Madison Keys meets “Southern Charm” stars, weighs in on “Summer House” drama

CHARLESTON—Madison Keys has called reality television her favorite press conference topic, and so the 2025 Australian Open champion/*Real Housewives of Salt Lake City* fan was only too happy to oblige when asked for updates on all the latest Bravo happenings after winning her opening round at the Credit One Charleston Open.

“Oh my gosh,” Keys exclaimed when asked about two reality vehicles set right here in Charleston, Southern Charm and Southern Hospitality. It turns out she came face-to-face with two stars of the former earlier this week.

“I did meet Venita [Aspen] and her mom the other day,” she told me after a straight-sets win over Donna Vekic. “Her mom is like the biggest tennis fan ever, and she's so sweet, and it was so nice. And I met Salley [Carson], too. I asked her about her chickens, because someone told me that.

“I've been like very obsessed with the other drama that's happening,” Keys added with a knowing smile.

The other drama concerns Summer House, a Bravo show set up in New York and one that has become the epicenter of a cheating scandal/love triangle between stars Amanda Batula, West Wilson, and Ciara Miller.

Batula, who recently announced her separation from husband and co-star Kyle Cooke, revealed in a statement that she had begun a romantic entanglement with Wilson, who was previously linked to Miller—a co-star and close friend of all three.

TL;DR: 🤯.

“Crazy! Crazy!” Keys said as she and I attempted to loop the room into this decidedly niche drama. “Guys, it's like there's so many things happening right now. And none of them are great. But to be honest, at least we have something to just bond together over.”

The No. 5 seed was unsurprisingly Team Ciara, and has clearly been keeping up with all of the gossip surrounding this still-developing story.

“Didn't you see that West is maybe cheating on [Batula]?” she asked me, as we had ostensibly become the only two people in the room.

“There’s rumors of that now! Yes! Potentially [cheating] with Ciara! No, it's crazy, and a joint statement was like the craziest PR move I've ever seen in my entire life!”

The press conference eventually pivoted back to the tennis, but suffice to say Keys enjoyed a stress-free April Fool’s Day. The same can’t be said for her agent, on whom she played a prank with an assist from tournament director Bob Moran.

“We texted her in like a group chat, and we're like, ‘Oh, my gosh, did you hear what happened with the podcast and everything?’” recalled Keys, pretending a controversy had arisen out of The Player’s Box podcast, which she co-hosts with fellow players Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk. “And then Bob also texted her, like, ‘Hey, we need to talk,’ and then none of us responded.

“She did figure it out. She said she was freaking out for like 20 minutes and then saw the date and just texted all of us that she hates us. It was very funny.”

The 2019 Charleston champion will aim to keep the good vibes going in her next match against Hungary’s Anna Bondar.