It's safe to say everyone on the cast of "Summer House" has had their share of ups and downs, and no one more so recently than Lindsay Hubbard, who revealed in the Season Six premiere episode that she had experienced a miscarriage.
Coincidentally, she shared that news during a scene with her co-star and good friend Carl Radke, whom she's now dating. In another episode a few weeks later, Hubbard went to a fertility clinic with her close pal and fellow "Summer House" resident Danielle Olivera to get a sense of her body if she were to freeze her eggs.
"I’ve been thinking and talking about freezing my eggs for a while because I’ve settled in the past, and I was forcing something because I was up against my own timeline," she said in the February episode. Hubbard received the good news that tests showed her anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, which offer insight into a woman's fertility, were those of a 28-year-old.
I think for some reason it's a little taboo to speak publicly about fertility and your fertility journey, and I'm trying my hardest to try to normalize it a little bit more.
"Summer House" star Lindsay Hubbard
On Monday, TODAY caught up with both Hubbard and Radke at the red carpet for the NBCUniversal upfront to discuss the couple's experience with egg freezing and more.
Hubbard said she's "a big proponent" of egg freezing and offered a message of encouragement for people to do it if they're financially able and have the resources. The process costs thousands of dollars but is partially covered under certain insurance plans.
"I think it's not talked about enough," Hubbard said about the egg freezing process. "I think for some reason it's a little taboo to speak publicly about fertility and your fertility journey, and I'm trying my hardest to try to normalize it a little bit more. I think the sooner that women understand more about it, then the sooner they can start planning their fertility journey, even if they are solo in that process."
In May, Hubbard shared with her Instagram followers that she had begun the egg-freezing process.
"I was very emotional, but in like a strange way," Hubbard explained of the effect of the hormone injections. "I was very silly. I would giggle a lot, and then I would just cry happy tears."
Radke reiterated Hubbard was "crying a lot" but said he "took a lot of pride" in caring for her and helped her get to and from the egg retrieval procedure.
He also shared some tips for partners who are caring for someone going through this process and said to make sure to shower your loved one with lots of compliments and "plenty of just kisses and hugs and support — positive energy."
"She was going through a lot," Radke said.
The 37-year-old is also no stranger to enduring difficult times and has been open about his sobriety and losing his brother to addiction. Last year, he told TODAY why he became sober.
"When COVID-19 lockdown hit, I started going to therapy and working on myself and my sobriety," he explained. "It’s very sobering watching yourself on TV for four seasons, and you have several drunken moments that are hard to remember and watch. Without a doubt, it was a hard decision to look myself in the mirror and really examine my relationship with alcohol."
And this week, Radke shared some coping skills for those who don't drink alcohol.
"For me, having just a soda water or something in my hand to drink, it's a weird thing just like a placebo effect," he said. "I think sometimes just because other people are drinking doesn't mean you can't drink something."
He also advised having another friend around to lean on in a bigger party setting, like "a sober buddy."
"They don't necessarily have to be sober, but someone who understands you're not drinking and things might be a little different," he said. "It takes practice. The more you do it, the more you're around social people and experiencing that kind of environment without alcohol, the more you get used to it."
He added he has "amazing support" from Hubbard and his friends and that staying sober in the Hamptons was "a challenge" for him since his previous summers out there were spent drinking and partying.
"The camera may not show all of it," Radke said about "Summer House." "I definitely have some moments where I go to my room and regroup myself."
Radke has also found a friend in fellow Bravo star Captain Lee Rosbach, who lost his son to drug addiction and reached out to Radke after his brother's death.
"Since then, I've just kind of checked in with him," Radke said. "He's kind of a mentor in a way."
Rosbach also had a hand in helping Radke and Hubbard take their friendship to the next level.
"We're best friends," Radke explained about Hubbard, "and early on, I'm still thinking, 'OK'..."
"'Should I be feeling this way? It feels wrong,'" Hubbard chimed in.
"But I think he gave me a lot of confidence to say listen, you have someone that cares about you and is willing to support you. You should feel confident," Radke said. "That's the person you want, like a loyal person — someone dedicated and supportive."
Radke added he's never met Rosbach in person and they've only ever talked over FaceTime.
He noted Bravo's known for its many female personalities, but it was "nice to have another male person — not ("Summer House" co-stars) Kyle, not Luke — someone who's older and been in this environment for a while."
