🚨 Paige DeSorbo Breaks Silence: The Real Reason She Walked Away from Summer House! 🍹 - lulu

Paige DeSorbo had an “overwhelming sense that [she] couldn’t go back” to “Summer House,” she told Byrdie in a new cover story.

“I know I would’ve been doing a disservice to [the show]. They expect a certain level of showing up, and I couldn’t give them that,” she explained in her joint interview with fellow “Summer House” alum Hannah Berner, who left the show in 2021.

DeSorbo, 32, also reflected on her final season with the Bravo series during the chat. At the time of filming, cameras followed the emotional end of her relationshi

Paige DeSorbo had an “overwhelming sense that [she] couldn’t go back” to “Summer House” for Season 10.Emma Trim/Byrdie

“They expect a certain level of showing up, and I couldn’t give them that,” she told Byrdie in a new cover story, which also features fellow “Summer House” alum Hannah Berner.Emma Trim/Byrdie

“Being on reality TV, there’s a level — this is a harsh word — of, like, brainwashing. That’s not real life,” she admitted. “You’re not stopping people on the street and being like, ‘I just had a thought that I hate my boyfriend.’”

Despite DeSorbo’s gut feeling that her time on reality TV was over, leaving the show was not an easy decision for her as she feared that her “career would be over.”

“There’s an element of thinking you need that show and 

network, and Hannah was reminding me they’re not in charge of where you are in your career,” she recalled.

DeSorbo also reflected on her final season with the Bravo series, which showed the emotional end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Craig Conover.paige_desorbo/Instagram

She explained that their split was a hard storyline to share and felt like reality TV was “brainwashing” her at times.caconover/Instagram

Instead of spending her summer in a shared Hamptons house — as she did for the past seven years — the fashion influencer spent it focusing on the “Giggly Squad” podcast she co-hosts with Berner, 34.

“We’ve had people [from ‘Summer House’] verbatim say to us, ‘We don’t want to focus on your friendship this season,'” DeSorbo shared. “That was why we started ‘Giggly Squad,’ because we were like, ‘We have more things to say, and no one is listening to us.’”

Berner, 34, added, “I think we say more on the pod because we know how it’s going to be put out. Whereas when you’re on TV, you can say something personal, but you don’t know how it’s going to be framed and in what context.”

Instead of spending her summer in a shared Hamptons house, the fashion influencer spent it focusing on the “Giggly Squad” podcast she co-hosts with Berner.Emma Trim/Byrdie

“We’ve had people [from ‘Summer House’] verbatim say to us, ‘We don’t want to focus on your friendship this season,’” DeSorbo shared. “That was why we started ‘Giggly Squad.'”giggly.squad/Instagram

DeSorbo announced her departure from “Summer House” back in June with an emotional statement shared via her Instagram Story.

“Being part of this show has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my life – the friendships, the drama, the giggles. all unforgettable,” she wrote at the time.

She also noted how “grateful” she was for the memories and thanked her “castmates, fans and [her] NBCU family” for all the support

DeSorbo, who joined “Summer House” in Season 3, announced back in June that she would not be returning.Sasha Israel/Bravo

She shared how “grateful” she was for for the memories and thanked her “castmates, fans and [her] NBCU family.”Eugene Gologursky/Bravo

“I never could’ve imagined what this journey would turn into — and how many of you would be along for the ride. And you haven’t seen the last of me, I promise. So much more to do together, but for now you know you can always find me and Daphne in my bed,” she concluded, referencing her cat.

The Daphne loungewear founder made her reality TV debut during Season 3, along with Berner. The comedian left after two seasons due to various fallouts with several other cast members. Meanwhile, DeSorbo became a fan favorite and grew extremely close to her fellow castmates.

She began dating Conover, 36, in 2021 after filming Season 1 of “Winter House” together. The beloved Bravo couple split in December 2024, however, after being plagued with breakup rumors for months.

She began dating Conover in 2021 after filming Season 1 of “Winter House” together. They split in December 2024.paige_desorbo/Instagram

She has reportedly moved on with marketing executive Joe D’Amelio.Jocelyn Prescod/Bravo via Getty Images

“Craig and I have decided to no longer be together,” DeSorbo announced via her “Giggly Squad” podcast. “I love him. I think he loves me. I think we will remain friends. No one did anything. It wasn’t a bad thing.”

“I think we both were just being really mature and saying what we want and what we didn’t want,” she continued. “I think that’s extremely powerful to be able to voice how you’re feeling in real time and what you want for your future.”

DeSorbo has reportedly moved on with marketing executive Joe D’Amelio. Sources told Us Weekly back in July that the two have been dating for “a while” and that their romance is “going really well.” Reps for DeSorbo did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment at the time.