Dara Levitan Breaks Silence on Summer House Split: The Real Reason

Sometimes the most honest thing you can say about a breakup is that you can’t talk about it without falling apart.

That’s where Dara Levitan found herself on Thursday, June 18, when she addressed her split from Summer House costar KJ Dillard on her“Five More Minutes”podcast. The 33-year-old reality star kept it brief and raw:“I’m single,”she said, before pivoting away from the details.“That’s all we’re going to say about it because I can’t do tears this morning, and there’s no way I’m talking about it without crying.”

The breakup was far from a quiet fade-to-black. Costar Jesse Solomon had already let it slip on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on June 9, confirming that KJ and Dara had unfollowed each other on social media. But the real story behind the split is more nuanced than a typical reality TV romance gone wrong.

KJ and Dara’s connection started during the filming of Summer House season 10 in summer 2025, after being introduced by castmate West Wilson. They had their moments on camera—ups, downs, all the usual relationship drama that made for compelling television. But off-screen, something more serious was unfolding. On June 2, during an appearance on the“More Life With Carl Radke”podcast, the 28-year-old KJ revealed that he and Dara took a break after filming wrapped while he was battling mental health struggles. KJ had been hospitalized for self-harm and was later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Here’s where the maturity enters the story: KJ explained that Dara“broke up”with him“because she had to.”She didn’t abandon him—she made a difficult but loving choice.“Dara, I think, was gonna hang on,”KJ acknowledged,“but that wouldn’t have been good for either of us.”He needed recovery to come first, and Dara understood that their relationship couldn’t be the focus while he was rebuilding his mental health. As KJ put it, had they stayed together during his recovery,“I would have been focused on saving the relationship rather than focusing on my health. Recovery changed my life.”

It’s a refreshing contrast to the messier celebrity breakup narratives we’re used to. Instead of blame or bitterness, we’re looking at two people who chose what was best for one of them—even if it meant stepping back.

For now, Dara’s moved into the single era with her signature humor intact. When discussing dating on her podcast, she joked about the prospect of casual hookups:“It’s been a long time since I’ve had any kind of casual hookup so let’s circle back in 90 days and see where we’re at to see if I’m talking to a man.”She also offered some real talk about her relationship patterns, admitting,“I love them against my will, but I don’t like them.”

Whether that’s genuine reflection or just processing out loud remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: sometimes the best thing a relationship can do is end gracefully—in service of something bigger.