As Carl Radke prepared to officially launch Soft Bar on Summer House, he made a stunning admission about Kyle Cooke’s investment — or lack thereof — in his new business venture.
During Season 10, Episode 5, Ben Waddell stopped by the alcohol-free bar’s Brooklyn location, which was still under construction at the time, as Carl worked toward his goal of opening in just over a month. Carl updated the newbie that he wouldn’t be traveling to the Hamptons that weekend because he had “some serious, like, sophisticated investors” for whom he wanted to “deliver” on his promises.
After Carl mentioned that Jesse Solomon was among the close friends, family members, athletes, business owners, and influencers who had invested in Soft Bar, Ben specifically asked if Kyle was “involved.”
RELATED: Kyle Cooke Celebrates “Brother” Carl Radke’s Big Career Moment as He Releases His Memoir
“Um, no,” Carl answered. “But to be honest, he’s got so much other s–t with Loverboy.”
In a confessional, he added, “I invested $15,000 in 2019 in Loverboy. I didn’t have a lot of money back in 2019, but I just believed in him so much. And I knew the power of what he was building. I really felt like there was something there. So, I had hoped maybe for the same in return, but he was, like, just not in a position to invest. The message it sends is kinda confusing.”
What Kyle Cooke told Carl Radke about Loverboy’s financial “decline”
Indeed, Kyle had already opened up to Carl about the “pressure” he was under amid Loverboy’s downturn during the second episode of Season 10.
By Kyle’s account, he had to invest $500,000 of his own money, in addition to not paying himself a salary for nine months at that point, just to keep his alcohol brand afloat.
Carl, for his part, replied, “That’s a lot, man… I don’t think I realized you weren’t taking a salary.”
RELATED: Kyle Reveals Shocking Financial Details on Loverboy’s “Decline”: “Had To Put $500,000 In”
As Kyle, meanwhile, further explained to a producer. “In the last six months, we’ve actually seen a decline in distribution, which means declines in revenue. So, I stopped taking a salary at Loverboy to kind of prolong our cash reserves.”
Ultimately, Kyle said that he had to start DJ’ing in order to “pay the bills,” despite the friction his late-night gigs caused between him and Amanda Batula.
“I used to incur costs traveling for Loverboy,” he continued. “Now, I’m getting paid.”
Inside Carl Radke and Kyle Cooke’s friendship on Summer House Season 10
Carl’s comments about Kyle not investing in Soft Bar were one of the earliest signs of rising conflict between the two on Summer House Season 10.
As Carl’s bio already teased, “As he navigates the challenges of opening a sober bar, Carl feels his once-tight bond with Kyle has started to drift. Can Carl repair the friendship as they find themselves on different paths?”
Though you’ll have to tune in to see how all the drama plays out, when Carl opened Soft Bar’s doors in August, Kyle was among those in attendance.
“It’s the soft opening of soft openings,” Kyle exclaimed in a video posted to his Instagram Stories last year. “That’s right, we are at Soft Bar’s soft opening.”
At the time, Kyle also gave his social media followers a tour of the new space, in addition to posing for a photo with Carl and his mom, Sharon.
Several months later, Kyle also celebrated another one of Carl’s career accomplishments: the publication of his memoir, Cake Eater, in December 2025. In a separate Instagram post, Kyle gushed about being “so proud” amid his “brother” Carl’s book launch.
In the meantime, don’t miss Carl’s take on Kyle and Amanda’s split that the estranged couple announced post-filming.
