Entertainment
From ‘Ted Lasso’ to ‘Shrinking,’ Bill Lawrence Maps Out His Ultimate TV Multiverse
Summary
- Perri Nemiroff talks with Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses for HBO Max’s Rooster.
- The co-writers discuss getting Steve Carell on board and finding the perfect ensemble cast for their father-daughter comedy.
- They also share their favorite crossover ideas with Rooster, Scrubs, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey.
While talking with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff ahead of Rooster‘s debut on HBO Max, co-writers and frequent collaborators Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses break down the inspiration behind their new comedy series. And while, yes, Lawrence acknowledges “it’s a Steve Carell show,” the heart behind Rooster is a father-daughter relationship that the trio discovered when they bonded over their own relationships with their daughters. “This was a new stage of our lives for us,” Lawrence says, “so we thought that would be a cool thing to write about.”
Loosely based on their friend and author, Carl Hiaasen (author of Bad Monkey), Rooster is about best-selling writer, Greg Russo (Carell), who runs to his daughter’s rescue. Katie, played by Charly Clive, is going through a personal life crisis, and now her marriage and her job as a college professor are seemingly up in flames — like the house she set on fire. Enter good old, recently divorced Dad, whose status as a somewhat well-known writer could be the leverage he needs to save Katie from being fired.
In this interview, Lawrence and Tarses discuss their inspiration for Rooster, how Carell was a massive piece of their puzzle, but how it all finally came together with a strong ensemble. In the video above or the transcript below, find out which cast members became standouts on set, even changing the original character in the process, and how Lawrence and Tarses would orchestrate a multiverse crossover with Scrubs, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey.
Once Steve Carell Was on Board, ‘Rooster’ Hinged on This Character’s Story
“Yeah, it’s a Steve Carell show, but he really embraces the ensemble of it all.”
PERRI NEMIROFF: What was idea number one, the thing that started this all, but then also, did you have a break-story moment along the way, something you came up with that made you think, “This idea for Rooster really is whole and ready to go?”
MATT TARSES: We were working on Bad Monkey together, and then wanted to do something else. We had a decent enough time doing that that we wanted to try to do something else.
BILL LAWRENCE: And we haven’t been getting along today because he admitted that he has never watched the finale of Scrubs. That’s why he said “decent enough time.” He worked on Scrubs and never watched the finale. It’s no big deal. It’s not part of your story.
TARSES: There was nobody we wanted to work with more than Steve Carell. We sat down with him, and we found out that we had this shared thing, which is that we all had daughters about the same age, all who were moving off into the world, and much as we wanted to still be in their lives and control their lives, they were not as interested in that as they had been. This was a new stage of our lives for us, a parenting stage and an adulthood stage, and so we thought that would be a cool thing to write about.
LAWRENCE: There are two things that made me know, once Steve’s like, “I’m in,” that we had kind of figured out the pilot because the trick of the show is, yeah, it’s a Steve Carell show, but he really embraces the ensemble of it all, and so every character’s got a story.
The story that we had to crack to make work was the story of Charly Clive, of his daughter, becoming an autonomous, independent woman, which is kind of her series journey. To do that, you have to strip her of everything from the start. So, it took us a second, but when we came up with her burning a house down, and doing it by burning Phil Dunster’s favorite book, those are things we knew were good pieces of exposition, but they’re sometimes hard to make funny, and we were able to, hopefully, make it funny by accident because he liked War and Peace by Tolstoy, and Matt had a quote…
TARSES: From Chekhov.
LAWRENCE: From Chekhov. Matt’s booksmart. I’m not. I’m dumb. I thought Chekhov and Tolstoy were the same person.
TARSES: [Laughs] All Russians are the same people.
LAWRENCE: Well, they’re both Russian, and they’re both writers. There can only be one. And that created the scene where Steve had prepped his whole argument with his daughter’s husband based on the guy loving Chekhov and not Tolstoy, and we went with it. Watching Steve do that and make it funny, we knew we had hopefully figured out the tone of a show that could be funny and still authentically about emotional stories with some depth.
Inside the Casting of ‘Rooster’
Lawrence and Tarses discuss finding the perfect cast and dynamics for an all-star ensemble.
I’ll highlight how well-cast this show is a little more. Can you guys tell me which role was the easiest to cast, where it was like the right person just magically appeared, but then also the character in your show that took the most legwork to find the perfect fit for?
