KJ Finally Opens West's Apology Text on Live TV—And It's Messy

Sometimes the scariest thing isn’t what someone says—it’s what you’re afraid they might say. That’s exactly where KJ Dillard found himself when West Wilson’s text sat unopened in his inbox for weeks, a single unread message taunting him from the notification bar.

On Tuesday, May 5, during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, KJ revealed that West had reached out one day after they filmed the Summer House season 10 reunion. The text arrived on April 24, but KJ was too anxious to open it. When Andy Cohen and the studio audience pressured him to read it aloud on air, KJ finally caved—and what unfolded was complicated, genuine, and deeply emotional.

In the message, West acknowledged that he’d hurt KJ and thanked him for his kindness during the reunion despite the pain. West explained that stepping off social media had cost him perspective on how much damage had been done. He apologized sincerely and extended an olive branch: lunch or a phone call whenever KJ felt ready, no pressure, no expectations. It sounds like the kind of apology most people would want to receive. But the moment KJ finished reading it aloud, his voice cracked. It hurt, he said, because he and West used to be inseparable.

The real issue runs far deeper than hurt feelings, though. West’s surprise romance with Amanda Batula—made public in late March—detonated their friendship. KJ, who’s close with West’s ex Ciara Miller, has been openly skeptical about the relationship, venting his concerns across social media for weeks. He’s called them sickos, thrown shade at their PDA, and hinted that there’s more going on behind the scenes than anyone sees. When West claimed on his podcast that he’d reached out to KJ after the relationship went public, KJ fired back on Threads: he’d checked his messages and never received a thing. Trust, it seems, has to be rebuilt before words can start to heal.

The season 10 reunion airs on May 26, and if the behind-the-scenes tension is this thick, the on-screen fallout should be brutal. West’s apology might be genuine, but one heartfelt text doesn’t erase the sense of betrayal KJ feels—especially when he’s been watching from the sidelines, loyal to a friendship that apparently wasn’t as solid as he thought. That’s the real sting here: sometimes the apology comes too late to stop the bleeding.