Amanda Scott is quite familiar with the art of pivoting, considering how much her life has changed over the past year. Back in August 2022, the “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” star happily celebrated the return of her Issa Rae-produced reality series — which followed an ambitious group of Black 20-somethings living in South LA — for its second season. However, something felt off. “If you go back and look, we didn’t have a ton of promo for season two,” Scott tells POPSUGAR. “So that already was like, ‘What are y’all doing?'”
Then came the show’s cancellation by Max (formerly HBO Max) in December. Scott says she and her castmates — Jerrold Smith II, Cheryl Des Vignes, Rob Lee, Briana Jones, Rebecca Magett, Tylynn Burns, Jaylenn Hart, P’Jae Compton, and Myami Woods — were all sad to hear the news because “we were just finding our footing.” She adds, “It was definitely like a little stab to the heart.”
“It was definitely like a little stab to the heart.”
But don’t worry; Scott says “the gang is still together.” And same goes for her and her boyfriend, Lee. “We’re doing really well. We are still living together,” she says.
The PR maven who fans first met in the summer of 2021 has since left the corporate world, embarking most recently on what she calls an “eat, pray, love” journey. “I had to take a little break,” Scott says, adding that balancing a 9-to-5 and filming a reality show was “a whole lot” for her. Her step back to pursue personal projects is what eventually led to her latest pivot: a newly launched blog called AmandaSaidSo.com.
The lifestyle platform, named after Scott’s social media handles, explores everything from career and travel to love advice and pop culture. According to her, it’s an ode to the lost art form that once ruled the Y2K era and her way of getting back to basics.
Ahead, Scott discusses how her new blog came to be and shares more updates on life after “Sweet Life: Los Angeles.”
HBO
POPSUGAR: What have you been up to since “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” ended?
Amanda Scott: Well, I recently — and you’ll see this on the blog — left my corporate PR job, and it’s because I was filming “Sweet Life” and working at the same time and it was a whole lot for me. I had to take a little break, so I traveled a lot. I was really on a little eat, pray, love journey these past six months. I’ve been doing personal projects, which is how the blog blossomed. Still working, always freelancing. Right now, I have a couple of PR clients, and then, of course, I still have my house, so I’m managing that. But I’ve been taking it easy because it had become a lot for me.
“I also felt like we were just finding our footing and really getting started with a good mix of drama, comedy, and real-life situations.”
PS: How did you and the rest of the cast feel when you heard the show got canceled?
AS: We had heard there was a merger and acquisition happening, but I was like, I’m enjoying the moment, I’m going to still put my best foot forward in promoting the show. But when we found out that it wasn’t moving forward, it was definitely like a little stab to the heart a little bit. Only because we did two seasons; two really successful seasons. I think that a third season really could’ve rounded out a lot of stories. I also felt like we were just finding our footing and really getting started with a good mix of drama, comedy, and real-life situations. It was finally mixing well together. So I feel like we could’ve really came hard in season three. [It] would’ve been really lit. So the promise of that, that’s what I’m sad about.
PS: You said you heard rumblings about the cancellation — was this before or after season two premiered?
AS: Kind of while it was coming out. If you go back and look, we didn’t have a ton of promo for season two, like our marketing wasn’t super heavy. We didn’t really have sponsored posts the way we did season one. We had a couple of billboards, but how much they were spending on marketing wasn’t as much, so that already was like, “What are y’all doing?” Of course, no one is overtly saying, “Yeah, this is over.” But once you are a part of it and in the entertainment business, you pay attention to the signs.
“Sweet Life: LA” Star Jerrold Smith II Talks Working With Issa Rae: “She’s Literally Amazing”
PS: Did you guys get a heads-up before the news was announced publicly?
AS: Yeah, probably like two days before. It came from the people that we work with on the day-to-day and our showrunner.
PS: Did any of you get a chance to talk to Issa after the show got canceled?
AS: Yeah, she was advocating for us. I know that they definitely were looking for a new network for us. I’m sure she was trying her hardest, but I don’t know the ins and outs. Ultimately, she’s our biggest advocate, so when she calls and says it’s time [again], I’ll be ready. But until then, I just have to accept it for what it is.
“It sucks that we didn’t get a chance, but I do feel like we told really great stories.”
PS: Is there anything you wish was featured more on the show, or anything that’s happened since it ended that you would’ve liked to share with fans?
AS: You can never really get a full picture [from the show], especially because it was with an ensemble cast. I would have liked for them to show me working more. Of course, my real estate projects, though they did a really good job [showing them]. I also have a really close-knit relationship with my family, so it would’ve been good to tap into some of my other family members; they’re hilarious. And then from a friend standpoint, this past March, we went to Greece for Tylynn’s birthday, and it was epic. It was so good, like prime “Sweet Life” content for sure. I think fans would’ve loved to see that. I also want my business to be at the forefront of the things that I do, so I think that that was an opportunity for me in season three. It sucks that we didn’t get a chance, but I do feel like we told really great stories, and I’m OK with what was told about me, what my story was on the show.
Mykeila White
PS: What inspired you to launch your new blog?
AS: I’ll be real: I was having trouble finding my footing in the digital sphere. On TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, I just didn’t really feel that. One: I wasn’t skilled enough to do video editing and crazy content. And two: I genuinely didn’t feel aligned with anything — GRWMs and partnerships. It’s cool, but in the back of my mind, it was always like, I don’t feel like doing this. Like, I would do it, but it didn’t feel right to me.
I would take social media breaks because it would take me a lot of time to make content, or I had to will myself to get on platforms and do things, not just casual Instagram or TikTok use but content creation. So for a little bit there, I felt like I was losing an audience or not connecting with people who wanted to connect with me by just being a shadow online. And so I was thinking to myself, “What do I want to look at?” I’m thinking back to when I was a teenager — this is when blogs were really taking off. I was searching the web trying to see what happened in the celeb world, and it’s like I want that, but in a nontoxic way. Because you can still consume that today in 2023, but it’s going to come with a few extra layers, and I just want the entree that is keeping up with trends, lifestyle, beauty, travel. So that’s where I had the idea of maybe we need to get back to blogging.
“When I think of blogs and what I was really trying to put in the world, it takes me back to that time; a much simpler time.”
PS: The blog’s design is an ode to the Y2K years. How else does it honor that era for millennials?
AS: When I think of blogs and what I was really trying to put in the world, it takes me back to that time; a much simpler time. You know, technology was really fresh. It was just taking off, and there was an air of exclusivity and excitement and allure around finally being able to see something, whether it be a movie or a new video game. You know, things where you’re like, I really want to go see that. My boyfriend just said the other day that nobody watches anything at the same time anymore except sports and award shows. Otherwise, you just watch it whenever you get a chance. So the 2000s remind me of that time, and that’s what I want to generate — exclusive content that’s new ideas and fresh opinions, not groupthink.
PS: Could we see an AmandaSaidSo.com collaboration with your friends’ brands in the future?
AS: I love your thinking. Yes, Tylynn and I work together all the time. Actually, I’m still very active in House Party. We throw events together all the time, but I am going to start having events for the blog, too, so AmandaSaidSo and House Party Creative will likely collaborate there.
Sophia Michaels
