Amanda Batula and West Wilson may have confirmed their romance, but their castmates are reportedly struggling with how long the pair kept it hidden.
A source told PEOPLE that much of the Summer House cast feels blindsided after Amanda and West admitted they are together in matching Instagram statements posted on March 31.
“Most people on the cast did not see this coming,” the insider says. “Many are still in the dark about what has actually occurred.” The source claims that Amanda and West “kept this very secretive and were openly lying about it,” forcing their friends to learn the truth at the same time as fans did.
“There’s a lot of hurt, a lot of confusion and a feeling of betrayal among the friend group,” the source says.
According to the insider, the cast is now rallying around Ciara and Kyle Cooke. West briefly dated Ciara in 2023, while Amanda and West announced the end of their marriage earlier this year. In the current season, West appeared to be trying to win Ciara back, even becoming handy in front of the cast members, a move which made Ciara visibly uncomfortable.
The revelation has been especially painful for Ciara, who reportedly trusted both Amanda and Westwhen they denied anything romantic was happening. Miller has been one of Batula’s biggest supporters this current season.
Just last week, West appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and insisted Amanda was only his “homegirl.”
“That’s a friend. I hope it’s clear,” he said. Amanda had also denied the rumors, saying on a podcast earlier this month, “I’m not touching any of my cast members.”
Several Bravolebrities have spoken out in support of Ciara, including Southern Charm star Austen Kroll, fellow Summer House cast members Lindsay Hubbs and Mia Calabrese.
Just last month, in a sitdown with Marie Claire, Amanda gushed about how supportive Miller has been to her.
“It would have been a very difficult summer to get through without Ciara,” Amanda said at the time. She continued: “[Ciara] 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.”
Yesterday, before the joint statement was released, Amanda launched her ad campaign with Edie Parker. The brand quickly removed the campaign from their Instagram account, swapping Amanda out for another model.
“A lot can change in a day [.] Same shirt. Same great charity. New model,” the post caption read.
Rumors have also been circulating that Ciara and West were trying to rekindle their romance and recently as last week. Other sources have also stepped forward to claim that West was already in an exclusive relationship with another woman and has also been dating other women.