bad thing.' But eventually they were like, 'You know what? This is probably good for her. She's pretty shy.'" That led to the talented actor starting her career with background work on projects like Road to Avonlea and Harriet the Spy, and then moving into commercials, eventually getting an agent and working on beloved Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs), including Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire with Caroline Rhea and Charles Shaughnessy. From Canadian productions, Vandervoort made the move to the U.S., really growing in her career at a time when it was important to go to Los Angeles, participate in pilot season, and just be across the border for meetings and to audition in-person. Ultimately, the actor knew the L.A. life wasn't for her. "I did move and didn't love it," she said. "Wasn't my thing. Still pretty introverted. Didn't go out. Didn't party. Didn't do the whole L.A. thing, which is probably how I never got into trouble as a kid actor." "But it's not necessary anymore. Especially since COVID, actors can audition anywhere by self-tape. There's pros and cons to that. ... I did find though, the minute I moved to L.A., all of my jobs were in Canada. So it was almost like Canada was like, 'Oh, she left. We want her more.' And I think that's kind of how it was back then, but that's definitely changed." In terms of the roles that really excite Vandervoort, she likes playing characters who are far from who she is in real life. "With typecasting and being put in a box, it can be very frustrating," she said. "So if I'm given an opportunity to ... just completely change who I am, not just visually, but mentally, ... I find that so juicy and exciting." "It's hard to find roles like that right now. So you find you're either creating them, or you're trying to collaborate with other artists to create a project that doesn't exist for all of you to do. You want to always change people's opinions about who you are and what you're capable of, and challenge yourself."For Canadian teens and tweens in the 2000s, Instant Star was the perfect TV obsession. A young teen, Jude Harrison (Alexz Johnson), wins a singing competition that launches her music career. Vandervoort played Jude's sister, Sadie, who becomes quite jealous of all the attention her younger sister starts receiving. Admittedly, Sadie may have not been a favourite character for many, given a pretty one-dimensional arc to play with, but Vandervoort is not closing the door to bringing Sadie back, with a storyline she deserves. "Instant Star was great for me to get my feet wet, to play a character that I could not relate to in any way," Vandervoort said. "I actually hated Sadie. I found her so annoying, but it was great." "The cast is great. Everyone's doing wonderful now. Tim Rozon is busy, he and I were just talking about doing a movie together, because I haven't worked with him in so long. And I think Alexz started something online about having a reunion, which we're all in for. I just was like, please give Sadie a storyline, because she never really had one. She was an annoying brat." Interestingly, while Vandervoort was on Instant Star she booked Smallville, and at one point was doing both shows at the same time, travelling between Vancouver and Toronto as Instant Star approached its end. But the actor almost wasn't able to move on to Smallville. "[Instant Star] was a good place for me to kind of learn the ropes, and then getting on to Smallville, which was a huge U.S. show, moving out of the city for the first time as a teenager, driving myself around Vancouver, 18-hour work days, stunts. ... I'm grateful for it," Vandervoort said. "I think if I recall, Epitome Pictures, who did Instant Star, would block shoot my scenes, which is essentially, we'll shoot all your scenes in a day. But they weren't going to let me do Smallville when I got cast. Contractually, they weren't going to let it happen. And thankfully they did, because it made a huge difference for my career." For an entire generation, Vandervoort is Supergirl (Kara), starring alongside Tom Welling as Clark Kent in Smallville, making her first appearance on the show in Season 7. "I've always been drawn to stronger, independent, tough women, and growing up doing martial arts, I just felt like I could relate to trying to portray a strong female character, which you'd then later see in my career," Vandervoort highlighted. "But I auditioned for it and didn't think anything of it. I just put myself on tape in Canada and sent it off, and it took months, and then we got a call." "We were actually at our cottage and they were like, 'You need to be in L.A. tomorrow.' So we drove home, I got on a plane and I screen tested, with three other girls. And it was an awkward situation, because they had all of us in one room and no one was talking. And me, as a Canadian, I'm like, 'Hi. How are you guys? Nice to meet you!' ... We did the screen test, and then the producer came back out and said everyone could go home, but me. And thought I was in trouble, but it turns out I got the job." Vandervoort stressed that joining Smallville was one of the best things that could have happened to her as a young actor, because it was an "iconic" show that allowed her to play a female superhero, specifically a character that was particularly underserved in other projects. "Meeting young fans at conventions, young girls