‘Summer House’ Stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson Confirm Relationship After Internet Speculation
Following a frenzy of mounting speculation, “Summer House” stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson have confirmed their relationship, sharing a joint statement via their Instagram stories on Tuesday morning.
“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity. It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it,” the statement reads.
“We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
“As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling. We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt to be perceived as careless,” the statement concluded. “We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”
The news comes as Season 10 of “Summer House” airs on Bravo — the tenth season for Batula and the third for Wilson. Originally, Batula joined the show as the sometimes girlfriend of fellow cast member Kyle Cooke, becoming a permanent fixture on Season 2. The two went on to tie the knot in 2021, though they announced their separation ahead of the Season 10 premiere in January. Both Cooke and Batula are set to star on the “Summer House” spinoff, “In the City,” currently slated to premiere following the Season 10 finale.
Wilson previously dated cast member Ciara Miller, and the two have had an on-again, off-again relationship in the time since, including a flirtation that plays out over the rest of the season.
Variety has reached out to Bravo for clarity about when the reunion will film and whether production will resume.
There’s precedent for picking cameras back up when seismic events occur after the filming wraps, like when Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky split on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and, most memorably, for “Vanderpump Rules,” when Ariana Madix discovered that her longtime partner Tom Sandoval had been engaging in a months-long affair with their friend and fellow castmate Raquel Leviss — the all-consuming pop culture drama known as #Scandoval. (That breakup was so explosive that it ended the original cast’s tenure, and the Bravo series rebooted with a new cast.)
Production also resumed twice on “Summer House.” First, in Season 8, cameras captured the final moments of Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard’s relationship as he called off their impending wedding after a summer that had more blowups than blissful moments. Then, last season, Paige Desorbo and “Southern Charm” star Craig Conover’s split meant the “Summer House” girls got together to film a few additional scenes clarifying the timeline of when their relationship ended.
“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity. It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it,” the statement reads.
“We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
“As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling. We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt to be perceived as careless,” the statement concluded. “We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”
The news comes as Season 10 of “Summer House” airs on Bravo — the tenth season for Batula and the third for Wilson. Originally, Batula joined the show as the sometimes girlfriend of fellow cast member Kyle Cooke, becoming a permanent fixture on Season 2. The two went on to tie the knot in 2021, though they announced their separation ahead of the Season 10 premiere in January. Both Cooke and Batula are set to star on the “Summer House” spinoff, “In the City,” currently slated to premiere following the Season 10 finale.
Wilson previously dated cast member Ciara Miller, and the two have had an on-again, off-again relationship in the time since, including a flirtation that plays out over the rest of the season.
Variety has reached out to Bravo for clarity about when the reunion will film and whether production will resume.
There’s precedent for picking cameras back up when seismic events occur after the filming wraps, like when Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky split on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and, most memorably, for “Vanderpump Rules,” when Ariana Madix discovered that her longtime partner Tom Sandoval had been engaging in a months-long affair with their friend and fellow castmate Raquel Leviss — the all-consuming pop culture drama known as #Scandoval. (That breakup was so explosive that it ended the original cast’s tenure, and the Bravo series rebooted with a new cast.)
Production also resumed twice on “Summer House.” First, in Season 8, cameras captured the final moments of Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard’s relationship as he called off their impending wedding after a summer that had more blowups than blissful moments. Then, last season, Paige Desorbo and “Southern Charm” star Craig Conover’s split meant the “Summer House” girls got together to film a few additional scenes clarifying the timeline of when their relationship ended.