'RHONY' Leah McSweeney Sues Andy Cohen, Bravo For Allegedly Exploiting Alcohol Issues
By Afouda Bamidele on February 28, 2024 at 7:30 AM EST
Leah McSweeney is taking Bravo and Andy Cohen to court.
The former "Real Housewives of New York City" has accused the network and its famous figurehead of using her struggles with alcohol to get more people to watch the reality show intentionally.
Leah McSweeney Accuses Andy Cohen & Bravo Of Using Her Alcoholism For TV Ratings
McSweeney claimed in court papers that Bravo and Cohen knew she was battling alcohol addiction and severe mental health issues when she joined "RHONY" in 2020 but intentionally created an environment that encouraged her vices.
The filing described the producers as almost desperate to make her start drinking again, with them allegedly trying different ways, like persuading her, forcing her, and not letting her go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
The 41-year-old's legal representatives also alleged that when she resisted drinking, they tried other methods to make her emotionally unstable, hoping for the breakdown they wanted on camera.
McSweeney, who has been candid about her mental health problems and even hosts a podcast about addiction, amongst other topics, declared in the court document that Bravo and Cohen's actions resulted in her ending up in a psychiatric hospital.
As Page Six reported, the reality star further asserted that "RHONY" got its highest number of viewers during an episode called "Scary Island," where one of the housewives seemed confused and not thinking clearly.
Recently, another "Real Housewives" star, Brandi Glanville, mentioned in a legal letter that Cohen sexually harassed her. She claimed the Bravo producer was clearly drunk and told her he wanted to sleep with another Housewife while thinking about her. He even invited her to watch over FaceTime.
In the letter, sent by Granville's lawyers Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, the reality star expressed:
"Mr. Cohen was Ms. Glanville's boss at the time and exercised complete and total control over her career. This was an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted. It is inconceivable that Mr. Cohen remains in his post in spite of this behavior and harkens back to the bad old days of Matt Lauer and NBC News when profits were prioritized over people."
Granville further accused NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., and Shed Media of using her and ending their relationship cruelly because of the drama that happened during her time on "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip."
In case you missed it, Granville was accused of sexual assault by her former co-star Caroline Manzo, who claimed that the former model forcefully kissed her during their time filming the "Real Housewives" special.
On that, the ex "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star's lawyers penned, "Over the past year, Ms. Glanville has been subjected to a vicious media campaign based on false allegations of sexual misconduct. The false narrative, which NBC and Shed Media have apparently decided to foment, arises from Ms. Glanville's experience on 'Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco.'"
They added that even though "the experience has been a nightmare for Ms. Glanville," it was not the first time that she "has been used and abused by NBC, Bravo, Warner Bros., and Shed Media."
"Indeed, Ms. Glanville has long been taken advantage of by the institutions with which she is indelibly tied personally, professionally, financially, and in the public mind," they expressed.
Cohen Has Since Dismissed Glanville's Allegations As 'A Joke'
In the days following Granville's allegations, Cohen quickly took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his side. He explained that in the video, he and another Bravo star, Kate Chastain, were joking with Glanville, and he suggested that the latter seemed to be part of the joke.
He said, "The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi. It was absolutely meant in jest, and Brandi's response clearly communicated she was in on the joke. That said, it was totally inappropriate, and I apologize."
Subsequently, a source close to the situation emphasized that what Cohen said in the clip was intended as a joke. "No one in their right mind would think that anything Andy was saying in that video was meant to be taken seriously. It was very clear that everyone was in on the joke," the insider said.
