Inside Amanda Batula’s Galentine’s Day Plans As A Newly Single Bravoleb

The year was 2016 — the first time Amanda Batula and her Bravo cast members stepped into that iconic Hamptons summer house that would result in a decade of unforgettable summers filled with love, laughter, friendship ups and downs, relationship breakups and makeups, engagements, marriages, and splits.

Fast forward to 2026. While yes, the 10th anniversary of Summer House is a milestone, it also marks the start of a new chapter for Batula, who is embarking on a new journey of self-discovery after recently announcing her split from husband and fellow cast member Kyle Cooke.

But just because she’s finding her footing as a newly-single girl in New York doesn’t mean she’ll be spending Valentine’s Day solo. In fact, she couldn’t be more excited for her first real Galentine’s Day. (She even just curated a fun and flirty, red-and-pink-filled Amazon shop, featuring all the home, beauty, and fashion products a girl needs for the cupid-themed holiday.)

“I’m looking forward to spending [Galentine’s Day] with the women in my life who are most important and have helped me become the person that I am now,” Batula tells TZR.

Apart from spending more time with her girls, the star of Bravo’s new spinoff series, In the City, plans to keep her focus on the things that bring her joy, from sharpening her cooking skills and diving back into the creative world of graphic design to the expansion of her eponymous swimwear line.

“I was nervous about the swim line,” Batula says. “Are people going to like it? Will people buy it? Is this going to be a joke? But the feedback from the customers and my followers was insane. I'm coming out with two more drops in the spring, which is really exciting. Someone once told me everything you've ever wanted is right outside of your comfort zone. So I always remember that and I always push myself to do things that I feel uncomfortable with, and there's always a reward that comes at the end of it.”

Ahead, Batula reflects on 10 years in the Bravo spotlight, 2026 goals, and her new approach to Valentine’s Day.

Now that you're starting this new chapter of your life, how do you view Valentine’s Day? Was it an important holiday in your marriage?

I feel like my stance on Valentine's Day has always been to do meaningful experiences. So if we exchange gifts, they're small things that remind you of one another. Kyle and I would always try to do dinner together or go out and do something special. So Valentine's Day's always been about quality time together for me. And again, little gifts, nothing elaborate. But now, the focus is on Valentine's Day and sharing that love with the girls who are the women in my life that are the most important and making sure that they feel valued and cared for. It’s probably just going to be ordering in, watching a fun movie, and cuddling with my dog.

Is Galentine’s Day something you’ve always celebrated with your girl friends?

It’s not something that I've always done. It was hard enough for Kyle and me to even figure out what we wanted to do. Sometimes we didn't even celebrate Valentine's Day on Valentine's Day. But for Galentine’s Day, I’m looking forward to spending that time with, again, the women in my life who are most important and have helped me become the person that I am now, and being able to share little things with them. I would love to host something now that I'm in my new apartment.

Speaking of your new apartment, in perusing your Amazon shop, I realized there are so many cute kitchen and home items. Do you enjoy cooking or baking?

I haven't been cooking a lot lately, but I used to, and it's something I want to get back into. I'm a creative person, and I really enjoy cooking. But with a busy schedule, sometimes it's hard to find the time to just figure out what you want to eat and make it. But that's something for 2026 that I want to try to lean into more.

And going back to hosting, what is your ideal Galentine’s night?

I love the idea of obviously getting super cozy. The key here is matching. So my ideal Galentine's Day, [would be] everyone having their matching little fuzzy socks and matching slippers. I cannot get enough of these UGG socks. They're so soft and so comfortable. And then obviously, the Eberjay pajamas are so good. So it would just be a little pajama party.

And then if we’re hitting the town for a girls' night out?

Getting dressed up is something I'm trying to do more, especially now that I'm probably going to be outside more. But if I'm having the girls over, we're comfortable. But I love the idea of little lace-trimmed silk shorts. I think they're so chic, sexy, and understated. Then dress them up with a pair of heels or boots and a sweater. Or honestly, wear [the shorts] to bed, too. Anything that can take me from being outside to bed is golden in my book. I also just wore this little Lioness dress to an event, and I got so many compliments on it. It's just such a classic staple, and polka dots are so in.

I love that dressing up for you is something chic that can also be worn in bed. I talked to Paige [DeSorbo] last month, and she said the exact same thing.

Being in bed is very important. I don't have a couch right now, so I spend most of my day in bed… and I'm not mad about it. It's incredible.

Speaking of bed and girls' nights in, we have a lot of great sexy TV and film right now, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Heated Rivalry, Bridgerton, and Wuthering Heights… are we into all the romantic, smutty media right now?

I'm obsessed. It's so good. It's so good. I am not a repeat show watcher, but everyone I've talked to is like, “I'm on my fourth rewatch of Heated Rivalry.” So I think I have to rewatch Heated Rivalry. That’ll be my weekend plan, and Bridgerton will be my Valentine's Day plan.

Another thing that’s trending right now: the 2016 nostalgia. And, of course, we’re celebrating 10 seasons of Summer House this year. In the last decade, what would you say you've learned most about yourself, and how have you changed?

What I've learned most is just always trusting your gut in any situation. And that's not just about relationships. I mean in life in general, work, job, friends — always trust your gut instinct. Especially as women, our bodies are trying to tell us something all the time. And I think the way that I've changed the most is my confidence. I think it's been an incredible combination of being surrounded by such confident, strong, independent women that I've been able to look up to and lean on. And also just being on the show, making appearances, meeting fans, and doing BravoCon… all of that has boosted my confidence a lot. I used to be so nervous, so shy, so timid. Don't get me wrong, I still get very nervous and anxious before doing anything, but it’s become easier now. I will go to an event by myself. I'll show up somewhere alone. I will make a public speech. I'll do these interviews — my confidence is night and day from where it was in 2016.

What else is in store for 2026, and what are you most looking forward to?

I would say just doing more creative collaboration. I'm working with Loverboy on the creative side but I'd love to tap back into big collaborations and partnerships with brands where I can come on — not full-time — but just as a little guest creative director role. I think that's one of my goals for this year and something I want to try to work on.