Podcast 224: We’ll miss you, Dolly; Leah Remini on RHOBH; Lindsay and Carl? The “formula” for dating younger; Farah’s baby daddy revealed, but Cocktailers knew

B and Amanda start this week with a tribute to Dolly Parton, who we sadly lost on August 25th, sharing a funny story about her they hadn't heard before and talking about the way she fought the patriarchy yet never considered herself a feminist. We will miss you dearly, Dolly. Then big news in Beverly Hills: the hosts are hearing Leah Remini is also joining the RHOBH cast, and that this is the heaviest salary year ever for Beverly Hills. What does that mean for the show and for other Bravo shows? In other casting news, a source says Scheana Shay will join The Valley for season 4, which likely means someone else on the cast has to go. Are Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke getting back together? Here's what B and Amanda know. KJ has been seen with Remi Bader, so B gives a rundown of her background and career. The hosts relive the Baby Sister saga and Amanda teaches B the "formula" for how much younger you can date (we don't make the rules, Kyle). Will West Wilson and Amanda Batula be on In the City? And last but not least, Farrah Aldjufrie is expecting a baby boy and announced who the father is, but Cocktailers knew back in July.

Topics Discussed

• We'll Miss You, Dolly: Remembering Dolly Parton — B and Amanda pay tribute to Dolly Parton, share a story they'd never heard, and talk about how she fought the patriarchy without calling herself a feminist.
• Leah Remini Joins RHOBH and Bravo's Biggest Cast Salary Ever — The hosts are hearing Leah Remini is the second new housewife, and what the heaviest RHOBH salary year ever means for other Bravo shows.
• Scheana Shay Returns to The Valley: Who Has to Go? — A source says Scheana joins The Valley season 4, and the hosts debate who gets cut and pick a side in Scheana vs. Lala.
• KJ and Remi Bader, and What Happened With Dara — KJ has been spotted with Remi Bader, so B explains who she is and revisits the abrupt end of KJ and Dara.
• Are Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke Getting Back Together? — Cocktailer sightings say chummy, but the hosts explain why a romantic rekindling is unlikely.
• Kyle Cooke's Summer, the Baby Sister Saga, and the Dating Age Formula — A Cocktailer's 5 AM emails about her little sister's night with the Summer House cast, plus the half-your-age-plus-seven rule.
• West Wilson and Amanda Batula in Newport: Will They Be on In the City? — Amanda's Newport photo dump, why 'nobody cares' comments prove people care, and why Carl joining In the City would be fascinating.
• Farrah Brittany's Baby Daddy Revealed, but Cocktailers Knew — Kyle Richards' daughter confirms Zach Goldsmith is the father, which Cocktailers heard back in July.

Mentioned in This Episode

Dolly Parton, Leah Remini, Tracy Tutor, Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, Bozoma Saint John, Rachel Zoe, Kathy Hilton, Jennifer Tilly, Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, Danny Booko and Nia Booko, KJ Dillard, Remi Bader, Lindsay Hubbard, Carl Radke, Kyle Cooke and Salley Carson, Jesse Solomon, Amanda Batula, West Wilson, Ciara Miller, Danielle Olivera, Farrah Brittany, Zach Goldsmith

Frequently Asked Questions

For those interested in donating to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which gifts books monthly to children from birth to age five, free of charge, visit donate.imaginationlibrary.com.

Thank you to our sponsor, Caraway, for sponsoring this episode of Cocktails and Gossip. Over 155,000 people have rated their Caraway kitchen 5 stars. Now it's time to try it for yourself. Plus, for a limited time, every dollar you spend on clean kitchenware gets you closer to your dream kitchen, or $100,000 cash! Visit Carawayhome.com/GOSSIP to take an additional 10% off your next purchase. This deal is for Cocktailers only, so visit Carawayhome.com/GOSSIP or use code GOSSIP at checkout.

We'll Miss You, Dolly: Remembering Dolly Parton

Welcome to Cocktails and Gossip, the podcast where we drink cocktails, but you better believe we're gonna spill the tea. We chat reality TV, celebrity blinds, and the hottest tea from BravoandCocktails.com. And as always, it's all alleged and just for fun. We do not verify our blinds. I'm B. And I'm Amanda. Let's get into this week's tea.

What's up, Cocktailers? Hello, Amanda.

