Former Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney has filed a lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen, accusing them of discrimination, cocaine and alcohol abuse, and promoting a “rotted” workplace culture.
The suit, obtained by The Daily Beast on Wednesday, alleges that Cohen and Bravo “discriminated against, tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated against Ms. McSweeney because she is a woman with disabilities, such as alcohol use disorder and various mental health disorders, all in the name of selling drama.”
When McSweeney joined Real Housewives of New York in 2020 for Season 12, she frequently discussed her history with substance abuse on the show; particularly, she grappled with relapsing after nine years of sobriety.
ADVERTISEMENT
In McSweeney’s suit, the star alleges that Cohen, an executive producer of Real Housewives, and Bravo are guilty of “intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate Ms. McSweeney’s disabilities throughout RHONY season 12.”
Elsewhere in the suit, McSweeney claims that Cohen “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” and that he gives more favorable edits to the Housewives whom he does cocaine with.
A rep for Cohen told The Daily Beast: “The claims against Andy are completely false.”
McSweeney commented on the lawsuit in an Instagram post in which she wrote in part, “This is not a story I ever thought I would be telling; in fact, I was petrified to speak on it and was warned not to. Your favorite Bravo shows are run by people who create a dangerous work environment, encourage substance abuse to artificially create drama and cynically prey on the vulnerabilities of their employees.”
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville—who last week accused Cohen of sexually harassing her—expressed her support for McSweeney by commenting on the post, “We are NOT expendable. We are strong women & even stronger together. Time to take our power back.”
McSweeney is just the latest Bravo star to take legal action against the network and Cohen. Last week, Glanville claimed in a legal letter that Cohen sent her a video in which he allegedly said he wanted her to watch him have sex with “another Bravo star.” Glanville’s letter described the alleged incident as an “extraordinary abuse of power.” The Watch What Happens Live host responded on X/Twitter by saying it was all a joke, but acknowledging that his actions were “totally inappropriate.”
Earlier this month, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo filed a lawsuit against NBCUniversal, Peacock, Bravo, and production companies Shed Media and Forest Productions over misconduct that allegedly took place during the filming of the Housewives spinoff series Ultimate Girls Trip.
In her suit, Manzo, who accused her castmate Glanville of sexually assaulting her, also alleged that production staff “regularly ply the Real Housewives cast with alcohol, cause them to become severely intoxicated, and then direct, encourage and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members because that is good for ratings.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to McSweeney’s attorney and Bravo for comment.