LAWRENCE: There are a billion easy ones, and I’ll rattle them off. The show started because of Steve. We just wanted to work with him, so getting him was a huge, monster home run. Getting John C. McGinley, we almost had to do it because we stole his life, because he has a weird sauna he built himself, and when you talk to the guy, he makes you get in it, and he’s way too comfortable with his body, and he makes you get in a cold plunge pool. It’s very, very weird. Rory Scovel, who plays the cop, has been in one of my shows before, and Matt and I both think he’s one of the funniest untapped comic voices out there. Phil Dunster, I had worked with him on Ted Lasso, and I’m still tricked by accents, so I thought he was really like Jamie Tartt, and he showed up talking in a different accent. I was like, “What’s going on?” He’s like, “Oh, that one was fake.” So that was very confusing. But those were all very easy. I didn’t take your hard one, did I?
TARSES: You didn’t take my hard one. We wrote this character of Cristle, Walt’s assistant, for an actor who would be sort of buttoned-up and kind of a little bit of an executive assistant trope.
LAWRENCE: Almost like Radar, who knew things before they happened, etc..
TARSES: And Allison Jones brought us Annie Mumolo, and we said, “No, that’s not who we’re thinking of.” We were really resistant to her.
LAWRENCE: That’s good that you let her know that publicly.
TARSES: Just because we had this idea of her in our head. I only say this because we gave her the part, and we changed the part a little because she was so different from it, and she became so much better and bigger than that part was ever meant to be, and one of my very favorite things in the show.
LAWRENCE: People don’t give props enough. We make an art of taking credit for other people’s work.
TARSES: Especially him. [Laughs]
LAWRENCE: How dare you! Allison Jones is an icon in casting circles. I’ll tell you, she put Charly Clive in front of us to play Steve’s daughter, who you had to believe is Steve’s daughter, and had to be able to do pathos and comedy at the same level Steve does, and we had never seen her before. So, from main roles like that, and then she also is like, “Hey, here’s one of your best students. You’re going to cast this guy.” And it was Maximo [Salas], who plays Tommy. I can’t believe how authentic that kid is in this dynamic of Steve.
Our burden now, because of her, is trying to keep all these amazing people, Robby Hoffman, all of them, in this world if we’re lucky enough to do more.
Creator Lawrence also shares a funny story about how the O.G. series sometimes had real patients show up because they shot at former working hospital.
Bill Lawrence and the TV Multiverse of Madness
The pair share their ideas for crossover with Shrinking, Scrubs, and more.
Because you’ve both worked on so many other wonderful shows with A+ ensembles, if you could see one character from Rooster cross paths with one character from Bad Monkey, Shrinking, or Ted Lasso, who would you choose, and how might that scene play out?
TARSES: That’s hard!
LAWRENCE: I got some. I would want to see Steve Carell and Harrison Ford together, just because of how iconic it would be and how much fun, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in a scene together, so I’ll separate that.
Then my other one is from Shrinking. I would like to see my wife, [Christa Miller], as Liz, try to do a scene with Phil Dunster and not be charmed by him. Because I think it would be a challenge for her, for me to say, “You have to dislike this person because at his core, he’s the antagonist.” And I don’t think she’d be able to help herself because he has that weird skill of an actor that can do reprehensible things and yet not have you completely hate him, though we’re really pushing the boundaries as the season goes on.
TARSES: I have one. We have this fantasy of the Rooster character that Greg’s character writes of someday making that into a movie where Steve actually plays Rooster, and we get our friend Carl Hiaasen to write it, and I could see a funny crossover of the Yancy character from Bad Monkey and the Rooster character meeting in Florida somewhere.
LAWRENCE: Also, by the way, the bad guy should be — we were lucky, in Bad Monkey, the bad guy this year was John Malkovich, and spoiler alert, the dude’s hysterical.
TARSES: Oh, god. Yeah, that would be incredible. So, there you go.
LAWRENCE: That’s my favorite question, by the way. I just want to do this all day. It feels like a drinking game.
I could sit here and do it all day. I always like to have an answer in my back pocket, just in case …
LAWRENCE: What’s yours?
Well, Greg and Yancy was immediately the one I had to write down, given the real-world nature of how these stories came to screen, and also what Greg as a character is going through in this show.
LAWRENCE: We should have said that, by the way, since you knew that it was based on Carl Hiaasen. I would also be into seeing Turk cross paths with Rory Scovel, just because of how frustrated he would be by him. That would make me really happy.