Hi, B. Hi, Cocktailers. I can't. This one hit me really hard. This week Dolly Parton passed away at 80 years old. I absolutely cried. I have always loved Dolly since I was a kid. She is sunshine, she sparkles, she is light. And we've got to remind everybody, when you and I were younger, celebrities were so much bigger back then.

Madonna and Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton. There was no social media. We didn't have the access we do today. There were no influencers. You had network television, cable television, movies, and magazines. And soap opera stars were what I always say were the reality stars.

So she was big. As a kid, I saw the glitter and the makeup and the glamour and somebody who was really unique, because nobody else was like Dolly. But now as an adult, I see kindness, I see love, I see generosity. I also see somebody who playfully but effectively fought the patriarchy. She never called herself a feminist, but look at 9 to 5, the movie and the song. She wrote songs about the double standards placed on women by society.

You said that so perfectly. When we have celebrities we admire, there are usually a lot of different reasons, and sometimes you don't really look into it. When she passed, it took the wind out of me. Her husband passed, and then she had canceled appearances, but I really didn't think... 80 is not old in our world today. She is such a vibrant person. I saw somebody on Threads say it almost felt like she was immortal. I remember feeling that way with Whitney and Michael Jackson. They've been there our whole lives. We actually had our Cocktail Party Zoom the night Dolly passed, and for all of us Cocktailers it really felt like a therapy session. We all shared how it affected us, and the thing we all said was that she really transcended. She was so many things. When we were little girls there were still these stereotypes: pretty women didn't have depth, pretty women weren't smart women. You had to choose one. And the fact that she got her feminist views across while staying playful and sparkly just spoke to people. The LGBTQ community, what she was to them. She donated 300 million plus books in her lifetime through her Imagination Library, and I'd love to share that link in the notes of this pod, because that would be a beautiful way to honor her.

I feel like I'm going to cry. The craziest thing is I remember when Diane Keaton passed earlier this year, and it hit me, but my kids didn't really get it. Catherine O'Hara they remembered from Home Alone. But when it came across the television with Dolly, both of my kids were so upset and impacted by it. And we're from New York City. It's not like we're country folks. She really transcended ages and places.

We grew up with network TV. She was on all the late-night talk shows. She wasn't just a country star, she was a star star. She made country mainstream. I've been reading more about her this week. I don't know if you saw, I was drinking out of my Dolly cup, my cup of ambition. I've had it for years and years because I've loved her that much. But this was a story I didn't know. I knew she loved drag queens. She once said if she'd been born a man, she would have become a drag queen. In 2012 on ABC News, she told the story about how she saw there was a Dolly Parton lookalike contest in West Hollywood and decided to enter just for fun, and she lost the contest to a drag queen. They didn't realize it was her. She said, "All of these beautiful drag queens had worked for weeks and months getting their clothes. So I just got in the line and walked across, and they thought I was some short little gay guy. I got the least applause."

That is so Dolly. We're really going to miss you, Dolly. She said she's worn the rhinestones for so long that when she finally rests, she wants to rest in a plush cotton background, and I hope she's got that.

I have to share one thing I saw. It was a reel, and I wish I'd screenshot it so I knew the person. I don't think this person was a creator. A woman was saying to her mom, an older Black woman, "Mom, I'm gonna take you through this one slow." And then she just shouts, "Dolly's dead." And the mother dramatically falls onto her bed: "Oh my God, how is this possible?" And then, "Mom, you know how old she was, right?" And the woman said, "Yeah, Dolly and I went to two separate schools together." It was light-hearted, but the woman was very clearly mourning. And then she says to her daughter, "I'm not gonna be able to attend the services. I'm working 9 to 5." When she said "we went to two different schools together," it spoke to how we all felt like we were friends with Dolly and knew Dolly, even though we're so different. I'm a girl from New York City, 40 years younger than her. I'll share it if I find it.

Leah Remini Joins RHOBH and Bravo's Biggest Cast Salary Ever

Okay, big, big news in Beverly Hills. The spicy second new housewife is, drum roll, Leah Remini. So we have Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, Bozoma Saint John, Rachel Zoe, Tracy Tutor, and Leah Remini. Kathy Hilton and Jennifer Tilly will be friends-of.

