Summer House star West Wilson is setting the record straight on the timeline of his and Amanda Batula‘s romance as the pair continue to take heat after going public.
During the Monday, April 20, episode of his and Sophie Cunningham‘s “Show Me Something” podcast, West, 31, shut down the insinuation that he and Amanda, 34, weren’t single when they got together.
“There was no overlap,” he insisted, adding that the couple “realized things were maybe a little bit serious” in February. “I know there’s a thousand different theories on the internet right now, but that is one thing that for sure did not happen. Everyone was single.”
Amanda and Kyle Cooke announced in January that their marriage was over. Rumors later swirled about Amanda and West, who was previously involved with her friend and their costar Ciara Miller.
After initially dodging speculation that they were secretly hooking up, West and Amanda confirmed their relationship in March, telling fans via social media that things were “still very new” between them.
“It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. … 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,” their statement continued, in part. “Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
A source later told Luxury Handbag Shopping that Ciara, 30, felt “betrayed,” saying, “Ciara is heartbroken by this. She and Amanda were very close, and she feels more betrayed than ever by both of them.”
Ciara eventually broke her silence on the scandal in an interview with Glamour published Friday, April 17.
“Just know when something’s weird in your gut, there’s a reason. What’s done in the dark always comes to light,” she said. “And sometimes you really don’t even have to do anything except sit back and let the universe handle it all.”
Ciara specifically called out Amanda’s behavior, referring to their last conversation as “minimal.”
“At the end of the day, a guy’s a guy. Whether or not West and I are working on a relationship, you just can’t put anything past a man,” she said. “But I just never would think that it would come from someone like Amanda, who has been what has felt like in my circle and in my corner for so long. I think that’s the craziest part.”
West, meanwhile, defended Amanda during his podcast on Monday and addressed the vibe among the entire cast. “I’ve sent some texts. Haven’t gotten responses from everybody yet, which is to be expected and I get it,” he said. “That’s the hardest part.”
He continued: “I think with this whole situation is my actions have hurt people I care about. But the reunion’s coming up and I can give those apologies face-to-face and also clear up all of the crazy s*** that’s been on the internet.”