Rooster debuts on March 8 on HBO Max. Subsequent episodes premiere every Sunday.
- Release Date
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March 8, 2026
- Network
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HBO
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There is also an abnormally long list of Applebee’s menu items.
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A past “American Idol” winner, a former girl group member, and more stars unmasked as a new champ is named.
Kylie Jenner is a big fan of boyfriend Timothée Chalamet’s work — and so is Chalamet’s longtime pal Kid Cudi.
The Kardashians star, 28, discussed her favorite Chalamet movies during her appearance on the Wednesday, April 1, episode of Cudi’s “Big Bro” podcast.
“That’s hard for me because I feel like I really love them all,” Jenner said. “But Call Me by Your Name is pretty perfect. It’s just pretty perfect. And I really love [the Dune movies].”
Cudi, 42, then recalled meeting Chalamet, 30, at one of his concerts in Montreal when the Wonka actor was 17. The pair developed a close bond and have made it a tradition to watch Chalamet’s movies together.
“He was winning awards, and he would thank me and talk about me,” Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) said of Chalamet, who has publicly credited the rapper for inspiring his acting career.
“I would just be like, ‘This kid keeps thanking me in this speech.’ I was like, ‘Do I know him?’ Because he does not look the same as when he was 17. It looked like a totally different person,” Cudi continued. “His team reached out, and then I figured it all out. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s the kid that I met when he was 17.’ And so ever since then, when we reconnected, he took me to see Call Me by Your Name in the theater. … He bought the tickets, and we went to a spot in Los Feliz, and [it was] super dope. And ever since then, that’s been our thing for us to watch his movies together.”
While Jenner wasn’t present at Cudi’s screening of Wonka, the Kylie Skin founder said she has seen the movie “seven times.”
“I remember when you guys were doing that, though. That was fun,” she concluded.
Jenner and Chalamet have been dating since early 2023. Back in January, the Dune star thanked his “partner of three years” while accepting the Critics Choice Award for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme.
“Thank you to my partner of three years. Thank you for our foundation. I love you. I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said at the time.
Jenner and Chalamet have kept their romance fairly private. The reality star explained why during a December 2025 episode of The Kardashians.
“I can’t live for whatever everyone else wants me to do,” she said. “I just have to try to do what’s best for me every day. I know that fame has absolutely shaped me from experiencing these things since I was 9. But I guess I also wouldn’t know who I would be today without growing up like this. I’m just navigating through life.”
Ever since Hulu’s near-perfect sci-fi series premiered a little over a year ago, subscribers have been hooked — something clearly reflected in its strong Rotten Tomatoes scores. Now comprising two seasons with a third on the way, a lot more twists and turns are expected as the story continues to expand its already mind-bending narrative. Dan Fogelman created the sci-fi masterpiece, which premiered on Hulu on January 26, 2025, and last aired about twenty-four hours ago with its intense Season 2 finale.
Renewed for a third season last month, Paradise won’t return until sometime in 2027, though filming on the new chapter begins on April 7. Executive producer and Season 2 finale co-writer John Hoberg has confirmed that creator Fogelman’s plan is still a three-season arc, with the upcoming Season 3 serving as a “pretty definitive” ending for the story. The EP, alongside series star Sterling K. Brown, also teased exciting developments ahead, hinting at a multiverse storyline.
Brown, whose Paradise character, Xavier Collins, has a new mission heading into Season 3, connected the events of the Season 2 finale to the possibility of a multiverse already existing on the show. He shared in an interview:
“I think this is Fogelman’s exploration of the multiverse… And so now that this is introduced into our world, I think the question is, what do you really want? Do you want to go back? Do you want to move forward and leave it alone? Is it too mysterious to play with, to even tinker with, or is it too compelling to not? And different people have different decisions to make based upon where they are in life at that particular time. And you’ll see how that plays out over the course of Season 3.”
Can You Hold Your Own on the B-Ball Court? It’s Today’s Collider TV Quiz!
It’s the last day of March, and the Madness is almost behind us. Huddle up and see what you know about these depictions of basketball on television.
