The Valley’s Zack Teases Deeper Drama Behind Amanda and West’s Romance
Zack Wickham says the real tea on Amanda Batula and West Wilson’s shock romance could drop soon — sparked by a vacation run-in with Summer House star Jesse Solomon, as teased on SiriusXM’s Smith Sisters Live.
Well, that escalated fast. After weeks of whispering and a few strategic denials, Summer House pals Amanda Batula and West Wilson just put a label on it. And because nothing in this friend group happens in a straight line, there is already fallout, a radio-tease breadcrumb trail, and a vacation meet-cute that somehow involves Jesse Solomon. Buckle up.
The tease that lit the fuse
On Tuesday, March 31, The Valley's Zack Wickham went on SiriusXM's Smith Sisters Live and hinted that the Amanda/West situation is going to get messier once more comes out. His story: a friend’s cousin met Summer House's Jesse Solomon on vacation, Jesse allegedly unloaded the whole saga, and that secondhand download made its way back to Zack. He stopped short of spilling specifics on-air, but the implication was: if what he heard is right, brace yourselves.
How we got here
- January: Amanda, 34, announces her split from husband and Summer House costar Kyle Cooke. Rumors kick up almost immediately that she and West, 31, are hooking up.
- Context worth flagging: West has had an on-and-off thing with costar Ciara Miller since 2023.
- Earlier this month: Amanda shuts down talk that she’s involved with anyone in the house on the Trading Secrets podcast: not touching any cast members, love them, but she’s good.
- Not long after, West goes on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and frames it as just hanging out. He calls Amanda single, important to him, and a friend.
- Tuesday (same day as Zack’s radio tease): Amanda and West confirm they’re more than friends.
The official word from Amanda and West
They posted a joint statement acknowledging the chatter and saying they wanted to clear the air without rushing it, given all the overlapping relationships and the reality TV microscope.
"We have seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity."
They say the shift came out of a long-standing friendship neither expected to turn romantic, which is why they tried to move carefully. They also note they took time to figure out what they were actually feeling, knew this would affect people beyond just the two of them, and did not want it to look careless. Translation: this wasn’t meant to be a secret; it was them pumping the brakes before going public.
The reaction (and it is not subtle)
According to Us Weekly, Ciara, 30, is gutted by the news. One source says she feels betrayed by both Amanda and West, and a second source says she cut off contact with the two of them after finding out.
So where does that leave us? Publicly official, privately complicated. And if Zack’s vacation-telephone story checks out, the spiciest chapter might still be coming. Reality show scrutiny, shifting loyalties, and a newly single Amanda stepping into something with a close friend who has history with another close friend — there’s a lot of emotional Jenga here. Stay tuned.