For years, “Activated Lindsay” was something Summer House viewers braced themselves for. Now, they can’t get enough. After a decade of unforgettable feuds, messy breakups and some of reality TV’s most iconic one-liners, Lindsay Hubbard is finally having the last laugh. The star is in the midst of a full-blown renaissance as fans who once questioned her are now celebrating her unfiltered takes, viral reunion moments and unapologetic social media clapbacks.
“[It’s] validating after so many years of having my character attacked,” Hubbard (a.k.a. Mother Hubbard to her stans) says of getting her long-awaited flowers. “People finally understand [me]. They’re like, ‘Oh, OK, Lindsay’s a strong, hardworking girl who doesn’t take s*** from anyone.’”
The newfound support comes after one of the most transformative — and turbulent — chapters of her life. In the span of two years, Hubbard, 39, endured a broken engagement to costar Carl Radke, welcomed daughter Gemma, now 18 months, navigated another brutal split weeks after giving birth and balanced single motherhood while filming not one but two Bravo series. As if that weren’t enough, she also found herself with a front-row seat to the reality TV scandal of 2026, as it was revealed that Amanda Batula had secretly been dating her best friend Ciara Miller’s ex West Wilson behind everyone’s back. The revelation set off a firestorm that fractured friendships, dominated headlines and left everyone asking: What’s next for Summer House?
The good news: The show (which just scored its first Emmy nom!) and Hubbard are coming back, and she says she’s finally feeling like herself again. “You can always tell when something’s a bit off,” Hubbard says of navigating life as a newly single first-time mom. “Now I’m firing on all cylinders.” (Need proof? Just look at the tough love she gave Batula in the Summer House aftermath episode.) “I’m like, ‘F*** it,’” she says. “I don’t care anymore; I say what I feel.” Hubbard tells Us Weekly more about her triumphant return for season 11 of ˆ — “I am so back, baby!” — her spinoff In The City and her recently stacked dating roster.
Congrats on the Emmy nod! How did you react?
I screamed and I ran a lap around my apartment. I texted Kyle [Cooke] and Carl on a group text first, then our editors and our executives. My messages were filled with a lot of caps, exclamation marks and extra letters.
This has been a good year for you so far. Do you feel a shift?
I do. It’s a culmination of so many things. I had a heavy couple of years, going through [breakups]. I became a mom and did back-to-back TV shows. There was obviously a big scandal in the middle of it, which was very consuming, but there were some positives that came out of it. I’ve gotten lighter.
Was there a specific moment when you felt something lift?
I started feeling like myself a few months ago. I said, “OK, I’m in a good groove.” I have my mom cadence down and scheduling with Gemma and work.
You seem to have less of a filter.
I say what I feel, and if you don’t like it, don’t follow me. In the beginning, with the scandal, we couldn’t really say anything. We had to wait for the reunion. So Threads and Instagram were my outlets. I do feel activated in a really positive way. I’m also goofy and funny, and I’ve obviously found my softer side since having Gemma. We can be all of these things. That’s why I’m here and why we’ve been here for 10 years.
People are seeing a more well-rounded version of you.
You have me on Summer House, which is my fun weekend vacation side, and then on In The City, you see my everyday life. I’m the girl who works my ass off day in and day out, sometimes seven days a week, and being a mom. But I’m also that fun, young-hearted person in Kyle’s DJ booth, fist pumping and being the hype woman.
You look amazing. What are you doing workout-wise?
It’s hard [because] my focus is being a mom, working and then trying to fit in a date, so working out has taken a back seat. For me and Kyle, it’s like the less sleep we get, the more drinks we consume… somehow things go in the opposite direction in a positive way.
How are you feeling about turning 40 in August?
I feel so good about entering my 20 times two decade! [Laughs.] I don’t feel 40. Fifty years ago, everyone who was 40 looked 80 with gray, curly hair — like perms and rollers and stuff — we don’t look like that anymore. I am happy to be leaving behind [all of the] heartbreak of my 30s, [which was a] journey that took my entire 30s to figure out. That’s the one area of my life that I’m more cautious moving through because I have Gemma.
Is it comforting to feel like you’ve figured so much out at this point?
It’s comforting and exciting. I’ve been burned in a lot in my relationships, but I’m so glad none of them worked out. [Laughs.] I have the love of my life with Gemma, and if I’m going to make another big decision [like] a full-blown relationship, I’m going to take my time figuring that out.
Is it hard to trust men?
Men are interesting creatures. I try not to take my past traumas into any of my next relationships.
Are you looking for love?