First of all, shout out to our source who went through and screenshot all the times he told me Leah Remini was in talks. I'm going to repost this. The first time he told me was March 17th, 2023: "Leah Remini very close to signing. We can't post anytime soon. Had to pull it from my friend." Then December 2023: "Curious if they'll try for Leah again." Then April 2024: "I wonder if they're making room for Leah to finally come on. She was so close to signing last year." And a separate source told me her divorce was finalized in late 2024, which makes a lot of sense.

I'll be honest, we got a DM from somebody I've never chatted with, and it was random because they were asking us to share something, which we do all the time, be it a GoFundMe, a teacher's list, a shout-out in a newsletter. They were like, "Oh my God, that's so sweet of you, and because you're so sweet, I'm telling you Tracy Tutor and Leah Remini are the two newbies." That was on August 19th, and we're sitting at August 27th. I shared it to my stories. I didn't make it a post because the person wasn't vetted. But we've been hearing about Leah since 2023. A bunch of listeners told me, "B, her sister has come out and said it'll never happen." And then when Jeff Lewis said this week it's someone very spicy, people were saying possibly Holly Robinson Peete, because Jeff's good friends with her. We were always saying Leah Remini. We just named the two of them on the Zoom.

Here's the thing that's standing out to me: this is the largest total cast salary in Bravo history. People complain about Beverly Hills, but they are slowly revamping it and putting a lot of money into it. Similarly, they're rolling out this New York reboot with all these shoots. They're putting a lot of money into both those cities, which tells me they're pumping the brakes on other cities. They've already done so with Miami. I really feel like we're going to see an OC pause as well. There's only so much money in the budget to produce Housewives shows.

Unless they're bringing in new viewers and more ad revenue, and the big shows get bigger, they can't afford bigger salaries. We know the ratings have been pretty low. Atlanta was really not getting the viewership this summer that it traditionally has.

I think Atlanta is the next one, because if they truly are casting a show centered around Black women in a city, and they're looking at Houston and a couple of other cities, I'd have to imagine they would pause Atlanta. I do feel like they've got a good cast. It just might be that they need a little time. And I have to say about Leah Remini, I'm old enough that I remember when she was on Saved by the Bell. The summer one, where she worked on the beach. She had moved from Brooklyn, and I'm a borough girl, so I identified. She's funny, she's sharp, she is not going to back down to these other ladies. She's a don't-start-none, won't-be-none kind of person. It'll be interesting, because they don't generally get too shady on Beverly Hills. They keep it a little classier. I think she's got a really interesting backstory.

Do you remember when she was pregnant with her daughter, she had a reality show back then? I loved that show. She was with her husband for many years, and it appears their divorce is amicable, because they announced it together. I follow her on Instagram. They're still cool. But the other thing is, she was the breadwinner. One of our sources, who always has really good intel and predictions, said she just signed with WME, William Morris Endeavor, and predicts a career relaunch: "A new Leah-led sitcom on NBC or Peacock will debut within the next 18 to 24 months if Beverly Hills goes well. Overall deal announced next year." That's just a prediction, but I can definitely see it.

Back to the salary thing, the ladies are probably feeling the pressure, because if you look at that cast, other than Leah, who can dictate a higher salary just for being her, and Tracy Tutor to a certain extent, you've got Kyle, Erika, Dorit, Sutton, who have all been on the show so long, and we know their salaries go up every year. Boz is the newest of them, and this is her third season. So everybody's probably feeling that pressure. And we got that email about the newer shows like McBee Dynasty and Next Gen, which are cheaper to produce because of salaries, keeping the lights on at Bravo. We really need somebody to come out and show us that the Housewives aren't boring and can bring in the viewers, like Rhode Island really did. I think this cast can do that, and I think that's why Bravo's looking at it like, let's invest in our headliners. Beverly Hills and New York, clearly they put the money in both cities, and then a place like Rhode Island, where the salaries are cheaper because they're new and they're not celebrities. Leah Remini is always going to command more than Alicia Carmody. It's a business. And is anyone watching OC? I didn't even watch it this week.

I am watching, but I'm scrolling on my phone a lot. It's not really keeping my attention, unfortunately.

Scheana Shay Returns to The Valley: Who Has to Go?

In other big news, a different source who has given us good intel in the past told us that Scheana Shay will be returning to The Valley. It was literally in my DMs right before we hopped on. My follow-up question was, "Thank you, that's amazing, but when are we going to find out who's leaving?" Because it's such a huge cast already.

