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With a newborn that’s only five weeks, Jasmine Cooper is still working.

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Jasmine is a screenwriter and creative, best known for being a cast member of Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard. The reality television series debuted in May of last year, following a group of friends as they embark on a vacation of a lifetime. The show takes place inside the historical Oak Bluffs area of Martha’s Vineyard, one of the most beautiful destinations in New England.

Now, fans are excited as ever as Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard returns for Season 2. This sees Jasmine in a whole new light, as she’s now married with a newborn. Last season, Jasmine was still single before meeting her husband on the dating app Hinge during the pandemic. In Jasmine’s words, it was “ .”

This is also a show about Black excellence and Black affluence.

Jasmine provided important context for the idea of the show by explaining why affluent Black people have made Martha’s Vineyard a yearly vacation destination and the cultural impact it has had on the Black community.

Sheen Magazine had the pleasure of chatting with Jasmine Cooper about the new season, with her Baby Boy Cooper in her arms.

Your baby is so cute! How’s mom life?

It’s going. Coffee is my best friend. [laughs] But it’s great, he’s not a handful. It’s the usual: change me, feed me, I need sleep. He’s five weeks today, so we’re just moving along.

What’re you most excited for Season 2 of Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard?

Honestly, there’s so many dynamics in the friendships. I’m really looking forward to people feeling seen and relating to friendship woes, and the fun and the little bit of the drama. But definitely feeling seen in our friendships.

How is married Jasmine compared to single Jasmine?

There’s such a conversation to be had around the amount of grace that people are allowed to have when they grow. Whether I was married right now or not, I still believe I would’ve grown. Maybe in a different way, but I wouldn’t be the same as when I met some of my Bunny sisters. That conversation is very interesting. It’s very interesting. Because one thing about me, I’m very resilient. I get that from my mother, and I’m going to keep growing. So I might not be the same next year as I am right now.

You guys actually met on Hinge?

Yes we did! Shout out to Hinge, apps do work. [laughs]

How was your dating life before meeting him? Did you ever think you’d be meeting the love of your life on a dating app?

Absolutely not, definitely think that. My whole time here in New York, and I was here for five years before I met with Silas. I’m a person that I love to go on dates. I love meeting people. I didn’t really have a tie, but it takes a lot for me to not get annoyed with certain men. [laughs] Right off the bat, our first FaceTime call getting off the app, I remember thinking we have a lot in common and I’m not annoyed by him. That was a huge like okay, this is a little different. Even when we spent a lot of time together during the pandemic, same thing: he didn’t get on my nerves. Alright, this is off to a good start. [laughs] Because I’m a Capricorn so we’re a little particular. We don’t like everybody. We like people, but romantically we don’t like everybody. We’re very black and white.

What was your reaction when you found out you’re pregnant?

Honestly, I was so happy. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and Silas has always wanted to be a dad. What’s the best way to describe it? We really put a lot of work in to meet the moment in where we are in our marriage, and it felt like a reward for putting the work in. So I was excited. 

How hard was it for him to have to leave?

We’re a little similar in that there’s been a lot of challenges in our relationship. Just life, between jobs and friendships and moving a lot. We’re both like there’s quiet love here, we’re gonna focus on the task at hand and we’ll deal with the emotions later. The closer I got to giving birth, the harder that was to maintain. In the beginning, not gonna lie it was easy. Okay, distance makes the heart grow fonder. We’re gonna check in. But the closer we got, the harder it was to say: I wish I could be with my person right now, for this big moment coming up. It’s still hard right now, I miss him like crazy. But I’m so grateful for just FaceTime and text messages and the calls, sending him all the updates. Thank God for that.

What was the highlight from shooting the season?

Oh my god, just hanging out with the girls. Really having that girl time, especially with Noelle. She’s such a breath of fresh air to the group. She brought a lot of what I was really looking for this summer, which was great energy, good vibes. Starting anew. Thank God Bria and I on great terms, we had our conversations and hashed things out. It was the girls, Shanice was incredible as well. It was so nice to hang out with my friends. There was definitely some drama and some much-needed conversation needed to be had with certain people. But for the most part, everybody else was supportive. Understanding that Silas was away, and you do find out that I’m pregnant later this season. As you tune in, watch how all or that happens. But they were very supportive, and that’s all I can really ask for. 

Was it hard to hide the pregnancy?

In the beginning, no. It wasn’t. But very quickly, when I stopped being able to fit my clothes, okay. They’re gonna be able to…Was it hard for you? [baby starts crying] You want your pacifier, that’s what’s going on. 

He’s so cute! You did that.

Thank you. I’m still trying to figure out who he looks like the most. He looks like a lot of grandparents right now, so we’ll see.

Anything else you want to let the people know? 

I have a lot of projects that I’m working on. An audio fiction podcast, which I’m super excited about. As you know, I’m a screenwriter, so there’s always going to be some shows. Some movies, something that you can always expect from me in the works. 

Photo Credit: Antwon Maxwell