From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Ciara Miller rewatched the season and realized West Wilson resented and "hated" her, changing her view of their breakup.
- Ciara believes West may have dated Amanda Batula as revenge, accusing Amanda of choosing him despite prior warnings.
- Ciara Miller says she will stop protecting people, tightened her circle, and is unsure about returning to Summer House.
Ciara Miller is done biting her tongue.
The Summer House star is opening up in a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar about her fallout with West Wilson and Amanda Batula, and she is making it clear that her days of protecting people are over.
Ciara’s friendship with Amanda and her past romance with West became one of the biggest storylines of the Summer House reunion after Amanda and West confirmed their relationship. The romance stunned fans because West previously dated Ciara, while Amanda was once one of Ciara’s closest friends.
But according to Ciara, it was not until she rewatched the season before the reunion that she saw things more clearly.
“It was in her rewatch before the reunion that Ciara saw West’s chicanery,” Harper’s Bazaar noted.
Ciara said one scene in particular changed the way she viewed West. In the scene, West tells Ciara that he resents her because of how the internet held him accountable after their breakup.
“I didn’t realize how much he hated me,” Ciara said.
At the time, Ciara apologized to West on camera for not being there for him while he dealt with online backlash. But after watching the season back, she now believes his relationship with Amanda may be connected to that resentment.
According to the interview, Ciara now realizes this “might be the reason he’s dating Amanda: as revenge.”
Ciara seemed to take the realization in stride, adding, “He got me good.”
She then referenced Monaleo’s lyrics, saying, “He can lie, cheat, cover it up, and do it again.”
Ciara’s theory lines up with what she said during the Summer House reunion, where she accused West of being with Amanda to hurt her.
In the reunion trailer, Ciara told Amanda, “[West] wants to embarrass me. He wants to get his last little word in and I hope it works. He’s with you to spite me!”
But while Ciara has plenty to say about West, she seems even more hurt by Amanda’s role in the situation.
The Harper’s Bazaar piece questioned why Amanda would risk a friendship over a man she had previously said was not “marriage material.” Ciara summed up how she now views the friendship.
“I was always a friend to her, and she was never a friend to me,” Ciara said.
Ciara explained that outside of filming, Amanda did not make much effort to grow their friendship. At the time, Ciara said she did not take it personally because she understood how draining filming could be.
“I’m the type of person where I don’t need to see you a million times to know where our friendship stands,” Ciara shared.
But after everything that happened with Amanda and West, Ciara says she sees Amanda differently.
“She’s ‘the victim.’ She ‘just didn’t know,’ she’s ‘so oblivious,’ she ‘wants love,’ is she supposed to be alone forever?” Ciara said.
Ciara then made it clear she is not interested in going backward, but she is also no longer staying silent.
“I’m not going to go back and rehash the past, but everything now moving forward is on the cutting-room floor. Silence is an option. But I know things. I see things. I’m done protecting people by not saying anything. It’s really like a don’t-fuck-with-me era. If you want it, you can get it. Don’t fuck with me.”
The comments are some of Ciara’s strongest yet and show just how deeply the betrayal affected her. What started as a messy Bravo romance has turned into a larger conversation about loyalty, race, friendship and who gets protected inside certain friend groups.
Ciara also spoke about interracial friendships and how they require openness and a willingness to release bias, similar to interracial romantic relationships.
For now, Ciara says her circle is getting even tighter.
“I’ve always kept my circle small for a reason. Now it’s even smaller,” she said.
As for whether fans will see Ciara back on Summer House next season, she said she is not sure yet. She has a busy summer ahead, including a five week gig in Fiji as the cohost of Love Island: Aftersun.
Then in August, Ciara is set to film Dancing With the Stars, and she is already preparing seriously for it.
“I’m going to get back in the gym. I’m going to start running. I have to work on my endurance, my core strength, and really prioritizing stretching. I’m treating this so seriously,” Ciara said.
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