My money's on Danny and Nia. Because where do we go from here? They're not going to evolve. Nobody wishes a separation on them. It's just a matter of not wanting to watch it on TV. It's also going to keep the cast divided. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt: they say their marriage is amazing at home but not on camera, so stay off camera and go live your lives. I don't dislike them. I just don't see a strong way forward for them, when I do with Janet and Jason.

Same. Here's the thing. Scheana returning is good news for Janet and Jason, because Scheana's friends with them. Lala had no storyline last year. As viewers, we can all say, "Ugh, Scheana, ugh, Lala," but we're invested. We've watched their friendship for many years. It's something fans want to see play out. We saw Lala touch on it at the reunion, but Scheana has her own perspective, and it makes organic sense to bring that to the viewers. I shouldn't even say storyline, because it's their life.

My thinking about Scheana is this. She can exaggerate, she can be dramatic, she can definitely be strategic, but I've never thought of her as a liar, and I think of her as a very loyal person. Lala is also strategic, but I don't think of her as a loyal person. Lala does Lala. She's loyal to herself and her family. Lala is an opportunist. The whole reason this fight happened is allegedly that Lala was one of the people who leaked Scheana's private business about her husband cheating on her when she was pregnant, before Scheana's book came out, which is really crappy, because that was a hook Scheana was hoping to use to sell books. Then Lala cried about it at the reunion, but we had a whole article on the site about how Scheana called her out on a different podcast for being performative, because Lala never followed those tears up with an actual apology in real life. So I'm Team Scheana on this one. Lala was flat out wrong for leaking her business. If she really wanted to be friends again, she would have apologized in person.

You nailed it. I also see Lala as an opportunist. It's not that I dislike her. We all saw it play out last season of Vanderpump Rules, where she did what she felt she had to do to keep the show going, at the expense of what other people on the cast considered friendships, like Ariana. In the same way Tamra judges loyalty by loyalty to the show, that's how Lala is, and that's how she got on The Valley, because production needs somebody like that. Lala has to hear all the fans saying she has no storyline. We don't see her date. One of her children isn't on the show, so we don't see her co-parent. All that's left is her being critical of others. So I imagine Lala is looking at the opportunity with Scheana like, "We're going to have to film some uncomfortable scenes, but it's going to give me something the fans will be interested in." Her brother and her mother putt-putting around the house, nobody's interested in that. Her kids are only babies, so she can't pull an Emily from OC, especially because Ocean isn't even allowed to film.

KJ and Remi Bader, and What Happened With Dara

The Summer House cast, we keep getting lots of sightings of them. It's keeping us guessing about what's going on, but we did get some great intel this weekend. Obviously some Kyle situations, because he doesn't seem to be able to leave the house without one. But first the sightings. A Cocktailer says, "I was at Jesse Solomon's show last night at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett. Carl and Lindsay were definitely a bit chummy, and KJ was there with Remi Bader. Something is definitely going on with them. Jesse was awesome. It was a fun show. Kyle, Carl, and all of them were out with a crowd taking photos."

I want to zoom in on KJ and Remi Bader. A few times this summer they were spotted together, a couple of pictures on DeuxMoi of them seemingly buzzed, leaving clubs, kind of cozy, rumors they were spotted making out. I don't recall a picture of them making out, but it definitely seems like they've been hooking up. On the Zoom, it was interesting, because with influencers, they're not on television, so there are people who follow them very closely and others who are like, "B, who is Remi Bader?" So a little rundown. She's a prominent social media influencer, content creator, and fashion inclusivity advocate based in New York City. Her fame came from TikToks and Instagram reels of her realistic clothing hauls, where she tries on clothes from popular brands and shows how they fit on a curvier body versus how they're advertised, highlighting discrepancies in sizing and fit. She's collaborated with a lot of fashion brands and has a notable size-inclusive partnership with Revolve. She's also very open about her own struggles with body image and mental health, so she's seen as a very transparent influencer, which is why people connect with her. She's been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and TIME 100 Creators, and she's appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Her name has been in the mix because she hangs out with the Summer House crew. Because she's such a big name, I'm surprised they haven't wanted her full-time on the show. Maybe she didn't want to, but now she's hanging with KJ, so we'll see her.

