Summer House’s West Wilson Weighs In on Becoming a Body Positivity Icon

Summer House newcomer West Wilson didn’t expect to become the Bravo show’s breakout star — especially when it comes to the conversation about his body.

“I’ve had a couple of guys DM me who claim to not be good looking or in shape and they’re like, you know, ‘I feel so seen by you,’” West, 28, told The New York Times in a profile published on Sunday, May 26. “If the overweight man felt seen by me — like if that’s my role — then let’s do it I guess.”

West added: “I’m here for it.” Although he did say that messages from fans about his personality being attractive have made him think twice about being “sort of handsome.”

The article made it clear that West is 5-foot-11, though appearing on TV next to men who are over 6-foot causes fans to mistake him as shorter. His humorous demeanor and immediate bromance with fellow Summer House season 8 newbie Jesse Solomon have made him a star.

Before agreeing to join the show, West told Bravo’s production team that he refused to become “another white guy who gets pigeonholed into being some douchey, fratty, dumb, racist Missouri guy,” he recalled to the NYT. “Because I know that I’m not.”

When Summer House season 8 premiered in February, West made his debut as the sports writer who had just gotten laid off from Bleacher Report. (Viewers watched as he nabbed a job with Complex.)

“My severance ended that weekend,” West told the NYT, remembering the moment he was cast on Summer House. “I came home, and it was like the most depressing Monday of all time.”

Thanks to Lindsay Hubbard, the show’s producers reached out and got the ball rolling. Once it came time to shoot the show, West quickly found himself falling for Ciara Miller. Their slow burn romance has played out through the entirety of season 8.

While both West and Ciara have been doing various interviews to promote the show, they’ve stayed tight-lipped about where their relationship stands.

“Honestly, good on him because he is a blabbermouth actually,” Ciara, 28, told Us Weekly exclusively earlier this month. “He is an open book through and through, and I’m like, ‘Shut up. Shut up.’”

Ciara also told Us that her romantic connection with West “definitely caught me off guard,” but she stood by her morals and took things slow — especially when it came to sleeping together.

“I’m always going to move at the pace that I want to,” the Bravo star said of their romance. “I really appreciated him not pressuring me and not making me feel pressure about the entire situation.”

Summer House airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.