Kyle Cooke scrambles to keep Loverboy afloat amid financial pressure, boosts DJ career

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• Quick Facts
• The Loverboy Financial Crisis: What Led Here
• Monthly Cash Flow Collapse and Personal Intervention
• The DJ Pivot: From Hobby to Income Strategy
• Loverboy’s Current Status and Product Evolution
• Personal Life and Relationship Stress
• Looking Ahead: Can Kyle Save Loverboy?
• Can a DJ Career Sustain Both a Failing Business and a Personal Household?
  • Sources

Kyle Cooke, the Summer House cast member and founder of the beverage brand Loverboy, is navigating significant financial pressure with his company while simultaneously building a DJ career to help stabilize his business. As of May 2026, the entrepreneur remains committed to keeping his canned cocktail empire operational despite months of cash flow challenges that have pushed him to front personal capital and pursue alternative income streams.

The Loverboy Financial Crisis: What Led Here

Kyle Cooke founded Loverboy in 2018 as a zero-sugar, better-for-you alcoholic beverage brand targeting health-conscious consumers. The company gained rapid momentum, at one point ranking among the fastest-growing brands in the hard tea category. By the early 2020s, Cooke was speaking at industry conventions and building distribution across major retailers.

The beverage industry’s complexity created unforeseen obstacles. Regulatory requirements, distribution costs, and intense competition from established competitors gradually eroded margins. By 2022, Cooke had accumulated approximately $4 million in small business loan debt related to Loverboy operations. Recent financial disclosures reveal the situation deteriorated significantly through 2025 and into 2026.

Monthly Cash Flow Collapse and Personal Intervention

During a March 2026 episode of Summer House Season 10, Kyle disclosed stark numbers to co-star Carl Radke: the company lost $175,000 in a single month while maintaining a mandatory $50,000 monthly loan payment. At that burn rate, Loverboy’s cash reserves would last approximately three months.

Instead of accepting potential bankruptcy, Cooke made a dramatic intervention. He injected $500,000 of personal capital into the company to cover employee payroll and operational expenses. “I’m doing my best not to have to lay people off,” he stated on the show. Additionally, he stopped paying himself a salary from Loverboy, forcing him to seek alternative income sources.

The DJ Pivot: From Hobby to Income Strategy

What began as a creative outlet became financial necessity. Kyle expressed his desire to become a DJ during Summer House Season 8, citing a lifelong love of music and a desire to produce tracks. By 2024, he transitioned from aspiration to action, beginning to book DJ gigs at clubs and venues across the United States.

The move proved timely. Kyle has since signed with Independent Artist Group for representation and launched his “Let Him Cooke” national tour, performing in cities from Dallas and Miami to Las Vegas and Baltimore. DJ earnings now directly offset personal living expenses that Loverboy can no longer fund, effectively creating a dual income model where entertainment fees stabilize household finances while the struggling brand retains operational capital.

Loverboy’s Current Status and Product Evolution

Category	Status/Detail
Company Status	Operational; Under significant financial pressure
Founding Year	2018
Monthly Loan Payment	$50,000 (SBA loan)
Product Lines	Hard tea spritz, canned cocktails, espresso martini, THC-infused sodas
Distribution	Website, select retail partners
Recent Development	New product collections sold out multiple times in April-May 2026

Despite financial strain, Loverboy continues product innovation and customer engagement. The brand expanded into THC-infused beverages, launched an espresso martini line, and introduced merchandise collaborations. In April 2026, Kyle announced that new product collections sold out within weeks, demonstrating strong consumer demand among existing fans.

Carl Radke, formerly VP of Sales for Loverboy, maintains an advisory role for the non-alcoholic beverage division. The two entrepreneurs recently collaborated on limited-edition “Carl’s a Mess” merchandise, with profits directed to the Release Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit providing addiction treatment scholarships.

“Your support and your purchases over the last week have made a huge impact and are literally helping keep the lights on. I can’t thank you enough, and I promise to keep you guys updated on the business. After all, you guys deserve to know—you’re literally helping keep us alive.”

— Kyle Cooke, addressing Loverboy customers, April 2026

Personal Life and Relationship Stress

The pressure mounted on Kyle’s marriage to Amanda Batula, whom he hired as Loverboy’s creative director early in their relationship. In January 2026, after four years of marriage, the couple announced their separation. Amanda had stepped back from day-to-day work at Loverboy sometime prior and confirmed they had maintained separate bank accounts throughout their marriage.

In interviews, Amanda stated she would not claim ownership of Loverboy in their divorce settlement, recognizing it as Kyle’s creation and passion project. However, the couple lacked a prenuptial agreement, complicating potential asset divisions. Amanda later began a relationship with Summer House cast member West Wilson, further intensifying on-screen conflict between Kyle and his estranged wife.

Looking Ahead: Can Kyle Save Loverboy?

As of May 2026, Kyle continues exploring investor partnerships to stabilize Loverboy’s cash runway. He has been transparent about the company’s path to profitability, emphasizing clean ingredient sourcing and customer loyalty as core assets. The CEO acknowledges that beverage alcohol remains an extremely difficult industry, with regulatory burdens and distribution challenges that established brands navigate more easily than newcomers.

Kyle’s multi-platform approach—maintaining Loverboy while building his DJ career and capitalizing on his Summer House visibility—suggests he understands the modern entrepreneurship landscape requires diversified income. His appearance on the new Bravo series In The City provides additional media exposure that could benefit both his music brand and his beverage business.

The fundamental question remains whether Kyle Cooke can find sufficient external investment or operational cost reduction to restore Loverboy to profitability. His willingness to front $500,000 of personal capital and sacrifice salary demonstrates commitment, but long-term sustainability will depend on market dynamics, consumer demand, and his ability to secure investor backing before current cash reserves deplete further.

Can a DJ Career Sustain Both a Failing Business and a Personal Household?

Kyle’s situation highlights the pressures facing modern entrepreneurs who build lifestyle brands without sufficient capital buffers. His DJ touring provides income relief in the short term, but touring commitments create logistical challenges and could limit his ability to manage day-to-day Loverboy operations. How Kyle balances these competing demands—maintaining a demanding DJ tour schedule while steering Loverboy through financial crisis and navigating a high-profile marital separation—will ultimately determine whether his entrepreneurial journey ends in recovery or restructuring.

Sources

• Bravo – Official Loverboy and Kyle Cooke business updates, May 2026
• Page Six – Corporate financial disclosures and marital asset reporting, April 2026
• Summer House Season 10 – Direct statements by Kyle Cooke on business finances, March 2026
• Trading Secrets Podcast – Extended interviews with Kyle Cooke on SBA debt and business operations, May 2026