Paige DeSorbo Is the Queen of Summer House (But Her Mom Still Makes Her Empty the Dishwasher)

Paige DeSorbo was made for the hot seat. Literally. It’s 90 degrees in New York City on the day of her People StyleWatch cover shoot, and thanks to an AC malfunction, everyone on-set is dripping with sweat. Except for the Summer House star, who remains as cool and collected (in fall clothing nonetheless) as she is during her meme-worthy TV confessionals. 

She credits her past experience as a child model (she appeared in the Limited Too catalog, which is the middle-school version of landing the September Vogue cover) for teaching her that “when it’s time to work, it’s time to work, and when it’s time to complain, that’s when I get home.”

DeSorbo, 31, grew up in Loudonville, N.Y., the daughter of Gary and Kimberly DeSorbo, in what she describes as a “very conservative Italian Catholic family” (she has an older brother, also named Gary).  After graduating from high school, she continued to live at home while attending the College of Saint Rose in Albany, where she studied broadcast journalism and had big dreams of being a reporter.

Rue Sophie jacket and skirt, Icon Denim corset, TOTEME pumps, Loren Stewart earrings, stylist’s own sockettes.

Colette Aboussouan

She convinced her parents to let her move to New York City, where she landed a job as an assistant at ABC News. (She says she was totally unqualified for the role and credits the blue velvet TopShop suit she wore to her interview for getting her hired.) Her obsession with all things pop culture inspired her to start creating videos of the day’s top entertainment news stories, along with her outfit details to her 2,000 Instagram followers. 

Then Bravo called. 

“When I first got the call, I remember calling my dad, crying, and being like, ‘I actually can’t do this. I’m way too sensitive. If someone doesn’t like me on the show, off the show, I won’t be able to handle it,’ ” she recalls of joining the cast for Summer House‘s third season. “And he said, ‘Do it for one year. If you hate it, you never have to go back, but at least you’ll know.’ And that’s what put me in the mindset to actually film the first season. And then by the second weekend, I was like, ‘I love it.’ ”

Six seasons, one best friend and 1,298,000 Instagram followers later, DeSorbo is no longer the new girl in the house. To use Bravo-speak, she’s the No.1  girl in the group, thanks to her quick wit, killer wardrobe and a self-awareness that’s hard to come by in the reality TV landscape.  

Below, find out why her legions of fans call her a “relatable queen,” as she opens up about life in the spotlight, staying grounded and sticking to her own timeline (yes, she plans to getmarried . . . eventually). 

“My mom taught me that you never walk into anyone’s house empty-handed.” — Season 3, Episode 1

From the moment she appeared on Summer House, DeSorbo, then a 25-year-old fashion journalist, was television gold. Fans loved her friendship with fellow cast member Hannah Berner (their podcast Giggly Squad was born out of a scene in season 4 during which the two were scolded by another roommate, Kyle Cooke, for their constant giggling at a dinner) and how she delivered a master class in setting boundaries, whether it was standing up to the resident mean girl (hi, Lindsay) or breaking it off with a hookup who wouldn’t make an effort (that would be Carl). However, in true Bravo fandom form, DeSorbo still faced an onslaught of criticism on social media for being, well, herself. 

“I have a rep that I’m very stern, I’m very cold, I say whatever I’m thinking. And yes, that is true,” she says. “But also, I’m extremely shy. I’m very introverted. I never thought I would be on reality TV. I never thought I would be famous in this capacity. I knew I loved the cameras and talking on-camera, but I never thought it would go this way.”

Alaïa top, SIR. pants, JENNY BIRD bangles, hoops & ear cuff, Zimmermann sandals.

Colette Aboussouan

“My plan this summer is to be nice and try to be friendly, and then when she does something to me, I will lose my mind.” — Season 8

Reality television thrives on drama, and while DeSorbo is known for her hot takes on her castmates’ endless interpersonal conflicts and relationship issues, some viewers have accused her of withholding the messier aspects of her own life. 

