The new mom fills ET in on life with her son, Si, and what's still to come on season 2 of Bravo's 'Summer House' spinoff.
"It wouldn't be Summer House: Martha's Vineyard if it didn't get worse before it got better."
So Jasmine Ellis Cooper tells ET as season 2 of the Bravo series winds down, with an apparent wind-up of more drama. Then, the cast's first-ever reunion. Last week, Jasmine and her co-stars sat down with Andy Cohen to unpack the season that was; the special will air after the finale later this month.
"I think there's gonna be a bit of resolution, a bit of clarity," she teases. "Definitely some shade, per usual, 'cause that's just how we are as a group, and I think for me, at least, there is a cohesive understanding of like, OK, this is what friendships really look like."
Jasmine spent last summer's two-week getaway reevaluating (and attempting to reestablish) those friendships, namely with Jordan Emanuel and Preston Mitchum. The twosome took a step back from Jasmine after season 1, with Jordan saying she didn't recognize her former Playboy Club co-worker's behavior. Jordan took issue with Jasmine, who was a newlywed at the time, pushing the idea of relationships and marriage on her, when she had made it clear she was taking time to focus on herself and staying celibate. Jasmine's husband, Silas -- who is also Preston's fraternity brother -- didn't help matters, as he caused friction within the house for the way he spoke to others.
"I understand that there's fact and feeling," Jasmine reflects. "I understand their feelings, but still, my stance on it is factual. I still don't believe I've done anything to them, but where we are now is, friendships ebb and flow. I'm still defining what that looks like for Jordan and I, but I'm hopeful for sure."
"I'm never going to wish ill will on anybody," she continues. "We did have fun moments this summer, even though we started off with a pretty direct and tough conversation, we're always gonna figure it out, and that's what I'm hoping going into next summer is that we can all just hit the reset button... or the continuation button. However, you want to look at it."
"Preston was at our wedding, Jordan was on my bachelorette trip," Jasmine notes. "Those [are] big moments ... you don't forget that. You don't just throw that away."
The house dynamics were a bit different in season 2, seeing as Silas was unable to join the group due to serving overseas in the Army. Jasmine also couldn't turn up in the way she used to, as she was secretly carrying her and Silas' first child. About halfway through the trip, Jasmine let the news out, revealing the baby bump she'd been sucking in to her housemates, who -- for the most part -- had all caught on to the "secret."
"I really did think I was hiding it better!" Jasmine admits. "[But] the girls were hard-pressed about my boobs, and I was not expecting that at all."
"But it just felt good to-- where we were in the house at that time, felt like the perfect time," she says. "We were right in the middle of a couple of dramas. I was making amends with some friendships and felt like, OK, if I don't say it now, we might lose the moment. So, it felt perfect to just kind of really, completely be present at that point and just have everyone to support me in that."
Jasmine welcomed her bundle of joy, Silas Jr. aka Si, in February. She won't share whether Silas Sr. has been able to meet their son yet, but beams over the family being able to reunite this summer when Silas returns home from service.
"I am excited for them to spend time together, that is for sure," she smiles. "I think there is this huge debate right now amongst my friends and, honestly, in our group chat for the show, who he looks more like. So, I need a more in-person comparison, honestly, 'cause he's grown so much!"
"I am really looking forward to, you know, putting on my little mom zip-up and taking the stroller and us just, honestly, going for a walk around our neighborhood," she muses. "That is literally what I am looking forward to; just a simple moment."
Si, however, won't be joining Mom and Dad in the Vineyard come (a potential) season 3.
"He has six grandparents, no!" she cracks. "We are very much a young couple, very much in need of reconnecting and having our time, too."
"The way I've always explained it to Silas is, I see it as baby Si has joined our lives and not us just completely changing everything, just because our family is growing," she explains. "It's always gonna be adding to what we've already set the foundation for. So I would hope that I can have vacation with my friends and my husband, and we just get back to the fun. We are desperately in need of fun. We've had a lot of serious milestones, fun times, but yeah, we need more times to reconnect with our friends, too."
There are still some loose threads from this season, some of which will wrap by finale and others that linger. Jasmine confesses she did not get everything she needed out of reunion.
"I did not, but I feel like that's just, honestly, life, you know what I mean?" she offers. "There's a lot of us, right? And there's a lot that happened this summer -- and last summer -- so I don't think all of us were ever going to be, like, perfect, squeaky clean. We got it all out. We didn't have that much time, but I think I got what I needed for this moment right now, just for moving forward."
Jasmine says Summer Marie Thomas had the most to say at the taping, which doesn't come as a shock given she's been dubbed a "hurricane" for her explosive reactions in the house.
"There was a lot that involves her, and I'm glad that she was able to just speak on whatever," Jasmine says. "And one thing about Summer? She does not back down. I can respect that about her."
As for who could have said more, Jasmine name-checks Bria Fleming. The two hit a speed bump in their friendship over the summer, after Jasmine bought a plane ticket to fly out season 1 roommate Maria Torres for a visit to the season 2 house. Mariah abruptly left the show last season after a near-physical altercation with Bria over mixed-up laundry and Bria's dog, Milo. Jasmine and Bria's argument over the visit led to one of the most memorable/meme-able moments from season 2, a confessional in which Jasmine proclaimed, "My mother is a brilliant and resilient... two-time convicted felon. Do not try me in this moment!"
"The response was not on my Bingo card this year, I promise," Jasmine laughs. "You know, anyone who's met my mom -- and a lot of the cast have -- she is just such a big person, big, bright personality. A little bit like [housemate Noelle Hughley] in essence, just out there, very forthcoming. And one thing I've always been taught by my mom, and her example is, you can go through hard moments. You can go through hard things, but you -- every moment -- define who you are for yourself, and know that you're gonna always come out on the other side better than you went into a situation."
"So with the situation with Bria and the plane ticket, and clocking my 'Cooper coin,' and, 'Is Mariah coming?' It just it felt like we're going in the opposite direction," she adds. "I'm not gonna let this frustrating moment define where I'm trying to get to in this group, and me bringing that up, what my mom has been through, she doesn't look like it. And so that's what I was trying to tie in is, I will be resilient and make it through this, even if you were trying to stop what I'm trying to move forward to in this group."
Mariah did eventually show up, but didn't stay in the summer share. She and Bria took a moment to hash out their issues, with the two seemingly finding a way to move forward, just not as besties.
"I was very happy that me buying a little plane ticket did not derail her being able to participate in this summer, so I was very proud of just stepping back and letting them have those conversations, and let's move it on," Jasmine says. "We had a great time."
While Bravo has yet to formerly renew Summer House: Martha's Vineyard for round three, Jasmine is hopeful she and her friends will return to the bluffs in the coming months, cameras in tow.
"Whoever shows up at the house for the next season is going to make for a magical third season, I think," she predicts, adding that the show's provided a lot of room for personal growth, as it acts like a mirror for the cast.
"I think a lot of us are experiencing that this season," she says. "It's a great opportunity for a mirror, and it's really what you do after that, that defines you."
Summer House: Martha's Vineyard airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, with episodes streaming next day on Peacock.
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