32 Questions for Amanda Batula
A list.
More from Hung Up this week: Another Knicks chat tonight … the weekly Love Island USA chat … and see you at Tribeca tomorrow, yeah?
Now that her charade of accountability at the Summer House reunion is over, we can get into the nitty-gritty. There are still dozens of questions for Amanda Batula, questions that she completely ignored or did not answer, and a few follow-ups she wasn’t asked. West agrees that he’s an incorrigible womanizer when pressed, but Amanda enjoys a victim narrative at the reunion, perhaps for the benefit of Kyle, who still loves her. (Of course he wants to think of her as manipulated and isolated! That’s the wife we’re watching him try to reconcile with this season on In The City!)
The most satisfying moment of the reunion, for me, was a question from Mia: “Amanda and West, did you honestly just come forward because there was so much speculation? Or were you guys going to continue to lie to us?” Now that’s a question I want answered. In the best-case scenario, what was the plan here? When were they going to share this with their friends, let alone the rest of the world? Amanda wakes from her slumber to give one answer that sounds real: “To be so honest, in that moment [we] came forward because of the speculation, because there were a lot of things I was still trying to understand and figure out, including the Meija situation,” she says. Mia again: “So it had nothing to do with, like, hurting your friendship with Ciara? It had to do with figuring out if West was actually exclusive with Meija?”
My group chat is still buzzing with questions left outstanding after the reunion’s final part aired. (A great comment from Meg Zukin, after Amanda said that she’s only been in a bubble thinking about herself: “We know!”) I treated this like an assignment:1 what would I have asked Amanda?
If you weren’t thinking about the potential (and likely) fallout from this relationship — in your friendship with Ciara, in your breakup with Kyle, in the larger friendgroup — what were you thinking about?
What did you think when you saw West leaving thirst comments under Ciara’s IG posts weeks before you announced your relationship?
When you say “sorry” to Ciara, are you apologizing for lying to her, or for having feelings for her ex?
Even though I don’t buy this part of the story at all: what did you do the day after West told you he had feelings for you?
Did you expect the cast to press West on his relationship with Meija?
West agreed with Andy that it seems dangerous to be in a relationship with someone with very clear commitment issues. What makes you certain that, despite embarrassing Ciara, Meija, and himself, he won’t embarrass you?
Did West detail his private conversations with Kyle about your marriage to you?
Do you believe that Kyle is still in love with you?
What do you make of your reunion performance?2
You had a conversation on the beach with Mia where you said you were “skeptical” of West, and that you’d “cut West off in one fucking second if she looked at me.” How do you reflect on that conversation now?
How did you prepare for the reunion if you didn’t watch this season of Summer House?
What makes West not good enough for Ciara but good enough for you?
“I’ve stopped watching the episodes because I cannot handle the idea of thinking about all the nasty shit people are going to say about me afterwards.” How do you have such a clear idea of what fan response to this relationship will be, but you couldn’t foresee Ciara and Kyle’s response? (From the texts: “I’d really like it if we could talk. At least so I can understand how you’re feeling.”)
In the reunion, you said that there were times you lost sleep and didn’t eat just thinking about the fact that your feelings for West existed. Did you think about telling Ciara when you first felt you were starting to have feelings for West?
Is there a version of events where you kept denying your relationship with West, kept your hookups secret, and came to the reunion apologizing for making a mistake? Since lying isn’t off the table.
You said West is the only man in the house who has stood up to Kyle. What do you make of your friendships with Carl and Jesse?
Do you think there’s a path forward for your friendship with Ciara?
Why do you think West is ready for a serious relationship right now?
West said repeatedly that the Summer House friendships are important to him. Are they important to you?
For better or for worse, in good ways or in bad, does West act a different way on-camera than off?
What personal reactions were you most surprised by at the reunion, or which ones didn’t you expect?
When did you know your marriage to Kyle was over?
Who did you think the audience would side with in your breakup with Kyle?
You apologized to Ciara for “betraying her trust.” What have you apologized to Kyle for?
