Folks, it looks like where there’s a little Summer House smoke, there might also be a fire. Remember those relentless Paige and Craig break-up rumors that were swirling all summer? The ones saying their long-distance relaysh was causing secret fighting?? To be fair to Paige, if I was paying $8,500 in rent every single month, I’d consider that a pretty good reason to stay in my NYC apartment 24/7 and get my money’s worth, too. The breakup rumors also said that Paige wasn’t ready to be a wife right now, but Craig pretty quickly clapped back in the press that he was okay with that since he was focusing on his own businesses, too (sorry, Kyle, Spritz Society is still happening).
The trailer for season 9 of Summer House certainly did not help things when Ciara was seen talking with Paige about her boyfriend’s concerning “hater energy” and Paige was later pictured crying in bed about losing “everything.” But here’s the kicker: at Fan Fest this fall, Amanda and Kyle swore up and down Paige and Craig were solid as ever, and they were definitely not secretly on the rocks this whole time, only waiting to spill the tea until closer to the season aired to keep views up. Now it kind of seems like…that’s exactly what happened?!? Because, color me shocked, Paige and Craig broke up?! Let’s unpack.
Paige DeSorbo’s Break-Up Announcement
Why did Paige and Craig break up?
“Craig and I have decided to no longer be together.” Um, wow, so I guess it’s as simple as that? Paige elaborated she “started dating Craig when [she] was 29, [she’s] 32 now, and your 30s for women really are transformative. And you change a lot and you grow a lot.” Apparently, the last few years have been big years for growth for Craig as well and unfortunately “the direction that [their] lives are going in that we didn’t foresee or whatever” isn’t aligned, though Paige will remain Craig’s “biggest fan” as he “gets the best” out of life, now without her.
If you’re worried Craig did something “fucked up” (Hannah’s words), that’s far from the truth. Paige has “so much love and respect” for Craig, who is “one of the best people [she] met in her entire life” who “truly helped her grow” and mature into a more “confident” person. Paige even crowned Craig “the best boyfriend [she] ever had.” Essentially, this is the classic nobody did anything wrong, nothing to see here, move along nosey nellies vibe. Perhaps Paige will get more vulnerable on Summer House in bed with her besties? Still, even though this is the “right decision for both of [them],” Paige admits it’s a very sad one.
Did Bravo make Paige wait to announce her breakup?
According to Paige, absolutely not, because “no one can tell [her] what do. The network has power, but not that much power.” Alright, then! But the timeline here may, in fact, cause some conspiracy theorist fans (such as myself) to get their tin hats on about whether there was some slight misleading going on in the media.
Amanda and Kyle addressed the rumor that Paige and Craig were barely hanging for the sake of the show at Fan Fest on November 23, 2024, literally laughing off the notion that there were any issues between the couple. Also in November 2024, Craig reinforced their healthy relationship status regardless of the distance. On December 9, Craig doubled down that he had “no idea” where the breakup rumors were coming from because they were “together like every week.”
I know, I know, things can change quickly, but how did they go from right as rain to a total dealbreaker that quickly? As Paige tells it, this sad conclusion has been brewing for at least a little bit of time now, since they decided to give their “family and friends” “private time” to digest the news before sharing it publicly. I guess if Paige says managing their relationship to please the press wasn’t “a real thing,” the Gigglers kinda just have to take her word for it.