That's hard to know, because we had also heard she said she wanted to be on Summer House. She's been in the background of a couple of parties. But these influencers make so much money that Bravo may have been like, "No, we're not paying you a million dollars. We don't even pay Paige DeSorbo that." I was looking into her too. She's friends with Khloe Kardashian, Alix Earle, Paige Lorenze, who now goes by Paige Paul. Hannah Berner was at her mom's birthday or anniversary party this summer, and you know with Hannah, you can tell it's summer because she can't smile. She's doing a great job making pure comedy with it. I did know Remi had gone through a really bad breakup, and I looked up her ex-boyfriend. I think he's in finance, went to Penn, really good-looking guy. A little bit of a different vibe than KJ.

What's also interesting is Dara is a big-time influencer in New York City, and Dara and KJ ended very abruptly. When I went to the Vulture event, Dara and KJ were very much together. It was after the reunion had filmed, and right after the reunion the two of them went away. They were in a really good place. At the Vulture event they were lovey-dovey, and shortly after we heard they broke up abruptly. We heard the rumors, but we never got the meat and potatoes of why. They were supposed to be at a Hulu event I was at, and the person organizing it said, "I guess those breakup rumors are true, because they were both a yes and they're not here." So Remi is an influencer in the same world as Dara. They get invited to the same brand trips. Even look at Madison. I didn't know the influencer she was spotted with, but you were all DMing me, "Why is Madison with so-and-so?" and it ended up being a brand trip. In New York City, they're all going to be in the same circle. So I have to imagine this is strange for Dara, and I really like Dara. My prediction is KJ can't ignore it on the show, so depending on how he addresses it, we'll have Dara do a makeup tutorial and tell her side if he tells his side this season.

We would love to have her.

Are Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke Getting Back Together?

Back to Summer House. We've been getting a ton of questions about Lindsay and Carl. The Cocktailer who was at Jesse Solomon's show said they were really chummy. The same week, another Cocktailer was at an event being filmed for the show, and she said that besides a sit-down conversation production told them to go have, Carl and Lindsay did not interact much. So listen. Lindsay's an excellent businesswoman. She's looking to drum up interest and secure a second season of In the City, but she's still going to need a storyline. Whether it's officially green-lit or not, there's a very good chance Carl will be on, so it serves a dual purpose. Do I think there's a genuine rekindling between them? Yes, but I don't know that it's a romantic rekindling.

What I keep coming back to, and we spoke about this on the Zoom, is Carl is sober, and that was a big part of what led to the demise of their relationship. Not that Lindsay has a drinking problem, but it's one thing to be with somebody who doesn't drink because they don't like to. It's another thing to be with somebody who has to not drink because they have an addiction. How do you have a romantic relationship where your partner is having a bottle of wine twice a week? I don't feel like that's a gap they'd be able to bridge. They weren't able to the first go-around. Carl's so responsible. I do think there is genuine love between them, and I honestly think Carl would want to, but he knows he can't because of that.

I definitely think the fans want to see them as friends, and I think they know that. I don't know that the fans all think they should get back together. I also don't see them as an energy match. She's very high energy. He's steady energy. I love the idea of Carl being in her life, being Uncle Carl to Gemma. But the biggest one to me: if they got back together, can you imagine how things would go with his mom? I just don't see Lindsay wanting any part of that. I could see them being dear friends for life, because of all they've been through together, and they seem to be really enjoying each other's company. It would be hard for Lindsay when Carl gets into a committed relationship with somebody else.

As my husband always says, there's at least a tiny percentage of something romantic even with totally platonic friends if it's a straight man and a straight woman.