who looked up to me, was really cool," she said. "Having come from a character like Sadie to someone who's a little more confident in her own shoes, and who little girls looked up to, was very cool for me." As Smallville fans will know, Kristin Kreuk, who played Lana Lang, has publicly reflected on her time on the show and has said that she didn't love how some episodes portrayed her character, and objectified Lana. But also, as a young actor, Kreuk didn't feel that she had the space to speak up. Vandervoort shared a similar sentiment about the ability to express opinions as a young actor. "As a kid, I didn't voice any opinions. Of course I had them, but I didn't think it was my place. I was hired to do a job and I will do, to the best of my ability, whatever they need me to do," Vandervoort said. "And I was working with adults, so I wanted to be an adult. I wanted to be professional and just make everyone happy. I'm sure my therapist would tell you, later in life that's not great." "But since then, as a grown-up, I have found my voice, and I have used it, and the world didn't end. And people are collaborative and understanding and want to hear your side of it. But I think that comes ... once you have some respect in this industry. It took a long time for people to listen to me. Maybe I was trying to voice it, but I wasn't heard until I had done enough in my career for people to stop and listen. And I would say, as a kid, I didn't enjoy the process, and now I do, because I realize the world doesn't end if you forget a line. You're meant to enjoy this process as an actor. ... If I would have been able to talk to her as a young actor, I would have said, 'Just enjoy it. This is a cool job and it's not the end of the world. Just enjoy the process.'" Vandervoort's exit on the show became a big topic of conversation for Smallville fans, leaving after one season, only coming back for small appearances after Season 7. But without social media at the time, it's something the actor has to respond to now, at places like conventions, more than she even did at the time. The actor also shared that there were things she would have changed about her character, if she was able to a the time. "I definitely would have changed a few things about Kara, my character, and her story arc, and her personality and her wardrobe," Vandervoort said. "But I know that people liked what they did with her at the time the show was existing in the world." But one of the great TV disappointments is the cancellation of V after just two seasons. The sci-fi drama, based on the 1980s miniseries, about a extraterrestrial species arriving on earth. In addition to Vandervoort, the cast includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf and Rekha Sharma. "I was upset. That was an incredible show, ABC, great ratings, incredible cast who have all gone on to do huge things, and we were just getting into the flow of it," Vandervoort said. "We never found out why it was cancelled. I think within a day we got three different answers as, oh it's going to be a miniseries now, we're going to do one more episode, and then suddenly we were just done." "I was having a great time, especially towards the end. I would have been playing two characters, my evil twin and myself. It was a wild show. I got to do some crazy stuff. I remember the most challenging part of shooting it was that my character couldn't share emotions. So you'd think that would be the easiest job in the world, but it was so hard for me, because you want to express through your eyes. And I grew up expressing, and that was an interesting, surprising challenge for me." But in 2016 Vandervoort had to pass on the "Supergirl" baton, in some ways, when the series Supergirl, starring Melissa Benoist as the title character, was released. "That came about because I met one of the producers at an award show in Los Angeles, and he was like, 'Hey, we have this new show. We'd love for you to kind of give the nod of approval and come on,'" Vandervoort explained. "I always wanted to see that character have her own show and I said, 'Can I be a villain and just look nothing like myself?' So they came up with Indigo." "It was the first season for [Melissa], so I made sure to just be respectful, and I'm just here for this job, but it's always fun to be a villain. It's more fun than being a superhero, because ... you're not set into a box. I was with Kara, because there were certain expectations for that character, but with Indigo, which was a made-up character, I could just be very sneaky." A project Vandervoort described as "one of the best experiences" in her life was a small budget short film called Age of Dysphoria, written by Vandervoort and Zoe Robyn, directed by Jessica Petelle. The main reason it's so important to Vandervoort is because she got to work with the late Gordon Pinsent. "He also was a relative of mine and he was my mentor since I was a kid," Vandervoort shared. "He came to my first real set on Goosebumps. Came into my trailer, gave me the spiel about how to behave, how to be respectful." "[I] was in awe the whole time we were filming that, just watching him. And it was surreal, because ... we'd never been on camera together, and it meant so much to me. ... I had trouble keeping the tears from falling just doing scenes with him. And the full circle part of it is Age of Dysphoria was his last project, and he was on my