I’m enjoying not being locked down. [Laughs.] I’m already locked down as a mom and at work, so I don’t have the energy to commit fully to any one person.
You’ve talked about having a roster of guys — do you have one now?
Great — now they’re all going to see this and break up with me [when they] realize they’re not the only ones! This is why it’s hard to date, because I have to answer questions like this! [Laughs.] I’m working on the roster. A lot of them are long-distance right now, and I like that.
It seems like you have that with country singer Dustin Lynch — we saw you guys hang out on In The City. Do you prefer long distance because the guys can just come and go?
I would love for them to come and go! [Laughs.] Dustin and I are just friends. I love that guy; he’s such a great person. Frank [Acosta, cofounder of Manhattan Milk, a.k.a. Frank the Milkman] is long-distance — he lives here, but he also lives in Miami, and he travels so much for work. But we talk every day. He also sells tequila. I always say, “Baby needs milk, mama needs tequila,” so he’s a great fit.
You’re open about sex and how you waited a long time after having Gemma. What’s the latest with that?
I’m not a virgin anymore. [Laughs.] [Now I’m] like, “OK, when’s the next time?” I’ve always been a very confident, sex-positive person. I bought condoms, so that’s good, and I know when I’m ovulating at all times, so [it’s a] no on those days, but I haven’t really had that much sex. It’s quite a tragedy!
Do you think you’ll eventually be ready for something serious again?
I do. I love companionship, I love operating as a team, probably from all the team sports I played growing up. I would love a partner that fits well into my life. I’m not looking for that right now… but I’ve come out of the fog and I have more clarity on where life is going for me and Gemma.
How do you meet guys?
I’m not on the dating apps, and I don’t really go out to bars for funsies, so it really does take, like, someone setting me up. Or I’ll reconnect with someone I have history with.
Do potential partners have to be OK with being in the public eye?
One hundred percent. I don’t want to be in a position where I have to choose between a guy and my career, so I’m very clear from the beginning that if you want to be in my life, you have to be OK with me being in the public eye and filming with me because it’s my real life.
Summer House star Lindsay Hubbard’s broken engagement with costar Carl Radke made a lot of headlines, but it isn’t the only time she’s dated within the Bravo family. Since making her reality TV debut in 2017, Hubbard has had several “hot Hubbs summers” when she was single and others where she was coupled up. That […]
How is coparenting with your ex?
We’re in such a great place, better than we’ve ever been, and he’s such a great father and her relationship with him is so special. We communicate very well, so we’re nailing coparenting at the moment. Hopefully, it stays that way.
You guys split shortly after Gemma was born. What was that like?
Anybody who’s had a kid can understand what life is like six, seven weeks postpartum. [Add] a breakup and transitioning very quickly into coparenting and mediation and trying to work out custody and finding apartments that are [close] but not too close. [Laughs.] It was one of the hardest years of my life, and I don’t say that lightly because I’ve been through a lot of s***.
What was the heaviest point for you?
The day we broke up, I was at a restaurant next to [costar] Yvonne [Najor]’s apartment, and I was like, “I’m coming over.” I left my breast pumps at home, and I needed tequila, so she’s literally helping me hand-express the milk out of my boobs into a big bowl on my lap.
What a friend!
We do have such a beautiful, interesting friendship. She’s usually helping me sort out my love drama, and I’m usually helping her sort out her career stuff. She always tells me, “You’re so good at making money, but you suck at love.” I’m like, “Cool, thanks!”
What do you think you learned from everything you’ve been through?
You’re a lot stronger than you think. The way I react when someone takes a hit on me — here we go, why am I f**king Tony Soprano? [Laughs.] I’m not the person who crawls under my sheets. Now I’m putting my boxing gloves on because we’re about to go, and when I’m in the ring, you can take all the punches and I’m going to stand there until you wear yourself out.
Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
Very much so. It wasn’t my first choice to be a single mom. I thought we were going to figure it out, but I’m never going to force anyone to be with me. I have the resources and the work ethic to be a provider, and I’m happy she can watch me work hard and be a positive, important role model.
Gemma makes her debut on In The City — was it a big deal for you to show her face?
We film the show, and it comes out [about] 10 months later, so she looks completely different now than she did then. We have her for a certain period until her features become more permanent and she starts going to school. Becoming a mom was single-handedly the most important role I’ve taken on, so I’m happy to be able to share that part of my journey with the world.
You sat down with Us shortly after your engagement to Carl ended, and you were very emotional. Do you recognize that Lindsay?