Rue Sophie jacket and skirt, Icon Denim corset, TOTEME pumps, Loren Stewart earrings, stylist’s own sockettes.

Colette Aboussouan

“Since I was a little kid I’ve been described as mysterious. I don’t feel that I am mysterious, but I do have a very poker face. I’m not one to tell you exactly how I feel right in that moment, because most of the time, I don’t know either,” she explains. “So people think I’m a little bit, honestly, a little smarter than I am. I’m not someone that’s like, ‘I’m not talking about this.’ ” She adds, “If I’m going through it, and we’re filming, we’re filming it. I wouldn’t even have the option not to. So I think it’s just my demeanor.”

When DeSorbo needs to recharge, she gets into bed. It’s her thing. So much so that she now hosts an Amazon Live show called In Bed With Paige DeSorbo, where she interviews guests from a bed. 

“I truly love being in bed. That’s not a bit,” she explains. “I love being at home and being by myself. And so I think people are like, ‘Oh, she’s lazy.’ And I’m like, ‘No, I’m just nervous around you, and so I’m going to my room.’ ” 

“I went to an all-girls high school, so I know how to give a backhanded compliment.” —Season 3

DeSorbo says there was a time when she read “everything” written about her online, but over the last few years, she’s learned how to manage the negativity.

“I think I’ve gotten better at coping with certain things. And you end up becoming, this sounds a little bit weird, closer to yourself because you’re like, ‘Oh wait, there’s a bunch of people online that don’t like me.’ And so you do feel like you have to reflect. And sometimes you’re like, ‘Was I in the wrong?’ But then there are a lot of times where you’re like, ‘Well, that’s me, and I love who I am.’ And so you have to check yourself.”

Sportmax top and skirt, Coach bag, AIRE sunglasses, JENNY BIRD bracelet, Cartier ring, Stylist’s own earrings.

Colette Aboussouan

It also helps that despite her fame, her family and friends still treat her the same. “When I go home, I’m not Paige from Summer House. I’m vacuuming, my mom makes me empty the dishwasher,” she says. “I am not the person people see online.”

However, she does feel a sense of responsibility to her fans, the majority of whom are young women. “I never thought of myself as, ‘Oh, and then one day I’ll be a role model.’ ” That was not something I was preparing for. And I think that’s probably the hardest. I don’t want to disappoint a 16-year-old girl who listens to Giggly Squad every Tuesday and then watches Summer House every Thursday and then one day is like, ‘She did what?’ That would make me upset.”

“She’s my friend. When she’s done with you, I don’t know you.” —Season 8

Sportmax top & skirt, Coach bag, TOTEME pumps, AIRE sunglasses, JENNY BIRD bracelet, Cartier ring, stylist’s own earrings.

Colette Aboussouan

DeSorbo is often praised by fans for her loyalty to her female castmates, especially after she defended Ciara Miller in the fallout of her fling with another cast member, West Wilson, on the season 8  finale. DeSorbo delivered an America Ferrera in Barbie-worthy monologue in which she schooled West in relationships and reality television.

And while DeSorbo is proud of that moment and says she’d do it again, she takes issue with being called a “girl’s girl,” saying that the term “almost demeans female friendships.” She adds, “When I get called a girl’s girl for reality TV, to me it’s more like, no, those are my female friends. And I would do whatever for them because I hope that if I was in their situation right now, they would be going to bat for me.”

She goes on to say that it’s all in how she approaches friendships as an adult. “In your 30s you literally get to choose your friends. It’s not high school where you’re all at the same lunch table. And so if you’re not a hundred percent rooting for your friend and she’s not doing the same for you, what is even the point?”

“I think that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so if Jules wears something after I’ve already worn it, I think that’s really nice. Annoying, but very nice.” —Season 4

Summer House has given DeSorbo a stage to flex her fashion sense. Week after week, she brings just as much outfit inspo as she does hilarious hot takes, sending viewers down a Google rabbit hole to hunt down her looks.

