Jesse Solomon Says One ‘Summer House’ Lesson Changed How He Dates

Jesse Solomon is living a pretty surreal double life. One minute, he’s in the middle of the most talked-about drama on Bravo. The next, he’s loading gear into a Sprinter van after performing for packed crowds on his first headlining tour. 

During his appearance on The Bossticks, the Summer House star talks about how he navigates both worlds at once, while also reflecting on the experiences that shaped him long before reality TV entered the chat. From surviving testicular cancer in his twenties to rethinking dating, friendship, success, and mental health in real time, Solomon says he’s trying harder than ever to stay grounded through all of it.

Here are some of the highlights from the conversation, adapted from the episode.

Jesse Solomon Says One ‘Summer House’ Lesson Changed How He Dates

Did you originally join ‘Summer House’ to launch your music career?

“No. I’ve sang my entire life. I went to music school at the University of Miami…But I went into the show thinking, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll launch, like, a consumer product at some point.’ I didn’t think I would launch a music career, but it just was, like, the thing making me happy and what I wanted to do. I’m on a 16—we just added a show in Atlantic City, 17 City tour.”

Are you dating anyone right now?

“None…I have a crush…This crush isn’t being as reciprocated as I would like, so we’ll see where it goes.”

What’s been the hardest part about balancing fame, touring, and real life?

“[Summer House] is based on our real lives, so you just kind of show up and try your best to be yourself with giant cameras in your face. So I would say my main objective is don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in real life because I’m on Summer House. Obviously, like, you’re in this microcosm, and relationships happen faster. Friendships get deeper, quicker. You’re talking about really vulnerable stuff, so it all kind of spirals quickly. And that’s what creates a good show, I think. But our show is based on genuine, real friendships, and it’s not just like a show friendship. I think you can feel if it was fake.”

How did it feel finding out two close friends were hooking up behind everyone’s back?

“Yeah. I had been hearing the rumors for a while, so I wasn’t surprised, but I was kind of shocked that they would lie to me. Yeah, it was really upsetting.”

What has Ciara taught you about dating and relationships?

“Well, I mean, this summer, this past summer, I thought I was doing the right thing by checking with my buddy to see if he would be upset if I pursued his ex. And I didn’t realize that that could make her feel objectified. She obviously means way more to me than just somebody I would want to hook up with. And so I never meant to make her feel that way. And it really hurt me to see how upset she was. I wish I had spoken to her first. And obviously, I was going to have a more serious conversation with her after I had talked to West about it. She taught me a good lesson that you can’t just be cavalier in the way that you go about dating.”

Would you ever date someone on ‘Summer House’ again?

“Yeah. I would definitely date somebody that I was attracted to on the show. I would take it way slower. I just didn’t see. That’s another lesson Ciara taught me. She’s like, ‘Slow the f*ck down.’  And I didn’t see a reason to slow down. I was like, ‘I like this girl. She likes me. We’re having a great time.’”

What was the reunion really like behind the scenes?

“Yeah. I cried a handful of times. I was crying all day. I was a mess. Carl’s a mess. I was a mess…I was crying because I hadn’t taken the time to deal with the emotions and the lying. And I thought that West was going to come to the reunion with something that was going to make people feel better and that we were going to be able to walk out of there, not turning the page, but at least having apologized and being able to move forward.”

What was going through your mind when you were diagnosed with cancer at 24?

“I was just like, you know, shocked. And then you always have this voice in the back of your head that’s like, ‘What if you’re one of the unlucky ones?’ But I had great doctors, a great support system. My family and friends were there for me…And you just kind of look at it as like this sh*tty period of your life that you’re going to hopefully get through. And you’re going to be better for it on the other side.”

How did cancer change your perspective on life?

“I live every day with such joy, just happy to be alive. And that’s like what my tour is called, the Happy to Be Here tour. I did start to struggle a little bit with my mental health recently because I was kind of losing that gratitude. And I was like, ‘What the f*ck is wrong with me? Like, you are so lucky. You have so much. You’re doing so well. You’re getting to do what you love to do. Like, why are you not as happy as you used to be after you had just beaten cancer?’”

What was it like filming your five-year cancer-free checkup for the show?

“I remember two weeks before the doctor’s appointment, I felt something change on the left nut of my remaining testicle. And I was like, ‘Oh, f*ck. Did I just like set myself up to get cancer again on national television?’ And I started really freaking out…And then they were just like two normal things. One was like a calcium buildup, one was like a blood vessel. They were like, ‘You’re fine.’”

Do you feel like ‘Summer House’ is more real than people think?

“I would say that that’s a great thing that I didn’t know what to expect when I joined a reality TV show. I don’t watch a lot of reality TV. I was like, ‘Is this all real?’ And you show up. And Summer House, especially, they don’t say, ‘Hey, show up at three o’clock at this restaurant. Like, you’re going to film a scene with this person.’ Like, we’re just in this house for 48 hours, so you really let your guard down.”

What does your health and wellness routine actually look like?

“I work out every day. I eat clean. I lift probably four or five days a week. I walk a lot. And every morning, I make this big hydration drink of like colostrum and electrolytes and a whole bunch of stuff. Obviously, I’m on the road right now on tour. So like, I’ll get some chicken tenders if that’s the only thing around. And like, I drink alcohol sparingly. But right now, I’m not drinking.”

Why did you decide to get off dating apps?

“It’s just too much. Too much optionality. Like, I need to focus on one person…Yeah, I could go to a bar, and there’s like, you know, 50 girls there. Or you can go on your phone, and it’s like unlimited. So I got to cut off the dating apps. And yeah, try to like talk to one person at a time. It’s a good place to start.”

To hear the full conversation, listen to The Bossticks wherever you get your podcasts.

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