Bravo Star Explains Why She Hid Her Pregnancy While Filming

Not every reality star wants all part of their lives exposed. Just ask Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard star, Jasmine Ellis Cooper, who intentionally kept her pregnancy hidden when Bravo cameras resumed filming for Season 2 last summer. In an interview with Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, the new mom — who welcomed son Silas “Si” Jr. with her husband Silas Cooper in February — revealed why she intentionally hid her big life event. “OK, so don’t make me cry — but yes, it was different,” she began. The show’s second season as filmed without her army officer spouse. He was deployed in Eastern Europe during filming. 

“I think because I knew a lot was going on amongst the friendships, I was like, ‘This has to be handled first and I have to feel comfortable in this house and exercise my agency before I share this huge moment,’” she added, noting, “It was priorities.”

Despite the cast drinking throughout the season, the then-expectant mother kept it cute with mocktails, causing speculation about her pregnancy, most notably with her close friend, Bria Fleming. “During filming, I felt like she was [expecting] and I think I said it at the dinner table. I was like, ‘I thought she was pregnant,’” recounts the fashion entrepreneur, whose friendship with Jasmine only strengthened in the time off from filming. 

Despite their close friendship, Fleming wasn’t given a heads-up. She was told alongside the rest of the cast. “And it’s so funny … because at [my boyfriend] Simon [Marco]’s birthday, I’m ordering spicy margaritas but she’s ordering the virgin version of that. And I’m like, ‘No, you were drinking with me!’ And she’s like, ‘No, I wasn’t,’” Fleming says, adding, “And I’m like, ‘Yes, you were. I saw you!’ She’s like, ‘No it was virgin.’ I’m like, ‘When did you have the time to order a mocktail?’”