What To Expect in ‘Paradise’ Season 3
In the final episode of Paradise Season 2, titled “Exodus,” it’s revealed that the “Alex” that Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) has been hiding away is an advanced supercomputer that’s capable of time travel. The finale also sees Sinatra sacrifice herself to shut down the bunker while everyone else escapes its destruction. Still, before then, she tells Xavier he has to be the one to go to Alex and save them all — because she thinks he somehow already has in the future. Teasing Xavier’s next steps, EP Hoberg said:
“The question for me is… Will Xavier answer the call to do what she wants? I don’t know if I can name a specific genre [to describe Season 3], but I do know we’re going with. Xavier has been given a task, and I’m asking myself, is he going to follow through on this? And what are the repercussions if he does and if he doesn’t?”
All episodes of Paradise stream on Hulu. Follow Collider for the latest sci-fi updates.
- Release Date
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January 26, 2025
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Dan Fogelman
- Directors
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Gandja Monteiro
- Writers
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Jason Wilborn
Entertainment
Courtney Love wants Dave Grohl to tell his fans they're 'cool' now, years after feud: 'Be man enough to man up'
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The Foo Fighters frontman was a member of Nirvana, the band founded by Love’s late husband Kurt Cobain.
Entertainment
Russell Crowe’s WWII Thriller Is Still One of the Most Addictive War Dramas on Netflix
Russell Crowe is wasting no time getting the ball rolling with his first movie of 2026, Beast, which hits theaters around the world next weekend. The film stars Crowe as a grizzled MMA coach opposite Luke Hemsworth and Daniel MacPherson, and it’s lining up to be a perfect movie for fans who enjoyed The Smashing Machine, Dwayne Johnson’s 2025 MMA biopic. Crowe is also still hard at work filming his new sci-fi/fantasy remake, Highlander, which also stars Henry Cavill and Dave Bautista. The film is a direct remake of the 1986 film led by Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, and it’s being helmed by tenured John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Highlander still does not have an official release date, but it’s likely that it will make its theatrical debut sometime next year.
2025 was a relatively quiet year for Crowe, at least until November, when he made his long-awaited return to the big screen with Nuremberg, his hit WWII courtroom drama co-starring Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. When early screenings for the film first premiered in the months leading up to its global debut, Crowe was even earning Oscar buzz for his performance as Hermann Göring, but the Academy ultimately passed on recognizing him. Still, Nuremberg grossed nearly $50 million at the global box office before also going on to top VOD charts for weeks. The film debuted on Netflix last month, and although weeks have passed, it’s still one of the most popular movies on the platform. Nuremberg was written and directed by James Vanderbilt, and it’s based on the book titled The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai.
Reach into the Television Grab Bag and Pull Out a Prize — The Collider TV Quiz!
Let’s test your breadth of knowledge, not depth, with this sampling of your favorite shows. True fans will take no issue with these questions.
Why Isn’t Russell Crowe in ‘Gladiator 2’?
Even more than 25 years later, Gladiator is still one of the most famous movies of Russell Crowe’s career, so most fans thought he would have some role in the sequel despite being left out of all the trailers. Near the end of 2024, Gladiator II came and went, and there was no sign of Crowe’s Maximus, not even in flashbacks. Ridley Scott’s answer to this was simple, citing that the character died, but Crowe insists that he would have liked to have been included. Late last year, Crowe went public with his harsh criticism of Gladiator II, saying that it was an example of the creatives involved not understanding what made the first film special.
Check out Nuremberg on Netflix in America and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Crowe’s future projects.
- Release Date
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November 7, 2025
- Runtime
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148 minutes
- Director
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James Vanderbilt
- Writers
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James Vanderbilt, Jack El-Hai
- Producers
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István Major, Richard Saperstein, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer, Paul Neinstein
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Lexx is a fascinating series to look back on, almost 30 years since its 1997 debut. Unlike every other sci-fi series, Lexx embraced sex head-on with a crew that wanted to hook up as much, or more, than they wanted to defeat His Shadow and free the galaxy from his insidious influence.
They accomplish their mission at the end of Season 2, which allowed the writers to go nuts for Season 3, sending the crew of the Lexx over 4,000 years into the future to deal with the problems plaguing the twin planets, Fire and Water. Fans of the sex obessed series stuffed with satire and irony were not ready for how dark the season would get, and especially didn’t expect Lexx’s captain to be sent to Hell.
The Last Temptation Of Stanley Tweedle
After Lexx drifts into orbit around Fire, the tyrannical Prince (Nigel Bennett) boards the ship with his loyal soldiers, capturing Stanley (Brian Downey) and Xev (Xenia Seeberg), one for torture, one for romance, and even without seeing a second of the show, you can guess who is who. Prince punishes the guilty, tempts others into committing horrendous acts, can die and be reborn, and even judges the dead, making him the closest thing in Lexx to the Devil.