first project. So for whatever reason, it felt very serendipitous." What Vandervoort's resume proves is that even when her time on a project is limited, she makes an impact. That includes her role in The Handmaid's Tale Season 4, in which she plays Daisy, who worked at the original Jezebels, surviving after Winslow's death. "It was a short lived experience, but one of the highlights for me," Vandervoort said. "Being on a show that dealt with those topics that I was already a fan of, politically, I loved what they were doing, and Elisabeth Moss is just an idol for me." "I was petrified to do my scenes with her, and just kept quiet and watched her, and watched how she handled the set. ... She was just a boss. And I was so impressed and it really inspired me to want to get more behind the camera. We did our scenes together and I was like, 'Oh my God, I got through it.' ... She was lovely and sent me a DM [saying] how it was nice to work with me. ... You don't have to do that, so that made it a very special moment for me. I kept that message, screenshotted it, and then I look at it sometimes just to be like, after all these years, you're getting to work with people that you really admire." Taking the lead behind the camera is exactly what Vandervoort did with the short thriller film she wrote, directed and produced, My Soul to Take. It's about a young woman, played by Jenny Raven, as a software update on her phone unlocks a dream world. "I wrote My Soul to Take during COVID, I was working more than ever, which is odd, flying and shooting Christmas movies or whatever it was, and so I was quarantining when it was what you had to do, for 14 days in between each show," she explained. "So I was alone a lot and I had trouble sleeping, and so I downloaded a sleep app that sort of just walks you through a story and helps you fall asleep." "I just thought how disturbing it was, for whatever reason. I've always been into kind of darker M Night. Shyamalan, Hitchcock and Tim Burton. ... So instead of sleeping, like a crazy person I got up and wrote for three days, and wrote the first script I've finished. ... I sent it off to a producer friend and I was like, 'Do we have something here?' And she said yes. And we got the team together. I did an Indiegogo platform to raise all the funds for it, and sold all of my Smallville merchandise to fund it, and cast some incredible friends in the show. And then somehow got Colm Feore to say yes. We shot it in three days and it was terrifying." In terms of actually being able to get the funds to make the film, Vandervoort said it was "scary," but she was "determined" to make it work. "The fans showed up. They made it happen," she said. "I didn't think I could direct, and once I had the team together and I had my [director of photography], Kim Derko, ... she helped me through it the whole time. ... I maybe couldn't tell her the lens that I wanted, but I could tell her visually what I saw in my head. ... She was the technical side of it." What's compelling about My Soul to Take is the way that Vandervoort leaned into the idea of curating yourself for an audience, linked to particularly poignant messaging of being addicted to being constantly online, our dependence on technology, but ultimately feeling isolated. "Social media is a double-edged sword," Vandervoort said. "I use it. I'm guilty of it. I play the game. But at that time and even now, I really didn't love what it was doing to my self-esteem and to the thoughts I had about myself, and my career." "You'd see other actors posting their announcements, they've been cast in this, and like anyone you want to take a break from feeling like a failure or comparing yourself to someone else. And so I think, at that time, I was 14 days in an apartment, I couldn't leave, I was on social media and it was just making me miserable. So I think it stemmed from that. I'd also met an actor who made a living from social media and I found that frustrating, and it's just this whole other world. And that's where the 'Alice in Wonderland' aspect of My Soul to Take came in with this fake world, where it seems like everyone's doing well and happy, when in reality people just aren't posting when they're in the fetal position crying in the shower. Life isn't cultivated, it's lived, and why are we watching people live a fake version of it, or a highlight reel? So there was a lot going on in my head at the time, for sure."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Jason Biggs Details Getting Cocaine From Trash Can Amid Addiction
Originally appeared on E! Online Jason Biggs is getting candid about a low moment. The American Pie alum, who has been open about his addiction journey over the years, recently recalled a time from the height of his struggles in which he repeatedly retrieved drugs from the trash can. 'I lived in the gray area, but I have 'snorting dust off the floor' stories or similar to that,' Jason told Arielle Lorre on the June 4 episode of her Well podcast. 'One of my craziest stories was I was doing cocaine by myself in my house, and I did what I said was the last line.' He went on to say his wife, Jenny Mullen, was asleep upstairs and she 'didn't even know' he was awake and taking drugs, and in an effort to get himself to go to bed he put the rest of the cocaine into their trash can. 'Within 15 minutes, as soon as my last bump is wearing off, what am I doing?' Jason remembered. 