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Amanda Batula opened up about her separation from Kyle Cooke, the 10th season of Summer House, and her thoughts on being compared to Ariana Madix during an interview on Tuesday.
While also sharing her thoughts on not having a prenup, dating in the future, and freezing her eggs, Amanda, 34, explained the timeline of her and Kyle’s breakup as she reflected on her mindset going into filming, reacted to recent cheating rumors about her estranged spouse, and more.
“I moved out in November. We were separated but agreed not to see other people. The plan was to date each other, work on our relationship, and take some space. But that space made us realize, well, maybe we want more space; that the separation should be permanent,” Amanda revealed during a March 3 interview with Marie Claire. “We came to the decision to divorce a few days before we posted the announcement [on Instagram on January 19, 2026]. We were on FaceTime talking about us. I said I wanted to put out a statement about our relationship, and that’s when we decided to officially separate.”
Although Amanda said it was “a sad moment,” she also felt “relief.”
Regarding the months leading up to the breakup, Amanda explained that she’d gotten on an antidepressant after falling to a “low place” in her mental health.
“I knew more of what I was and wasn’t able to tolerate, what I deserved and what I didn’t, and the respect I needed,” she said of her turnaround. “I was able to see the relationship for what it was, recognize that it wasn’t working, and that neither of us was happy.”
As for Kyle’s “biggest beef,” Amanda said he hated that he had to “be [her] alarm and wake [her] up” before noting that she now gets up before her alarm.
“I’m up between 7 and 8 a.m.,” she shared.
As she and Kyle, 43, began filming Summer House season 10 last summer, Amanda recalled being at her “wits’ end” in their marriage.
“There was a lot that happened between us that spring, too, with him staying at a fan’s house. We didn’t go into the house on good terms, and I clearly was not holding back,” she confessed, adding that she felt “really bad” watching it back.
Despite having regrets about how she treated Kyle amid the season, Amanda said that seeing fans call her ex “toxic” and “emotionally abusive” was “horrible” and “not helpful.”
“We’ve already split up. It’s done. I don’t care how awful a person you think Kyle was or how terribly you feel he treated me. To attack him when he’s also going through this separation, while he’s also dealing with the pain and the fallout of the relationship—don’t beat a man when he’s down,” she stated.
Backlash from fans also stopped Amanda from ending their marriage sooner than she did.
“I don’t want people to attack, hurt, or villainize him. He’s not a bad person. We are two people who couldn’t make it work. It’s unfortunate, but he doesn’t deserve the hate he’s getting,” she reasoned.
Continuing on about fan comments, Amanda admitted that it took her longer than it should have to call it quits with Kyle because she didn’t want to make a decision to end the relationship based on the feedback of others.
“I have so much love for Kyle and don’t want to not have him in my life,” she revealed, noting that she and Kyle were “going above and beyond” to avoid ending up like Paige DeSorbo, 33, and Craig Conover, 36.
“We’re still a unit,” she proclaimed.
That said, it was “really rough” to hear Kyle saying she lacked “curiosity, drive, [and] personality” on a recent episode.
“Kyle even texted me after and said it was a rough watch. The frustration and animosity outshined the love we had, and it became volatile,” she explained. “We could not see eye to eye or understand one another. The hatred came out. It was really difficult to relive, but it’s a good reminder for both of us that we made the right decision to break up.”
Following the news of Amanda and Kyle’s split, new rumors regarding his potential cheating surfaced.
“[It] doesn’t make me feel great, but I can’t say I didn’t expect it, given all the rumors I’ve heard. [But] it doesn’t bother me anymore,” she stated.
As for Kyle weaponizing her weed use on Summer House, Amanda admitted he was trying to “shame [her and] make [her] seem like a bad person,” as she considered getting into the weed business.
“I will not be starting a business of my own. I watched someone very close to me start one, and it’s a lot of very hard work. But I would love to come on to an existing brand and do my own line within it, whether it’s my own strain, joints, papers, grinders, bongs, or smoking accessories,” she shared.
As she focuses on her swimwear lines, and Kyle keeps his attention on Loverboy and his DJ career, Amanda noted that everyone should have a prenup.
“It doesn’t matter if you make millions of dollars or how in love you are. It’s like health insurance; you get it to protect yourself if something happens,” she explained. “Prenups are also to avoid being responsible for someone else’s debt. Kyle has this LoverBoy debt from a business loan he took out before we got married, and everyone’s freaking out about it. If the business can’t pay it back, then Kyle’s responsible. To my knowledge and his understanding, [the debt] doesn’t involve me in any way, but a prenup would have protected me 100 percent from it.”
Because Amanda has gotten so much support since splitting from Kyle, many have compared her to Ariana, 40, who thrived after her ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval‘s affair.
“But her situation was so different and so awful,” Amanda clarified. “There’s really no comparison. Kyle and I are good.”
Looking ahead to her future, Amanda said she’d like to “have fun with someone [her] age or younger.”
“I’ve always dated older. For now, while I heal, I just want to flirt and make out. To be taken on dates, and just enjoy being hot and happy. I’ll find a husband later down the road—or maybe not,” she stated.
Then, after admitting that she’s not ready for kids yet, Amanda said she “can freeze [her] eggs” for a future pregnancy.
“There are many things I can do to hopefully give myself a shot at having kids later,” she said.
Summer House season 10 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