Prince realizes how important Stanley is thanks to his bond with Lexx, and instead of torture, decides to tempt him into destroying the planet Water by offering up, what else, a woman. In this case, it’s gonna be May, a recently deceased citizen of Water Prince resurrected for Stanley. Stanley actively considers destroying Water using Lexx, but resists temptation, and so Prince arrives to spirit May away from him once again.
That moment comes back to haunt Stanley later in the season, when he drowns and winds up in the afterlife of Fire on a beach with one of Prince’s forms for judgment. As it so turns out, saying you were in love isn’t a valid reason to plan planetary annihilation. Thankfully for Stanley, none of his actions from the other universe, where they fought His Divine Shadow, count in this one, but there’s still more enough for Prince to condemn his soul to eternal torture.
From Sex Adventure To Philosophical Debates
If that seems a little heavy for a show that includes a love bot, that’s because it is. Stanley’s adventures during Season 3 may be the darkest of the crew, but everyone, including Kai (Michael McManus) gets put through the emotional and spiritual ringer as the nihilism and hedonism of the first two seasons are reframed through Prince. The writers, realizing that no one from the studio was paying attention, wound up crafting one of the strangest, most interesting seasons of any sci-fi series.
At the end of the day, it’s still Lexx, which means there’s an episode about Kai releasing drag queen slaves and then Lexx eating them all as they attempt to escape from Girltown. Philosophical musings on life and morality are all well and good, but fans still love Lexx because it’s absurd and unlike anything else. Watching Xev get one over on the Devil, Kai drop from space to the surface of a planet, and Stanley realize that maybe he really is a hero (he’s not) is all great, but it’s also a wild tonal adjustment from what came before.
Lexx is easy to dismiss with its low-budget special effects and plots that sound like fan fiction gone too far, but it’s also fun for the same exact reason. Even now, clips of Lexx make it feel like a weird fever dream, and there’s been nothing like it over the last 30 years. Season 3 may not be considered the best of the series, that would be Season 2, but it at least dared to try something wild and different, and in the process, sent the raunchy series in a bold direction that questioned its very existence.
Whew, Roommates! Ray J and Amber Rose are clapping back at Joseline Hernandez after she accused them of allegedly having an intimate relationship in a recent interview. Joseline said she made the assumption after they all appeared on season two of BET’s ‘College Hill: Celebrity Edition’ back in 2023.
RELATED: Ray J Leaves Fans Confused As Video Shows Him Dancing In Nightclub After Mom Confirms Health & Heart Issues
Ray J Responds After Joseline Hernandez Claims He Was Intimate With Amber Rose
Recently, Joseline Hernandez did an interview on her streaming platform ‘Why Are You Here TV.’ The reality star shared her thoughts on a bunch of topics, including Ray J and Amber Rose. She claimed she believed the two had an intimate relationship because they were too “buddy-buddy” on season 2 of the 2023 Celebrity Edition of ‘College Hill.’ Ray J appeared to peep her comments and called her out in a series of videos. He said he was tired of her talking about him and Amber on different platforms.
“You one of the dirtiest people I’ve ever been around.” He continued, “Every other network you either talking about me or Amber […] What’s wrong with you?”
From there, he even threw shade at her hygiene claiming she was allegedly “always musty on the set of the show.” He also said he was disappointed in her and she’s been messing up the brand for a minute.
“But you keep going and think that nobody is going to respond! You bark up this tree and you gon’ find something up top that you don’t want.” Ray added, “This ain’t no plum tree in the summer time.”
Amber Enters The Chat With Some Words For Joseline
Shortly after Ray went off on Joseline, Amber jumped in with her own words. She hopped on her Instagram Story to seemingly clear the air. Amber claimed Joseline allegedly tried hook up with her while they were on ‘College Hill,’ but when she shut it down, Joseline allegedly started bullying her. Amber also accused Joseline of lying about the incident and claimed the production team heard Joseline’s attempts. From there, Amber added that Joseline’s attempt to “hook up with her” didn’t air on the show, but it allegedly happened before she came at her claiming “she talks white.” That led Amber to demand that Joseline tell the truth and admit she supports Donald Trump. “And why don’t you tell Black Instagram and Black Twitter that you [love] Trump. Why don’t you tell them that? Since we putting it all out there.”
