Lindsay and Carl Take It Slow: Summer House Exes Rebuild from the Ground Up

Sometimes the best second act starts with the smallest steps. On Tuesday’s episode of“Watch What Happens Live,”Lindsay Hubbard sat down with host Andy Cohen to talk about where things stand with Carl Radke after their engagement imploded—and the takeaway is refreshingly realistic. They’re not jumping back into anything. They’re just…starting over.

The setup for the question was perfect: Andy polled the audience on whether Lindsay and Carl’s reignited relationship would last. Lindsay’s response? Pure relief mixed with cautious optimism. She and Carl are both genuinely happy right now, she said, beaming as she spoke. But here’s the key part—she made a point of calling this“step one”in rebuilding their friendship. Not step ten. Not the finish line. Step one.

For anyone who’s followed the“Summer House”saga, that perspective is almost shocking in its maturity. These two started as best friends, evolved into lovers, got engaged, and then watched the whole thing collapse under the weight of constant arguments and issues around Carl’s sobriety. A wedding got canceled. A relationship got blown up. The kind of implosion that usually leaves scorched earth and blocked numbers in its wake. And indeed, Lindsay did block Carl at some point—until she unblocked him earlier this spring, signaling a potential thaw.

What’s playing out now feels different. They’re not pretending the past didn’t happen or rushing to recreate what used to work. They’re moving at a pace that actually makes sense: acknowledging the happiness they feel in this moment while being honest that rebuilding trust and friendship takes time. It’s not the dramatic reconciliation reality TV usually sells. It’s the quieter, messier work of two people trying to figure out if they can actually just like each other again.

Kyle Cooke, Carl’s best friend on the show, was sitting alongside Lindsay during the interview, and he reportedly got a good laugh out of the whole exchange—which says something too. The people closest to both of them seem to be okay with however this unfolds, no pressure, no timeline.

The real question isn’t whether their friendship will last forever. It’s whether both of them can stay committed to taking it one careful step at a time, without the weight of past romance pulling them backward. If they can do that, maybe there’s actually something solid to build on.