Do you think West should’ve gone after you when you ran offstage crying?
How were you so convincing when you told your friends that the rumors with West weren’t true?
Who wrote the statement announcing your relationship?
How close was Kyle and West’s friendship in your eyes?
Did you know that West and Ciara were having sleepovers in the fall?
How does it land for you that the cast believes West is manipulating you?
Do you see any commonalities between West and Kyle, and what personality you’re attracted to?
West admitted to resenting Ciara after fans criticized him in the aftermath of the season eight reunion when he was no longer the fan favorite. The audience doesn’t support your relationship — do you think he will resent you the same way?
When I prepare for an interview, I write down every single question I have, big or small. From there, I condense repetitive questions (though sometimes repeating questions is useful, especially when you’re interviewing someone who doesn’t have experience being interviewed or they’re known liars) and streamline some of the more complicated, detail-oriented questions. Once I feel good about what’s being covered, then I can start shaping them thematically.
And what pharmaceuticals did you take/did you re-up during a break from filming?
amanda is too busy spitting in west-td's mouth in the south of italy or whatever but i would love an answer to 12. ciara is my girl and i'm sticking beside her (which includes watching tefi on aftersun; double nightmare for me) but if there is no ciara, i don't think amanda really did anything wrong. kyle is a loser, west is a loser; they are twin sisters. except west doesn't have anger issues where he explodes and lashes out (he just does quiet manipulations, moving in the shadows like the g in lasagna) and he is already in her inner circle personally and professionally so she didn't have to even think about...CLEARLY. but ciara DOES exist and i know there are a million tiktoks and tweets and reels etc about how she has been praying on ciara's downfall but i think it's actually worse because she really did love her so much. i just want to know what THE FUCK happened between august and january to completely shatter her sense of self, duty as a friend (as ciara pointed out, amanda barely has any as is), and just like completely lobotomised her. mia said it best. going from being married to kyle to being west's side chick IS crazy. did she switch weed strains? did kyle reveal a secret family in those therapy sessions? like #whatisgoingon !!! i know the answer is just selfish white woman july leo tings but ??? i just will never Understand
what i DO understand is: 16 & 24.
16: jesse is someone who identifies as he/honk because he is a clown. this whole Thing is the most serious i have ever seen him, probably because he is worried how him getting tom schwartz allegations was going to ruin the world tour. all 12 cities. carl, on the other hand, loves kyle more than (more) life itself and could not even call kyle out for getting the wife he never liked a cartier watch but refused to toss his bff a few stacks because he is "so broke". so yeah not shocked she never felt supported by the men. luke (now running for office btw) is the only man who loves yelling at women more than ben so no dice there, either
24: hunter, i love you so much and will spend the rest of our lives helping you see that the only toxic leo man born in august you need is ben affleck. kyle is such a loser and if he had just grown up and been even 5% less selfish, amanda could be happy in her house in new jersey with the dogs and their kids and kyle could still be a dj cheating on her as much as his little heart desires but instead i have to see a photoshoot of him in people magazine where he looks like mr beast. he probably still loves amanda but he never liked her (very much tom schwartz/katie maloney teas) and he still should be on his own apology tour. i still cannot imagine what he says behind closed doors because of the things he has no problem saying on camera especially after a drink (or his usual 10). but good luck to him booking those dj stages of which he speaks so fondly in a couple of years when the Poor Kyle wave finally dies out but i'm sure he will accidentally get some 19 year old pregnant soon enough and they can do a spinoff
i am so glad amanda and west did clownery because it has been truly tickling to hear your thoughts on my favourite show and the beautiful piece you did on ciara!!! andrew needs to stop "hosting" reunions because he never brings the same energy he does to them as he does on wwhl! i love how hubhouse has inserted herself into the west nile virus narrative and i did enjoy her licks on west at the reunion but hoping there is an aftermath to the aftermath special where you and the wirkus twins sit down with amanda and get some real answers for once
ok we need to tag Andy!! we need to hear “Hunter from nyc wants to know…”