'I go into my trash, and I take it out and I do a line.' More from E! Online Kailyn Lowry's Son Isaac Introduces New Name Miley Cyrus Reveals Clever Way She Hid Money She Spent on Drugs From Her Accountant Another Summer House Star Announces Exit Amid Paige DeSorbo's Departure Afterwards, he instead put the rest of the cocaine into the trash can in front of his house, telling himself, 'OK, I'm done,' before going back inside and intending to take an Ambien to help him sleep. 'Before I took the Ambien, I was like, 'One more,'' he said. 'I went outside and I climbed into the trash bin and got the bag of coke and went upstairs and did another line. I was like, 'What the f--k am I doing? This is absolutely insane.'' This time, the Orange Is The New Black alum—who shares Sid, 11, and Lazlo, 7, with Jenny—said he drove down Sunset Boulevard to dispose of the cocaine in a trash can down there, going so far as to put the bag in a coffee cup that still had coffee inside. Yet, as he detailed, when his last bump wore off he once again found himself driving back to the trash can and retrieving the drugs. 'I could have easily opened the baggie and dumped it down the toilet, but I didn't,' he said. 'That's too final. I knew I was going to finish that bag the moment I got it, but I kept playing this game with myself. That was very close to rock bottom.' And at the time, the 47-year-old's life was consumed by his addiction. 'For me, it was the obsession over it,' he explained. 'It was wake up and immediately think, 'How am I going to get my first line?' to 'When is this going to happen? What do I have today?'' In fact, he planned his schedule around when he could take drugs, adding, 'It was exhausting and I was sort of consumed mentally.' Now sober for more than seven years, Jason can look back and see how much happier he is, calling sobriety 'freeing.' 'There is a freedom,' he explained, 'that comes with not having to do those things anymore.' For more celebrities who have been candid about their sobriety journeys, keep reading. Jason BiggsAshlyn HarrisJax Taylor Alec BaldwinAnne Hathaway Jamie Lee Curtis Jason RitterBrantley Gilbert For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney Teases Euphoria 's Cassie Is "Even Worse" in Season 3
Originally appeared on E! Online Cassie Howard still isn't feeling very euphoric. Sydney Sweeney shared some insight into her character's personal journey on the upcoming third season of Euphoria. And when it comes to where Cassie's mindset stands, the actress didn't mince her words. "Cassie is crazy," Sydney told Jimmy Fallon on the June 5 episode of The Tonight Show, before teasing that in the HBO series' new installment "she's even worse." As for whether Cassie's character arc will include a walk down the aisle, as seen in recently leaked set images? Sydney wasn't willing to explain the meaning behind the pics, which show her wearing a wedding dress while walking down an aisle featuring the intertwined initials, "C" and "N." (Fans have speculated that the initials stand for Cassie and Nate, her character's love interest in season two, played by Jacob Elordi.) "I can't confirm or deny," The White Lotus alum said before joking that the photos, "could be A.I." More from E! Online Kailyn Lowry's Son Isaac Introduces New Name Another Summer House Star Announces Exit Amid Paige DeSorbo's Departure Love Island USA's Yulissa Escobar Breaks Silence After Sudden Exit From Show While Sydney—who confirmed her split from fiancé Jonathan Davino in May following seven years together—remained tight-lipped on the rest of Cassie's season three journey in Euphoria, several details about the upcoming installment have been revealed over the past few months. Warner Bros. Discovery global streaming chief JB Perrette announced at a tech and media conference in December that the show is expected to return in 2026, according to Variety. And in addition to Sydney and Jacob, cast members such as Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, Martha Kelly, Chloe Cherry and Colman Domingo will also reprise their roles in season three, which began production in February. Meanwhile, Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch, Rosalía and Sharon Stone will make special appearances on the series. "There is little more exciting than going to work with this team of thrilling talent," the Basic Instinct actress said in a statement in February. "From the genius of Sam Levinson to the raw sophistication of this profoundly moving cast and tight crew. I am honored to be Euphoric." Ahead of the anticipated season three premiere of Euphoria, check out which other shows have been renewed... Renewed: The Great American Baking ShowRenewed: Welcome to WrexhamRenewed: HacksRenewed: YellowjacketsRenewed: My Life Wit the Walter BoysRenewed: Million Dollar SecretRenewed: ForeverRenewed: Survival of the ThickestRenewed: The DiplomatRenewed: The Four SeasonsRenewed: Love on the SpectrumRenewed: BridgertonCanceled: Suits LACanceled: FoundRenewed & Moving: House of VillainsRenewed: RivalsRenewed: Below Deck MediterraneanRenewed: Southern HospitalityRenewed: The Real Housewives of Salt Lake CityRenewed: The Real Housewives of PotomacRenewed: Southern HospitalityRenewed: The Real Housewives of Orange CountyRenewed: The Real Housewives of Beverly HillsRenewed: Below Deck Down Under For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