That feels like 15 lifetimes ago. When I talked to you guys about that breakup, I was very unclear about the future; I had no idea where anything was going.
You’re returning to Summer House for season 11. Yay!
I’m excited to spend a hot toddler summer with Gemma every other weekend, and then a hot MILF summer with my friends when she’s with her dad.
The highly anticipated Summer House spinoff, In The City, won’t have any shortage of drama, according to cast member Lindsay Hubbard. “It gets crazier [than the trailer suggests], if you could imagine,” Lindsay, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly at The Daily Front Row‘s 10th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards Sponsored by DAOU Vineyards on Tuesday, […]
Any hesitation about coming back?
Filming two shows back-to-back is not for the weak. I feel blessed to share my life with the world, but there hasn’t really been an “off” moment for me over the past couple of years. I basically have two speeds: mom life and work life. So, I wouldn’t say there was hesitation in sitting this season out, but as long as mama can get a mini vacation somewhere in there to breathe and rest, I should be good!
What do you think the vibe will be?
Pretty much everyone is single, which is very old-school Summer House, and we’re all ready to put this scandal behind us. It’s going to be a good time.
Is it hard to rehash the scandal?
The horse is already dead, and we can only beat it so many times. It was a very complex betrayal for many different reasons. We could be talking about it for years to come — I hope not, but it could happen.
How do you feel about Amanda and West not returning?
It’s the right decision. We need positive, fun vibes. Even if people wanted to hate-watch or watch it for the cringe, I don’t think it’d be fun for anyone else.
You and Kyle gave an interview in Cannes in late June, where he said he wanted West to return. What did you make of that?
[That day,] Kyle had just rolled out of bed with somebody still in his bed. I was operating on two brain cells, and he was operating on one, so I wouldn’t trust anything we said. [Laughs.]
Do you feel like you have closure on that whole situation?
Oh, I had closure right after my conversation with Amanda on the aftermath episode.
How are you and Amanda now?
I haven’t really spoken to her. We filmed the reunion for In the City, and we were good and pleasant. We all went out to a bar afterward, and she was there, which I was actually shocked by, but I haven’t spoken to her since. It seems like [she and West] are traveling a lot. Everyone needs a break, and that’s OK.
Where does West go from here?
I don’t think [he goes] anywhere from here. He got some very bad advice from some very bad PR people and friends. He should take a break.
Would you feel comfortable filming with Amanda and West if they joined In The City later on?
If I can film with my ex-fiancé, who broke my heart on television in the most publicly humiliating way, I’m fine with a scandal that didn’t directly involve me. But I don’t think the fans are comfortable with that. And I’m not trying to piss our fans off. Lessons were learned during the Scandoval situation.
Have you had moments where you wanted off the show?
There were some hard seasons, but I’m a strong bitch. You can’t out-trauma the trauma I’ve already been through.
You’ve had issues with Danielle Olivera going back to 2019. [In episode 1 of In The City, Hubbard claimed Olivera hooked up with Radke after their first split in season 4, and later had a “diabolical meltdown” after not being involved in Carl’s season 7 proposal.] How did you feel when you found out she joined the show?
I found out the day before we started filming. I was like, “I’m sorry. What’s happening?”
How’s your friendship now?
We’re in a good place. I called her from France when I found out that she [and boyfriend Eoin Heavey] had baby Aiden. I called Eoin’s phone, and they answered, and they were so excited. Georgina and Yvonne and I sent them flowers to their hospital room. I’m excited for this new chapter for her.
As Summer House‘s Lindsay Hubbard prepares to become a first-time mom, she is trusting the process that allowed her to get to this transformative point in her life. In an exclusive interview for Us Weekly’s Reality Stars of the Year issue, Hubbard, 38, who’s one of our honorees, shared her positive outlook on the past […]
You’ve been on Summer House for 10 years! What would you tell your 2016 self?
Trust the universe and be authentically you. For anyone who might want to be on reality TV, you just have to be yourself. That’s why you’re getting that opportunity.
Any regrets?
I try not to have too many regrets, even if I’m embarrassed by my actions. I just learn and adjust and grow as a human.
What are you most excited about currently?
Last year was a very intense year for me. I’m excited to have a lighter summer where I am fully present and engaged, whether that’s my time with Gemma or with my friends at the house.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years?
No more timelines. As long as we’re happy and healthy, and I can provide for my baby, we’re good. I don’t have a lot of expectations. I know who I am at my core and that I’m a hardworking individual with a lot to give to the world. I’m just going to keep doing that, and everything will fall into place.
For more on Lindsay Hubbard, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands tomorrow.
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