Kyle Cooke's Summer, the Baby Sister Saga, and the Dating Age Formula

I wanted to share some really funny emails we got this weekend from a Cocktailer. The subject was "From Summer Sister," and I love that this person is getting these texts and immediately emailing us at 5:00 in the morning from her bed. It says: "Baby sister in the Summer House. Laying in bed at 5:00 AM because my 24-year-old sister texted me, 'I'm going to the Summer House right now in an Uber with my friends and Kyle Cooke.' I'll get details once she's awake. I know they were out taking shots with KJ and Kyle, and it sounds like the majority of the cast was out. In the Snapchat she sent, I could only see Carl in the sea of people. They were at Murph's, but they were not filming, and there was security at the bar, which her friend said was not usual. Jesse and Ciara were not there, but definitely Carl and Lindsay. Kyle was coherent at first and then not so much. Everyone left a while before Kyle. He definitely tried to kiss her friend, but she dodged it, LOL. They were talking about going back to the house, and Kyle was very drunk and screamed the address. They get in the Uber finally. Kyle's DJing and then falling asleep. When they get to the house, Kyle goes inside, and production was very organized and kind. They had them line up IDs and gave them NDAs, then took pictures of them with the NDA, basically anything you say or do, production can use however they want. They are about to sign, and production is like, 'Just kidding, everyone is asleep.' So Kyle must have fallen asleep immediately, or production was protecting the situation." And then she says, "I'm a grateful big sis. I was very nervous about all of it. Production asked them to call an Uber and thanked them. I specifically asked how she felt with the production team, and she said they were very kind and the girls felt comfortable. Production told them to come back whenever. One of the friends got Kyle's number and texted this morning to see about the party today. They got a noise complaint last week, so production said no parties, so they'll be going to Common Ground East."

Sure enough, the next day there are videos of Kyle DJing at Common Ground East. A few things stand out. One, Kyle is clearly single. First it was the Ava of it all mixed in with the Salley of it all. If he made out with Ava, which he probably did, it wasn't much beyond that. But Salley was out in the Hamptons, and they spent the weekend together. We then saw pictures and video of Kyle having a conversation with a newbie in the house named Davia, who there were rumors he had been hooking up with. Then Salley came, and he was spotted in Manhattan the week after having an intense conversation with Davia, so seemingly whatever they had, they were ending it. Now he's back in the Hamptons, fully bringing girls back, or attempting to, but falling asleep, which makes sense, because by the time the NDAs and pictures are done, we've seen Kyle just pass out. So Kyle is fully out there single, which I feel like he should be. And then we have Salley, who is all over the place in her Instagram stories.

Girl is messy and I love it. Listen, Kyle was in a relationship for 10 years. He absolutely should be single. Do I have opinions on 44-year-old Kyle bringing back 24-year-old girls? I don't love it. How old is Salley? 31. Salley had all these Instagram stories right after the Hamptons where she was hinting she thought she was going to be settling down. Now that I think back, she could have been talking about somebody else, because then she started posting about this guy she'd only call Ghost, showing his arms with the tattoos. And then a few days ago she posted a picture of Austen, but AI'd him to have tons of tattoos, which, consensus, we all thought he looked really hot. So we're like, wait, is Ghost Austen? Was there no Ghost? She is great for reality television. Then she was spotted at the DMV with some guy, but after I posted that, people shared that the guy had posted her over the years, so maybe it's a friend, maybe somebody she hooks up with. A source told me Salley has guys like Austen on her roster, and when there's a lull she hits them up. Nothing wrong with that. Keep it messy. I love every minute of it. And Kyle's going to be at Bravo Fan Fest, so I could see them continuing to hook up. I wonder if Salley is into Kyle and is like, "Let him have his summer and then we'll figure it out."

I want to say thank you again to that Cocktailer for the entertainment this weekend. I emailed her back to say her baby sister became all of us Cocktailers' baby sister. And now that I'm her big sister too, I was glad she went to the Summer House after a night at the bars, because production's there around the clock, and that feels safer than some random person's house. And it's a good thing Kyle passed out, because do you know the formula for how young you can date? Take half your age and add seven. Kyle is 44, so half his age is 22, plus seven is 29. So 22, 24, any of those, that's too young. I don't make the rules. This means pretty much no one in their 20s for Kyle.

It feels too young to me. Salley at 31, while still young, listen, Kyle has a young person's energy. Not only because he's got skin from the gods and a great hairline, as the kids like to say, but he's got young energy. I don't know how he does it. He's my age, and I like to be in bed at 9:30 watching Housewives. My sister-in-law was at my house last night, we had a couple glasses of wine, and I was like, "I have to stop because I'm recording the pod tomorrow." And he runs and exercises and does all the things, with afters till 4:00 in the morning.

West Wilson and Amanda Batula in Newport: Will They Be on In the City?

