Amanda Batula Manifested a Younger Man—Now She’s Dating West Wilson

Amanda Batula said she wanted a younger guy, and a few weeks later she confirmed she was dating her younger costar West Wilson. Not subtle, but effective. Here is how it all played out and why fans are raising eyebrows about the friend dynamics.

How we got here

• March 3: Marie Claire posts a video interview with Amanda, 34, across its social accounts. She laughs as she says she is manifesting a younger guy for something fun, someone to help her heal. At that point, she and West, 28, had not said they were together, but Summer House viewers were already connecting dots online.
• In that same interview, Amanda says she feels unstoppable two months after announcing she and Kyle Cooke split following four years of marriage. She describes herself as on cloud nine and says the prior couple of weeks were the happiest she has felt in a long time. She also makes it clear she is not looking for anything serious right now — more like just a boyfriend and some light flirting and making out. She notes she has typically dated older men; Kyle, 43, is roughly nine years older than she is.
• Tuesday, March 31: Amanda and West make it Instagram official with a joint statement confirming they are dating and asking for some grace while they figure it out.
• Monday, March 30: One night before that announcement, Ciara Miller, 30 — who used to date West and is close with Amanda — is working the season 2 premiere of the Apple TV drama Your Friends & Neighbors in New York City. When Jon Hamm asks how she is, she says she has been better.

The cast web is what makes this extra spicy. Amanda is tight with Ciara, who previously dated West. West is also friends with Kyle. So, yes, complicated — and the kind of thing Bravo cameras tend to feast on.

When Amanda and West finally addressed the speculation, they framed it as something that grew out of a long friendship and emphasized that they were not trying to be sneaky, just cautious:

"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."

"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, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care."

The timeline here is wild: in early March, Amanda is out here saying she only wants something casual with someone younger after years of dating older, and by the end of the month she is confirming a new romance with her 28-year-old costar. Given the friendships involved — Amanda with Ciara, West with Kyle — it makes sense they took a beat before going public. Now we wait to see how it plays on the show.