Kyle Cook compared Amanda Batula and West Wilson’s shocking relationship to one of two brothers.
“I considered West a really good friend, but I can’t imagine him doing something like this to someone he’s close to,” Cook told People magazine in an interview published Wednesday. “We’re a close-knit family. It’s like he’s hitting his sister.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel real until you see them together,” he added of the pairing.
As well as finding their romance hard to swallow, the Loverboy founder, 43, suggested Wilson had ulterior motives when he decided to pursue Batula.
“I don’t think West is a dummy. I think he understood that Amanda was going to have this big PR moment,” Cook told the outlet.
“I think he realized that last summer, and I think that’s part of why he’s pulling a chair next to Amanda. He said, ‘I’m going to be the white knight here and defend Amanda, because the internet is going to love her, so the internet is going to love me.'”
Despite feeling “betrayed” by both Wilson, 31, and Batula, 34, Cook revealed he still speaks to his estranged wife regularly.
“Ironically, I spoke to her on the way here,” he admitted.
Ever since Batula and Wilson revealed their secret romance, Cook has defended Batula from severe backlash from the Bravo fanbase, while holding Wilson accountable for his role in the chaos.
“To be honest, I’m really worried about Amanda,” Cook told street journalist Adam Glynn in April.
“I spoke to her last night and I understand that people have different opinions and I’m not trying to justify any action,” Cook continued. “But from what I’ve seen, it looks like she’s been cyberbullied, and at the end of the day, all I know is that West is the kind of guy who plays multiple women at the same time.”
As Page Six previously reported, Batula and Wilson confirmed their “connection” in a joint statement on Instagram on March 31 after weeks of speculation.
The pair kept their relationship a secret, especially from Cook, whom Batula split from in January after four years of marriage, and Ciara Miller, Batula’s former best friend and Wilson’s ex-girlfriend.
During a heated reunion on Season 10 of “Summer House,” the couple was put on the hot seat and interrogated about the timeline of their relationship.
Mr Cook revealed on January 19 that he and Mr Batula had decided to separate after four years of marriage, raising eyebrows after Mr Miller had already revealed that the swimsuit designer and sports journalist had been spotted hanging out two days earlier.
During the reunion, Cook and Batula also shocked viewers by revealing they hadn’t had sex throughout their marriage.
By the end of the reunion, the “Summer House” crew still appeared to be divided, as Miller brutally rejected Batula’s apology.
Cook told People that he “expected to learn more” from Batula and Wilson during the three-part special, but said their attitude was “more defensive than remorseful.”
But fans will get a deeper look into the aftermath of the reunion in the surprise bonus episode, “Summer House: The Fallout,” airing June 16 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