Amber also dragged Joseline for being racist and seemingly harassing her for not being ignorant enough to fit in with Black stereotypes. “I’m not Black because I don’t speak ignorantly. That’s how you look at people Joseline? That’s racist!” She continued, “You’re not even Black, you’re Puerto Rican, let’s be all the way clear.”
Joseline Stands Ten Toes Down on Ray J & Amber Being More Than Friends
Joseline seemed to set Ray J and Amber Rose off when she shared her thoughts about them on her ‘Why Are You Here TV’ streaming platform. She said they were too close on ‘College Hill’ to be just friends. “I definitely think they was f*****g in the house.” Joseline continued, “They were too tight, man. Everybody sleep y’all still outside at three in the morning.”
Additionally, she said she thinks they’re still messing around today and she doesn’t trust a male or female who calls their friend a “bestie.” She also called Ray a loser and believes he would hook up with Amber, no doubt! “I feel like they still f*****g. He’s such a cornball. He’s a loser […] so he’ll f*** her, absolutely!”
RELATED: Whew! Shyne Reacts After Ray J Says He’ll “Slap” The “Daylights” Out Of Him & Mase For Claiming They Allegedly Dated Brandy At The Same Time (VIDEOS)
What Do You Think Roomies?
“Summer House” star Kyle Cooke is speaking out after his ex, Amanda Batula, recently confirmed her romantic relationship with cast member West Wilson.
Drama has been brewing in the Bravoverse since late March 2026, after rumors began swirling about Wilson and Batula’s reported relationship.
Kyle Cooke Opens Up About Ex Amanda Batula, Says She’s Being ‘Cyberbullied’ After Confirming Relationship With West Wilson
@adamglyn Caught up with Summer House Star Kyle Cooke and we talk about the Amanda and West Relationship. This is Part 1 of 3! #bravotv #summerhouse ♬ original sound – Adam Glyn
Cooke, who announced his separation from Batula in January 2026, was recently stopped on the streets of New York and said he was still trying to learn the details of Batula’s relationship with Wilson.
“I’ve talked to her — before they put the statement out, she gave me a heads-up, and I talked to her last night,” he said in the TikTok video. “I understand people have all sorts of opinions, and I’m not justifying any behavior, but from where I’m standing, she’s kind of getting cyber-bullied.”
Cooke Says He Is ‘Frustrated’ By Amanda Batula And West Wilson’s New Relationship
Cooke’s statement on Batula’s relationship with Wilson comes days after he dismissed the speculation as a petty rumor.
“I’m obviously frustrated,” Cooke said before appearing to show even more support for his soon-to-be ex-wife.
“I’m obviously disappointed in her, but just hearing her and how unwell she is — [having] dark thoughts — I just ask people to maybe let off the gas a little bit with the cyberbullying and hate,” he said.
Amanda Batula Confirms Relationship With Her Friend’s Ex In A Joint Instagram Statement
Wilson and Batula confirmed their relationship in a joint statement shared on their Instagram.
“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” the post read. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we need a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”
They added, “We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
The news of their connection also comes amid Wilson’s complicated relationship with Batula’s friend, Ciara Miller, whom he dated during season 8 of “Summer House.”
‘Summer House’ Cast Reportedly ‘P-ssed’ And ‘Disappointed’ In Amanda Batula And West Wilson
Besides Cooke, most of Batula and Wilson’s “Summer House” co-stars have stayed silent on the scandal. However, a source told Page Six that they are “p-ssed” and “disappointed” in both of them.
The insider went on to say that most of the cast members are “Team Ciara,” noting her rocky relationship with the sports writer and content creator in 2023.
In March 2026, Miller got candid about the challenges she faced after opening up about her interracial relationship with Wilson.
“I don’t think you guys also realize the interracial aspect that exists and all the s— that goes on,” Miller said. “I get a lot of blowback that’s very racial, obviously, being in this position. I was the first Black person in this house, and then dating publicly, dating white guys publicly, is a whole contraption that I don’t think you guys can understand or can even empathize with.”
According to The Blast, newcomer KJ Dillard shared an image to his Instagram Stories yesterday of a song from The O’Jays titled “Back Stabbers.”
In another post, he shared an image of himself with Miller and fellow Bravo newbie Mia Calabrese and wrote, “I love my big sisters for life.”
Dillard, Calabrese, and other “Summer House” stars have reportedly unfollowed Batula and Wilson in support of Miller.