West and Amanda were spotted all over Newport, Rhode Island. We all got the pictures. So much of it reminds me of Sandoval and Raquel, although that fizzled out faster. It was a huge scandal, and when people like us continue to post pictures, we get "nobody cares." But the other side of that is I get tons of DMs and emails asking for updates, including anonymous emails I can't respond to. So to those people, here is what we know. There they are with a large group of friends in bars, basically everything we've been seeing them do in Manhattan, brought to Newport. They did it on the Jersey Shore. Amanda has posted here and there, but I don't think she's done a grid post she hasn't quickly deleted in a long time, so I guess this is her announcement that she's fully back online. She did a photo dump from her weekend in Newport, tons of pictures of her and West, her on his lap, lovey-dovey. The comment section was pretty wild, from people criticizing her to a lot of people saying they're very happy for her, she's never looked this happy. Could it be the real thing? At the In the City reunion, we all felt "eh." She was very fickle about her relationship with West. She said they hadn't said "I love you" to each other. Was she playing it cool? Has it evolved?

I disagree about the fickle thing. I think she was trying to downplay it, because it was embarrassing to her that they're not saying "I love you." I wouldn't say she had a take-him-or-leave-him attitude. It was more, "I don't want to say too much because I don't want to be embarrassed," because I think she's fully in, but maybe isn't confident that he's fully in, so she's got to play it cool. And those pictures look like a fun weekend. It's good to see her have some fun. Some people said she hired bots. She didn't murder anybody. While I think the way she handled things after was terrible, and she should have been genuinely apologetic, especially to Ciara and Kyle, I agreed with the comments that it was good to see her having fun.

Listen, Amanda's being advised, as is West. They need to earn. This is her job. She doesn't collect a salary from Loverboy anymore, and this was a good way to show brands that while some people are disgusted with her, people will engage with her, and many people are still happy for her. And if it were bots, brands make you send over your actual engagement, so that would show. I don't think it was bots. People are more forgiving, and the people who didn't see it as a big deal weren't loud about it at the time. Now that time has passed, they're like, "Okay, let's move on." So the question we get constantly: will we see them on In the City? We don't have confirmation one way or the other. But when you post a picture and people write "nobody cares," you took the time to write the comment, so you care. You're still engaged. That's the measurement. As an example, once Jen Shah went to jail, I never shared her again, and I never will. She's cooked. That's not the case here, because we're all still sharing them. So do I think there's a good chance she's going to be on In the City with West? I do, because it's a business. They want people to watch.

I agree, and I think In the City may need the boost, not because it wasn't a great show, but because I think Bravo's looking really critically at the latest season of The Valley and how hard it was to film while two cast members had newborns. Congratulations to Yvonne and her husband on baby Leo. Congratulations to Danielle, because Aiden just came home from the NICU. And Lexi is due at any moment. Who knows if they'll all be on the show, but they're all first-time moms, and I want to be very clear, I'm not saying this from a mental health place. It is completely life-changing to have a newborn. It makes things very unpredictable, and it's going to be logistically harder to film. You think you're on your way out the door and your baby has a giant blowout, and everyone's going back in the bathtub. Amanda and West are seasoned reality stars, and fans are invested in this story. A lot of us want to see how the rest of the cast will treat them, how Kyle will handle this, how West will handle it, given he wasn't really looking for a committed relationship but kind of got backed into it.

Do you know what I'd actually be interested in seeing? Carl joining the cast. There's the whole "Carl's a mess" joke, which was hysterical, but Carl and Amanda were incredibly close. Kyle knew Carl before Summer House, but the friendship became much closer over those 10 years, and Amanda was always there for Carl as a very good friend. He officiated their wedding. She was there for him when his brother passed, when he and Lindsay split up. You very much got the sense they had a cousin, big-brother thing, and even in times when Kyle and Amanda weren't doing well, Carl would advocate for Amanda. Carl clearly has no use for West, and I think that will be interesting in and of itself. Carl was really pushed to the side. He wasn't on In the City. And Kyle, as business-minded as he is, went out of his way to be friends with West and Jesse, and we can all say it's because he knew they were the future of Summer House and he wanted to stay in the mix. I don't think Carl and West were ever that close. If anything, there may have been a little resentment on Carl's part, because Carl wasn't on In the City and would not have been back on Summer House. So that whole dynamic is going to be interesting. And West won't be able to do that whole shtick where he's the advocate for the women. Georgina ain't having it. Danielle Olivera ain't having it. Danielle and West did Summer House together for a couple of seasons. There are layers here, and to think the network isn't going to capitalize on those layers when three of the cast members are new moms? Danielle is seasoned, but Yvonne and Lexi are new to reality TV. Throw in having a baby. I know we all love Andrea, but they've been in LA. That could just be for a job, and they could come back for filming. But I'm not convinced they're back.