She describes her style as “very feminine.” She says, “Anytime I hear someone say, ‘That’s so Paige,’ it’s so girly. It’s so cute. It either has a bow, or it’s a little set. It’s something like Madeline would’ve worn.”

In her first few seasons, she stuck to labels that she could “genuinely afford” like Zara and Forever 21, and she based her outfits on what celebrities like Olivia Culpo were wearing at the time. 

She still loves crop tops and sets, only these days, it’s not unusual for her to roll up to the Hamptons in a $2,200 Prada minidress. 

She justifies her designer splurges by imagining that her future daughter will reap the benefits one day. “Any purchase that I’m like, ‘This is ridiculous,’ I’m [also] like, ‘But when my daughter’s in college and she needs a vintage Prada, she’s coming to her mom.’ And so for that, I’ll buy it.”

She’s also willing to take more risks. Like the pink sparkly Miu Miu panties (yes, panties) she wore to BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas. “All of the comments were like, ‘What is she wearing?!,’ ” she recalls. DeSorbo shrugged off the criticism. “I approach fashion from a place of fun, not because I want to be the best dressed at every event,” she says. 

For the record, her mom thought she looked “phenomenal” in the undies.

“My name should be Crystal, because I couldn’t be any more clear on how to date me.” —Season 3

To recap, DeSorbo has appeared on six seasons and counting of a hit reality show, hosts her own show on Amazon Live, cohosts a popular podcast that’s going on tour this fall and coauthored How to Giggle, a book of advice, which comes out in the spring.  

Acler jacket, Longchamp pants, Reut earrings & ring.

Colette Aboussouan

And yet, the question she fields most from Bravo fans is when is she going to marry her boyfriend of nearly three years, fellow Bravolebrity, Craig Conover. 

DeSorbo and the Southern Charm star, 36, first became close when filming season 1 of the Summer House spinoff, Winter House, in February 2021. Their situationship turned into a relationship during season 6 of Summer House, and by September 2021, they were Instagram official. The two have been going strong ever since, despite being long-distance (she lives in New York City, he resides in Charleston).

She says Conover understands her in a way previous boyfriends did not. “He knows TV Paige, but he also knows at-home Paige,” she explains. “He gets when I’m silent and when I haven’t left my apartment for four days. And he gets that I’m not a mean girl, that I literally need to recharge. I have to be alone. I have to chill out for a second. And he gets that. And I think that’s the biggest thing for me.” 

Conover also accepts that when it comes to taking the next step, DeSorbo is on her own timeline, a topic that has been well-documented on both of their Bravo shows.

“When I get married and have a baby, I want to be so in it. And I would feel like a fraud if I said to Craig, ‘Okay, let’s just get married and have a baby because everyone is pressuring us.’ ” She says while it’s possible to have both a family and a career, she wants to prioritize the latter right now. “I want to fully take in this experience because I know it’s going to go so fast,” she says of everything she’s achieved. “I worked for it, and I’m excited for it.” 

Zimmermann jacket. Sportmax skirt. JENNY BIRD rings. Saint Laurent earrings & bracelet.

Colette Aboussouan

As for what’s next, she says, she’s open to anything, whether that means cameras will be rolling or not. “If Summer House called me today and said the show was canceled, and if I never got offered another one, I would say, ‘Okay, see you.’ And if someone called me right now and said, ‘Hey, we’re doing a spinoff with you and Craig,’  I would say, ‘Okay, when do we start filming?’ Either way, I feel like I would be content because that’s what was supposed to happen.”

The only thing she is set on, is that her engagement is a surprise. “Hopefully no one ruins it for me in terms of filming,” she says. However, in true Summer House spirit, she jokes that she will “one hundred percent be wearing shoulder pads,” when it happens. “It would be rude if I didn’t, and I think Lindsay would agree.”

Credits

Photographer  Colette Aboussouan

Cinematographer Josh Herzog

Hair Mitchell Ramazon

Makeup Sierra Matthews

Stylist Natalie Cantell

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education