Batula Boasted About How Great Of A Friend Miller Was To Her
Weeks before Miller and the “Summer House” crew parted ways with Wilson and Batula, the latter boasted about how great a friend Miller was to her.
Speaking with Marie Claire, the reality star described Miller as “one of the kindest, most loving, loyal friends I’ve ever had.”
“[Miller] sends me texts out of the blue, reminding me how strong, powerful, smart, and kind I am—I don’t think she even realizes how much I need those texts,” she said.
Megan Thee Stallion has officially broken her silence after she was recently hospitalized while starring in Broadway’s “Moulin Rouge!” The Grammy winner took to social media to give her fans an update on her health.
Megan scared fans when it was confirmed that she had been removed from the show mid-performance and transported to a local hospital.
Megan Thee Stallion Calls Recent Hospitalization While On Broadway A ‘Real Wake-Up Call’
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, April 1, Megan Thee Stallion spoke directly to her concerned fans after she left her role as the Zidler in Broadway’s “Moulin Rouge!” due to abrupt hospitalization.
“Last night was a real wake-up call for me,” the rapper began. “I’ve been pushing myself past my limits lately, running on empty, and my body finally said enough. It honestly scared me. I thought I was gonna faint on stage. I really tried to push through my performance, but I just couldn’t.”
“Hotties, I wanna be real with y’all because you mean everything to me and I hate letting y’all down,” Megan continued before revealing when she plans to return to the stage.
“I just need one day to rest, reset, and take care of myself the way I should have been.. I’ll be right back on that stage Thursday, stronger, clearer, and ready to give you 100% the way you deserve. Thank you for always riding with me and loving me through everything,” she wrote.
Megan Thee Stallion Sparked Fan Panic After Being Rushed To The Hospital
While performing on stage on Tuesday evening, March 31, Megan Thee Stallion left during the middle of her performance and was rushed to the hospital.
Following the incident, Megan’s rep, Didier Morias, spoke exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter. “During Tuesday night’s production, Megan started feeling very ill and was promptly transported to a local hospital, where her symptoms are currently being evaluated,” Morias told the outlet.
As the scary situation unfolded in real time, theater officials addressed the audience during the pause in the show, asking them to “stay inside and seated.”
When Megan exited the performance to receive medical treatment, an understudy stepped in to perform for the rest of the show.
The rapper’s hairstylist and close friend, Kellon Deryck, also confirmed the incident on social media.
In his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Deryck asked the public to put Megan Thee Stallion in their prayers, writing, “Everyone say a prayer for Megan, we are all at the hospital.”
The Rapper’s Broadway Debut Was Announced In February
Per Billboard, on February 26, Megan Thee Stallion was announced as the newest performer to join “Moulin Rouge!” as the over-the-top Zidler, described as the “impresario of the titular nightclub.”
Her limited eight-week run began on March 24 and will conclude on May 17.
“Stepping onto the Broadway stage and joining the Moulin Rouge! The Musical team is an absolute honor,” Megan said at the time.
“I’ve always believed in pushing myself creatively, and theater is definitely a new opportunity that I’m excited to embrace,” she continued. “Broadway demands a different level of discipline, preparation, and storytelling, but I’m up for the challenge and can’t wait for the Hotties to see a new side of me.”
‘Moulin Rouge!’ Producers Also Expressed Their Excitement At Megan Joining The Cast
The show’s producers stated their excitement at the Houston native joining the Broadway run.
“Welcoming Megan Thee Stallion into the Moulin Rouge! The Musical community is a thrilling moment for us,” producer Carmen Pavlovic said.
“Megan is a true global superstar. She is one of the most influential artists of her generation, and her impact on music and culture is undeniable,” Pavlovic continued. “This historic casting is a major part of our closing celebrations: our farewell gift to Broadway audiences and one of our biggest announcements in the history of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
“We want our show to go out with a spectacular bang, and Megan is the force of nature to lead us there. And yes, there will be a hint of music from her own iconic catalogue. It’s an unmissable moment for both Megan’s fans and ours,” their statement read.
Megan Thee Stallion Addresses Critics Following Her Broadway Announcement
“It’s a very bad time to be my hater lol I’m EVERYWHERE,” Megan wrote on social media.
While many of her celebrity fans showed her love across social media platforms, there were also those who were less than thrilled with the news.
“Checks the calendar to make sure we didn’t jump forward to April 1st without me noticing,” someone shared, while another called the move “so unhinged.”
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