Bravo‘s Summer House is having its own mini Scandoval.
On Tuesday, co-stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson released a joint statement confirming their new relationship after weeks of rumors circulating that their relationship had turned romantic. Batula recently announced her split from her husband Kyle Cooke; Wilson notably formerly dated Ciara Miller, one of Batula’s close friends.
“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, posted separately on Batula and Wilson’s Instagram Stories, began.
“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,” their statement continued. “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 or be perceived as careless. We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”
As speculation of a romance between the Summer House stars has caught wind in the Bravosphere, many of Batula and Wilson’s co-stars refuted claims that they were together romantically. During a March 10 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Cooke, Batula’s husband, said he thought the rumors were “outrageous.”
“For it to go as long as it has in the news cycle is kind of shocking. But no, I don’t think there’s any merit to it,” he said. When asked by host Andy Cohen if he’d be upset if he found out the pair were romantically together, Cooke said, “It would certainly catch me by surprise and feel a little reckless.”
“And I think I’d probably be the last person people would be worried about. I think Ciara would probably have something to say,” he added. “But if it made Amanda happy, I think I just would have to vote ‘yay.’”
Wilson himself reacted to the speculation during his March 24 WWHL stint. He claimed they were just friends.
“She’s single now, and I gotta show her the streets a little bit,” he said. “If it’s not clear, that’s a very important person to me, and I care about her a lot. That’s a friend. Hope that’s clear.”
Batula herself also previously said she would never date any of her Summer House co-stars amid her split from Cooke. “I’m not touching any of my cast members,” she said on, likewise, on WWHL on Feb. 3. “Yeah, no, love them dearly, but I’m good.”
Wilson joined the cast of Bravo’s Summer House in season eight, which began airing in 2024. During that installment, Wilson met the cast and began his romance with Miller, whom he dated through the end of the year. At the season eight reunion of the reality series, the two announced they were no longer together, and Miller revealed that Wilson said he could not commit to a serious relationship with her “for show related reasons.”
At that reunion, Batula, alongside a majority of the cast, slammed Wilson in support of The Traitors season three star, calling out his tendency to “date [women] for long periods of time without putting a title on it.”
“And there was a part of me that was hopeful this time would be different,” Batula said at the time of Wilson and Miller’s relationship, continuing, “but it just seems like a pattern with you. You have a really hard time committing.”
Wilson and Miller were on rocky terms throughout the ninth season of Summer House. Season 10 premiered in February and is currently airing, where the two have gotten close and rehashed aspects of their former romance. (In episode seven, Miller admitted that “it’s very clear that we both miss each other,” and noted that “we’re in a weird state of like, limbo, and so it’s all just coming out so disorganized and a bit crazy.”)
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Miller’s reps for comment. (Eagle-eyed fans have noticed that she unfollowed Batula and Wilson following the posting of their joint statement.)
Elsewhere, Batula and Cooke announced their separation in January. The couple, who has been married for four years, have been on the Bravo series throughout the majority of its run; Cooke has been a full-time cast member since season one, where they both appeared as their relationship began. Batula joined the cast in full-time capacity during season two, and they later got engaged on the show in September 2018.
In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Batula sang Miller’s praises during filming for season 10 of Summer House amid turbulence in her marriage. However, she also shouted out Wilson.
“It would have been a very difficult summer to get through without Ciara. She is one of the kindest, most loving, loyal friends I’ve ever had. She sends me texts out of the blue, reminding me how strong, powerful, smart, and kind I am — I don’t think she even realizes how much I need those texts,” Batula said. “It’s also meant so much to me how supportive West [Wilson] has been throughout the season, sometimes in ways I wasn’t even aware of when filming. It’s not performative; it’s just really authentic to who West is. He checks Kyle and puts him in his place, and you’ll continue to see him be there for me throughout the season.”