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Kyle Cooke shared his reaction to West Wilson’s Summer House exit — and it’s surprising, to say the least.
“It’s unfortunate,” Kyle, 43, said on the Wednesday, June 24, episode of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast. “It was [only] months ago that I considered him a friend.”
Kyle’s Summer House costar Lindsay Hubbard, however, had a more blunt reaction to the news.
“I’m fine with it,” she said.
Us Weekly exclusively broke the news that West, 31, will not be returning to film Summer House season 11 following his controversial relationship with Kyle’s ex, Amanda Batula. (West previously dated costar Ciara Miller.)
“West isn’t coming back,” a source told Us earlier in June. “He could still make an appearance on Summer House or [Amanda’s spinoff show] In the City in the future, especially if things with Amanda progress, but he’s not a cast member this season.”
“[West was] already feeling like his time on the show was coming to an end,” another insider said. “It became even clearer that there wasn’t a long-term fit anymore. He is at peace with the decision and is focusing on his podcast and other business ventures.”
West confirmed the news on Wednesday, telling the Broadcast Boys on Instagram, “I wanted to tell it on my own but that [exit rumor] is true. In [Bravo’s] defense, I don’t think it would have been a fun summer.”
While West’s future on Summer House is now confirmed, it’s unclear whether he’ll continue to film scenes with Amanda, 34, for spinoff show In the City, which follows Kyle, Amanda, Lindsay and more.
Kyle said on Wednesday, “That’s the big conundrum.”
“I think that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Lindsay, 39, added. “In the City films in the fall. We just have to see how this plays out. It’ll probably come down to the wire.”
Kyle also spoke about his conversation with West during the Summer House: The Aftermath bonus episode, which was filmed in May and aired last week on Bravo as an addendum to season 10. In the episode, Kyle confronted West about the origins of his relationship with Amanda, from whom Kyle announced his separation in January.
“I’m glad we did it because I don’t want someone to think I won’t film, I won’t give them the chance … have the last word, I don’t care,” the Loverboy founder said. “But I look back on that and, yeah, that was a three-hour helicopter ride where we just talked in circles.”
West and Amanda confirmed that their friendship had turned romantic in a joint Instagram statement in March.
“Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care,” they wrote at the time. “As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling. We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt or be perceived as careless. We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”
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