“Summer House” star Amanda Batula issued an apology on her Instagram story on Friday in the wake of controversy surrounding her relationship with co-star West Wilson.
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Wilson’s ex, Ciara Miller, was Batula’s close friend on the show, prompting many fans of the Bravo reality TV show to criticize her for coupling up with their co-star.
The show, now airing its 10th season on Peacock, follows a group of friends and their antics in a vacation home in the Hamptons in New York. (NBCUniversal is the parent company of Peacock and NBC News.)
Batula did not mention Wilson or Miller in her Instagram story. But the 34-year-old appeared to acknowledge the negative reaction to her recent relationship news.
“I’ve obviously been MIA, but I wanted to come back on and say that I’m truly sorry to everyone I’ve disappointed an hurt, especially those I know personally who I’ve reached out to individually,” she wrote.
Batula has been separated from Kyle Cooke, her husband of four years, since January. Wilson was romantically entangled with Miller during Season 8, which was filmed in summer 2023.
Rumors surrounding Batula and West first appeared on gossip social media pages in March. Photos circulated online showed the pair out together in New York.
During the March 24 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” host Andy Cohen asked Wilson about his reaction to the rumors.
“That’s a friend,” Wilson said, calling Batula “a very important person to me.”
One week later, on March 31, the two revealed their “connection” in matching statements shared on Instagram. They said it was “never our intention to purposely hide anything.”
Cooke, Batula’s ex, responded to news of the relationship in a recent TikTok video, saying “I understand people have all sorts of opinions, and I’m not justifying any behavior, but from where I’m standing, she’s kind of getting cyberbullied.”
In her Instagram story on Friday, which featured a photo of one of her dogs sleeping, Batula also said that she’s trying to “start living life with some sense of normalcy” for her mental health.
“If you see me out or posting online, please know that this still weighs very heavily on me. I’m not ignoring what’s happened or what’s unfolded,” Batula added, noting that she plans to address “any and all questions” during the show’s reunion.
Bravo has not yet set a date for the reunion special, though Cohen said in a post on X on March 31 that he’s preparing for it.
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