From Engagement to Friendship: How Carl and Lindsay Rebuilt What They Lost

There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that comes from watching two people who were supposed to have it all decide they don’t have each other. Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard’s split in August 2023 felt like that—a public unraveling of what had seemed like a fairytale arc on Summer House. But nearly three years later, the duo has managed something that feels almost as unlikely as their original romance: they’ve become friends again.

What makes their reconciliation noteworthy isn’t just that they’re speaking; it’s *how* they got there. When Radke called off their wedding just weeks before their fall 2023 nuptials, the fallout was brutal. Hubbard posted about feeling“devastated”and“humiliated,”while sources told Us that Radke had cold feet stemming from“major fundamental issues”he needed to address. For months afterward, the two existed in separate orbits. In February 2024, Radke told Us he and Hubbard“haven’t seen each other in person”since November 2023 and weren’t actively communicating.

Then came the drama that nobody expected to be healing: the Amanda Batula, West Wilson, and Ciara Miller love triangle scandal that gripped Summer House in 2026. Faced with a crisis threatening their show and their tight-knit cast, Radke and Hubbard instinctively moved back toward each other. They reunited for an Uber Eats commercial together in April 2026—a lighthearted“Carl’s a Mess”campaign that signaled they were on speaking terms. But the real shift came in June when Hubbard appeared on Radke’s“More Life”podcast, and the two re-followed each other on Instagram.

What’s striking about their current dynamic is how honest they’ve been about the role that external chaos played in their reunion. Hubbard explained on the podcast that protecting Summer House as a collective gave them common ground again.“This scandal within our cast brought us closer together,”she said, describing how she, Radke, and Kyle Cooke essentially banded together to shield their house from outside chaos. There’s something almost poetic about it—the thing that tore them apart (their own relationship) was eclipsed by something bigger, and in defending something they all loved, they rediscovered respect for each other.

Radke hasn’t shied away from acknowledging the gift of their current friendship either. On the podcast, he reflected on rewatching season 10 and being struck by their dynamic.“The relationship we have now, and the friendship we have now, it’s been really nice,”he said, noting that people seem to enjoy watching their new rapport play out onscreen. It’s not a clean narrative—there’s no magical moment where everything gets resolved, no grand apology or dramatic forgiveness scene. Instead, it’s two people who loved each other once, hurt each other deeply, and slowly found their way back to the table.

That’s the real Summer House plot twist. Not the engagement, not the heartbreak, but the willingness to start over.