The “Real Housewives of New York City” alum is urging fans to “move on” from the “Summer House” drama.

Bethenny Frankel defends Amanda Batula and West Wilson amid romance backlash: ‘They’re grown-a—, consenting adults’

The "Real Housewives of New York City" alum is urging fans to "move on" from the "Summer House" drama.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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April 1, 2026 3:07 p.m. ET

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Bethenny Frankel, Amanda Batula and West Wilson. Credit:

Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty; Dave Kotinsky/Getty; Kareem Black/Bravo via Getty

Bethenny Frankel is wading into the *Summer House* discourse… without any context.

The *Real Housewives of New York City* alum shared her "blind take" about the romance between Amanda Batula and West Wilson in a TikTok Tuesday, defending the reality stars amid backlash to their recently confirmed relationship.

"I’m at dinner, and everyone is on my jock about these people from *Summer House*," Frankel began. "I don’t know anything about the situation so I'm gonna give you my blind take."

Frankel went on to share her opinion in two points. "A, was this on a reality show with producers and a network that stands to profit in the same way as Scandoval?," she began, referencing Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss' cheating scandal that rocked the world of *Vanderpump Rules* in 2023. "Okay, we move on. B, did the people that were 'friends' meet on the show?"

Bethenny Frankel.

Hoda Davaine/Getty

Frankel pointed out that in that case, the narrative is being heavily influenced by the show's producers and editors. She added, "Are they drinking alcohol on this show? Are they scantily clad in the Hamptons? Is there drama as a forefront item on the menu?"

To this she said firmly, "If these are all in fact true, then this couple that is now a couple, they're grown-ass, consenting adults."

She continued, "Whoever it is that you're gonna go drag, bully, and cane like you did to the last drunken-fueled show that made tens of millions of dollars and soaring ratings from your rabid obsession with people you never met who are just young kids f---ing and loving, then we move on."

Frankel concluded by sharing that she's willing to show her support in one very tangible way, noting, "Whoever these two people are, together now, go with God. I'd be happy to sell them an appropriate wedding dress."

She captioned the video, "Fight me in the comments."

Speculation about a relationship between Batula and West arose in January, shortly after Batula and her husband, Kyle Cooke, announced their split. Two months later, gossip blog DeuxMoi reported that the *Summer House *costars were allegedly hooking up, which created ripples throughout the show's fandom on the heels of Wilson's very public breakup with costar Ciara Miller, who has been close friends with Batula for years.

The duo initially shot down the romance rumors, but confirmed their relationship in a joint statement shared to Batula's Instagram Story on Tuesday.

Amanda Batula and West Wilson on Summer House.

"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," the statement began. "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."

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The statement 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, longstanding 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."

Cooke weighed in on the situation Wednesday, expressing greater concern for his ex than his own feelings. Miller has yet to publicly address the rumors or Wilson and Batula's statement, but she has unfollowed both of them on Instagram.

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