A whirlwind of controversy has enveloped her after she began a relationship with her ex-husband’s closest friend.
Although the situation remains tense, Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke recently came together in New York City, where they exchanged a poignant embrace.
This reunion follows the uproar caused by Batula and her Summer House co-star, West Wilson, confirming their secretive affair after weeks of rumors.
Wilson’s role in Batula’s life is far from ordinary—he’s not only a good friend of Cooke but also has a history with Batula’s friend Ciara Miller.
Despite feelings of betrayal reportedly looming over him, Cooke, 43, offered Batula, 34, a hug that seemed both genuine and heartfelt.
The pair were spotted in the city on Friday, sharing a brief conversation, accompanied by the dogs they had adopted together during their marriage.
Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke shared a bittersweet embrace as they parted ways in New York City on Friday
Despite the messy layers now surrounding their relationship, the embrace appeared heartfelt and sincere
While not particularly emotional, the hug was likely a sign of the cordial path they wanted to take their relationship down.
As they started walking away, Cooke threw another sign of their friendly relations – he flashed a sincere smile towards her as they wrapped up their chat.
Cooke and Batula were married for four years before they announced their divorce earlier this year.
At the time, the split made headlines but the buzz was nothing by comparison to the stir Batula’s new romance with West caused.
The duo confirmed their romance with a statement: ‘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.’
It continued: ‘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.’
The duo were joined by the two dogs they adopted during their marriage, pooches they now appear to be co-parenting
In another sign of their goodwill, Kyle flashed a genuine smile as they said goodbye
Batula was dressed in a distressed leather jacket, striped shirt, ‘Elwood’ hat and headphones
‘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.’
It concluded: ‘We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.’
The confirmation came days after rumors began to swirl that the two of them had been caught kissing each other, as gossip blind account Deux Moi reported.
Miller has remained fairly tight-lipped about her ex and her friend’s newly announced relationship, but she made her first public statement the same day that Wilson and Batula shared a joint statement announcing their romance.
The Summer House star posted a video along with the caption, ‘If you can’t trust your Friends & Neighbors, who can you trust?’
The pair ended their meetup with the sweet hug
Batula was also seen carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers
Only days earlier Batula pulled the trigger and confirmed her romance with Wilson
In the clip, Miller was pictured on the red carpet interviewing several cast members at the Your Friends & Neighbors season 2 premiere on Monday, on behalf of Apple TV+.
During one part of her interview with the show’s star, 55-year-old Jon Hamm, Miller asks how he’s feeling.
‘Wonderful, thank you. How are you?’ Hamm replies.
The camera then zooms in on Miller, who says, ‘I’m good,’ before adding, ‘Well, I’ve been better.’
In another cheeky comment elsewhere in the video, she joked that everyone in the cast is ‘morally bankrupt.’
She also told another cast member that she is ‘on Prozac.’
The hug was a sign of the direction they wanted to take their relationship
In a statement, Batula and West posted: ‘We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity’
The love square has caused a stir within the Bravoverse
West had dated Ciara Miller, pictured Monday in NYC, before igniting a relationship with her friend Batula
Fans have questioned just how long Batula and West have had eyes for each other, as they compared the salacious scandal to that of Vanderpump Rules’ ‘Scandoval,’ which saw Tom Sandoval cheat on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with fellow cast member Raquel Leviss.
There was also much speculation floating around on Reddit and TikTok, as Bravo fans weighed in. On Instagram, viewers even discovered that Batula and Wilson had been sharing a very unique-looking sweatshirt, with Wilson pictured wearing it in November 2025 and Batula wearing it just last month.
When Wilson and Miller were dating, they had a messy end to the relationship, as Wilson participated in a flurry of press interviews after the fact, like his exclusive with The New York Times.
During the interview with The Times, Wilson said that he couldn’t commit to Miller for ‘show-related reasons.’
When Wilson and Miller were dating, they had a messy end to the relationship; The two are pictured here together this past season
The duo announced their divorce after four years of marriage earlier this year; The two seen in 2017
Batula and Wilson made a joint statement about their romance, writing, ‘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’
‘I don’t think it was right to place the end of the relationship on those things,’ he told the outlet at the time.
‘I think I would’ve read more honest if I was just like, the relationship ran its course, I don’t think we were meant to be together, that’s it,’ Wilson said.
‘I think me trying to deflect the actual relationship and name all these external things really made me sound like an idiot.’
Miller has expressed just how much the relationship hurt her, even breaking down in tears during the Summer House Season 8 reunion.
Summer House airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. Episodes are also available to stream the next day on Peacock.
