By Alex Vena

Daytime TV’s very own Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos tackled one of reality TV’s latest scandals on Live with Kelly and Mark on Wednesday.

Ripa broached the subject of Summer House stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson‘s relationship, which shocked the Bravosphere due to Wilson’s past relationship with fellow Sumer House star Ciara Miller.

Ripa teased that her and Justin Sylvester recently recorded a Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast episode surrounding the story, and also shared that her and Consuelos’ son, Michael Consuelos, is a producer on the hit reality series, though he “tells [them] nothing.” She honed in on the younger members of Live‘s studio audience, as she eventually parsed together that Batula “started dating her girlfriend Ciara’s ex.”

“This is where it dips into girl code,” she said.

Consuelos asked, “Yeah, what is girl code?”

As Ripa feigned lighting a cigarette, she noted that if The New York Times is covering the scandal, that means it’s “national news.” She proceeded to read the article, highlighting the “romance between a woman named Amanda Batula and a guy named West Wilson.”

“Mr. Wilson was previously dating a woman named Ciara Miler, and then they broke up. And so Amanda, who was Ciara’s best friend or close friend,” she continued, receiving help from a woman in the audience that the two Summer House stars were “best friends.”

Consuelos paused the reality TV recap to call out a man in the audience, asking him if he has “any idea what [they’re] talking about.”

Ripa quipped, “Well, thank God I and the New York Times are here to help you understand!”

Ripa returned to explaining the salacious situation and noted that “this sparks the greater story,” as she pretended to “ash [her] fake cigarette.”

“Do you ever date your friend’s ex, women?” she asked, immediately receiving a collective “no” from the audience. “No! This is a clear line in the sand. It’s a no no. That’s what I said.”

Consuelos asked if Batula and Miller are “still on the show together,” and eventually shared his thoughts on the matter.

“No, you don’t do that. Unless you get written permission,” he proposed. “Express written permission, right?”

Live EP Michael Gelman quipped from off camera, “Three times.”

Consuelos added, “In triplicate.”

Ripa pushed back on that thought process, explaining that “you just don’t even think about your friend’s men in that way.”

“It crosses, to me, a line,” she shared, receiving a round of applause. “Let me start by saying I’m not judging anyone here, because I don’t know enough about this to judge it. I’m saying personally, and I think the ladies in the audience agreed with me, that that is something your mind does not do that. Ever.”

However, Consuelos said “that this stuff is typical on those shows,” citing Vanderpump Rules‘ infamous “Scandoval,” which Live actually spoofed for their annual Halloween show in 2023. Consuelos then tried to see the situation from the guy’s perspective.

“This also begs the question, what is the guy thinking? Like, there’s so many other fish in the sea,” he said.

Ripa immediately scoffed, “Oh, ‘what is the guy thinking?’ Let’s analyze that sentence.”

Consuelos also proposed the potential for a “mental crossover” for Wilson, teasing that if one relationship doesn’t work out, he may be considering other options in the house. After being met with a brief death stare from Ripa, he said that “it’s been reported that West has barely said a word. Allegedly.”

Ripa joked, “He hasn’t spoken in weeks.”

Consuelos added, “And I would recommend that he continues not to say a word about it.”

As for whether Ripa will continue to update Live on the matter, Ripa teased that she is “going to breathlessly follow the New York Times‘ reporting on this.” While Consuelos said that you should “probably not” date your friend’s ex “especially if you are going to be on a reality show together,” Ripa noted that these things can happen “in real life.”

“I think it’s bad girl code,” she shared. “Notice how I don’t bring guy code into it. I don’t even bring the guys into it. I’m talking to the women because we form the friendships there, and I just think it goes against my personal code. Period.”

However, Ripa reiterated that she “cannot comment on this” specific situation without all of the details.

“You would think our son would prepare us for this,” she teased to Consuelos. “He tells us nothing.”

Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.