I'm not convinced they're back either.

Farrah Brittany's Baby Daddy Revealed, but Cocktailers Knew

We've also been getting a lot of questions about Farrah Brittany, Kyle Richards' daughter. She announced earlier this summer that she was pregnant, but she did not share who the father was. By her not sharing, the immediate thought was scandal. We immediately heard it was Zach Goldsmith, who she confirmed this week. He was on the show at Mauricio's agency, and Farrah is an agent there. Part of that storyline was he was married, she was engaged. Clearly he was interested in her. So when she came out and said she was pregnant, we got an email that it was him. We made our post vague and took the name out, because until it's confirmed, we don't want to get into any trouble. Here's where it gets confusing. His estranged wife, because they're still not divorced but are separated, commented on Farrah's original post congratulating her: "Happy for you." And Farrah said, "That means so much." Upon further digging, Farrah left her fiancé at the same time Zach separated from his wife, about two years ago. Zach and his wife have a two-year-old and a five-year-old. So if you're telling me that two years ago the wife was totally fine with a newborn at home and her husband off with Farrah? No. If there was no scandal, Farrah would have announced the father immediately. There are a lot of reasons: the wife is not a celebrity, she may not want the attention, she has children who will one day read about it, she may want to keep everything publicly nicey-nice. Two years have passed. I just feel like there has to have been a scandal when they got together. Maybe not that he cheated on her and got Farrah pregnant, which is how one email positioned it. I don't think it was that. But them getting together was the scandal.

There were definitely sparks. You could see it on the show. I think your theory is right. I think it was Zach saying, "I don't want to announce this right away, because I don't want the baby to become all about what people will assume is scandal," and wanting to protect his children and his ex-wife. I truly hope, for her especially, there was no scandal. We talk about this a lot, but it's so much better if you have a clean break, even though some divorces take forever. You can be separated and still take two more years to get divorced, and how fast a divorce happens is pretty much out of everybody's control. I hope he was separated and things started that way, versus starting with cheating, because it's better for everybody involved.

I don't know that we're ever really going to get the answer. Farrah is no longer on that reality show, and I don't see this being a huge storyline for Kyle, because Farrah's never been heavily featured on Real Housewives. It's going to be about the baby, Kyle being a grandmother, and Farrah being a new mom. And that makes sense, because while we're told Kyle has no executive producer credit, somebody advocates for her and keeps a lot of what's actually going on off the show.

So I am very excited for Beverly Hills. That is the takeaway from this episode. So many people have DM'd me, "I haven't been watching, but I'm tuning in for Leah Remini." I think she's going to be huge. I remember being excited for Rachel Zoe and being pleasantly surprised that she shared so much. I can't imagine Leah not sharing, because I watched her other reality show and she's a very transparent person on Instagram. And her family's very funny and interesting. I'm so psyched for New York too.

Do we get a J.Lo appearance, since J.Lo's her best friend? Could you die? We know J.Lo has a good relationship with Bravo. She's been on Watch What Happens Live multiple times. The two of them out on the town, both single and dating. I love that. Is Leah dating? We have to see all of this. Can't wait. We love you guys. Till next time. Bye.

What's up, Cocktailers? We want to thank you, as always, for listening to Cocktails and Gossip. Because of you, we've hit some amazing milestones, had some hilarious conversations, and have grown a truly amazing community. If you haven't already followed our podcast, hit the follow button in the top right of your Apple Podcasts player or the follow button under the show logo on Spotify. We thrive on you, our audience, so make sure to tell all your gossip-loving friends about us too. And if you want to get all the tea, join our membership, Cocktail Party, by going to bravoandcocktails.com/join. Our members get access to the exclusive tea we post, the weekly podcast without ads, plus an additional bonus podcast every week. Members also get to join us on our monthly live Cocktail Party Zoom, where we talk about the latest tea and even share tea that's just too hot to put in writing. Last, but maybe best, our members get access to the Cocktail Party Discord, where you can chat with Amanda, me, and all of the other Cocktailers. Thank you so much for listening. We appreciate you.