Kyle Cooke Clarifies Reunion Exit Photos With Ex Amanda Batula

Kyle Cooke has offered insight into what sparked the viral moment captured this week—candid photos of him and ex-wife Amanda Batula smiling and laughing as they exited the In the City season one reunion.

The Summer House and In the City stars were spotted leaving the reunion taping on Thursday, June 11, in New York City, with the images generating considerable online speculation. Cooke took to Instagram Stories on Saturday morning to provide context for the interaction.

"It was a pretty chaotic, action-packed reunion for a season 1 show, and you guys have a lot to look forward to, not only in the season but the reunion," Cooke explained, noting that both he and Batula faced intense questioning during the taping.

According to Cooke, Batula "opened up a lot more than I would say she did in Summer House," while he too found himself in the spotlight. Rather than heading home separately, the cast decided to decompress together.

"We all decided to go get a drink together. Like, group therapy after you, kind of, leave it all out there," he said.

Cooke revealed the lighthearted moment between himself and Batula stemmed from a joke about being photographed together. "Amanda and I were headed down the elevator, walking out the door and just kind of laughing, like, 'Can you imagine if there's a photographer that captures us walking out together?' And then, boom, that's exactly what happened. That causes us to laugh even harder."

The In the City spinoff follows Cooke, Batula, Lindsay Hubbard, and their social circle through the fall season after their time in the Hamptons, documenting their lives outside the Summer House setting. The show continues to air before the reunion episodes premiere.