Credit: Bravo
At Vulture’s The Masterminds of Reality TV event, which took place last night, Real Housewives of New Jersey alums Jennifer Fessler and Margaret Josephs appeared on the red carpet.
While being interviewed, they talked about the hottest Bravo topic at the moment: Summer House stars West Wilson and Amanda Batula confirming they’re in a relationship.
“We disagree on this one,” Jenn began.
“Listen,” Margaret interjected. “I have a lot of takes on the Summer House scandal. But Ciara should just thank them. Write them a thank-you note. You know what? Better to know now.”
While Jenn insisted she loves Ciara, as she’s “impossible not to love,” she came to the defense of West.
“But I also love West Wilson,” she stated. “And I think he is the cutest, sweetest golden retriever puppy dog. Love him.”
“I mean, I’m not gonna lie,” Margaret added. “I called him the Temu Benson Boone. But that’s okay. It’s not that I don’t like him. But I just feel like, you know what? It’s okay. She’s better off. And it’s fine.”
Jenn continued to defend West, insisting he “does not mean any harm.”
“He didn’t mean it,” she added. “He’s just trying to have a good time. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Give him a break.”
West recently spoke out on his Show Me Something With Sophie and West podcast, and he definitely owned up to having caused some issues in their friend group.
“These are my friends… and I’ve caused a lot of damage, which f*cking sucks,” he stated, adding it’s “gonna take some time for sure” to get things back in the right direction.
West explained that having to endure the reunion was something he “got through” and “one step” in this process.
“And, so, we’re on the other side of it,” he shared. “And reunions aren’t fun, but it’s like the darkest form of therapy. Like, you don’t normally get that much feedback on how your actions impact other people.”
West noted he’s “not trying to be cliche,” but he thinks he can only “learn and try to be better” after going through this ordeal.
“The only way you can make experiences like this worth it – as dark as it gets – is to be better from it later,” he elaborated. “Obviously, I have a lot to learn from and be better for, but it’s absolutely the only way you can make any of this — turn it positive.”
West and Amanda’s relationship has been a hot topic since the pair copped to being an item on March 31.
“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” they wrote at the time on social media. “It was never our intention to purposefully hide anything. Given the complicated 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.”
“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 that either of us expected,” they added. “Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
They explained they kept quiet as their “feelings evolved” due to wanting to “take time to understand exactly what [they] 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,” they also shared. “We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”