Amanda Batula has been criticized for not moving past husband Kyle Cooke’s indiscretions, but it’s hard when social media trolls keep bringing it back up.
“There’s always reminders,” Batula, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, April 10, about feeling pressure from outsiders. “People think that I can’t let go of the cheating thing, but I get comments in DMs at least once a week reminding me that Kyle cheated on me.”
The Summer House star, who married Cooke, 42, in September 2021, asked, “How can I let that go if no one else is able to let it go either?”
Cooke confirmed during the season 3 premiere of Summer House, which aired in March 2019, that he had been unfaithful “a year ago” when he “blacked out” on a guys’ trip. Batula chose to forgive him for the infidelity but continues to get triggered whenever Cooke stays out late or drinks too much.
When it comes to online hate messages, Batula revealed that they don’t stop at the cheating drama.
“Everyone [is] rooting against us and making bets on when we’ll get divorced and how long we’ll be together and how he deserves better, or I deserve better,” she told Us. “It’s seeing that all the time really makes you question your own relationship.”
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In addition to reminders about her husband’s infidelity, Batula has gotten comments about her appearance after being vocal about her ups and downs with fertility issues. She has also spoken out about her and Cooke’s eventual plans to have kids, but trolls are always speculating about the when.
“If I post a picture in baggy clothes or maybe my face is looking a little puffier, it’s constant speculations that I’m pregnant,” she told Us. (Batula also teased that she might have to “trick” her husband into getting her pregnant because Cooke isn’t as ready as she is to have kids.)
Batula said “it’s tough” to see so much negativity as she and Cooke are trying to navigate their relationship both in and out of the spotlight.
“People are like, ‘Don’t read the comments. Block out the noise.’ But I’d have to delete my entire Instagram to not come across any of this stuff,” she explained, noting, “There’s also wonderful people who are reaching out and I want to respond to, and there’s just that negativity within that.”
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Batula joined Summer House as a full-time cast member during season 2 after making cameos on season 1. Despite being a seasoned pro, she told Us she’s entertained the idea of leaving reality TV due to the dark side of social media.
“I think going into season 7, I was really questioning whether or not this was for me. I was going through it, and it was tough,” she recalled. “But, I think now I’m at a point where I realize that I really have to just block out the noise and ignore people and have fun with what I’m doing because this won’t last forever.”
Batula continued: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I shouldn’t be sad and miserable through the whole thing. I just need to focus on the positive aspects of it.”
Summer House airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
