Andy Cohen Threatens Defamatory Lawsuit Against Leah McSweeney

Andy Cohen is ready to take Leah McSweeney to court. 

The Bravo executive, who is also facing a lawsuit alongside the network filed by McSweeney last week, has sent a letter to her via his legal team. 

Besides claiming that the accusations of cocaine use made against Cohen are not only unfounded and defamatory, the letter notes they could lead to a lawsuit against McSweeney.

Cohen's representatives argue that the majority of the claims made by McSweeney against him in the legal filing lack merit and are untrue.

Explicitly addressing the accusation of cocaine use, they demand a prompt retraction of all such allegations concerning "Mr. Cohen's purported 'cocaine use.'" 

They caution that failure to retract the allegations may result in legal proceedings against the reality star. Cohen's lawyers' emphasis in the letter read:

"To be clear: these allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee. The absence of any reasonable basis to make such allegations is confirmed by your pleading itself."

The defense highlights the need for more specifics in the accusation, suggesting it indicates an absence of substantive knowledge. Thus, they imply that McSweeney's claim is baseless. 

Cohen's team believes that the 41-year-old made the accusation to garner media attention and, possibly, a swift financial settlement. They further declare:

"The truth matters. Litigation cannot be used to create fake news. And it cannot be used as a vehicle to spread false and malicious lies, in furtherance of a shakedown. We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen. Every day you fail to do so only increases the damages suffered by Mr. Cohen."

Regarding McSweeney's reaction to the letter, a source close to her conveyed to TMZ that she is astonished by Cohen's insistence on publicizing the matter rather than allowing it to be resolved in court.

An insider in Cohen's camp also told the outlet, "Of course, Andy should defend himself in the public with the truth. Why should she be allowed to spew lies about his character?"

Concerning McSweeney's drug use allegations against Cohen, the former pointed out in legal documents submitted to the Southern District of New York last month that Bravo and Cohen violated her employment rights.

She underscored the gravity of her allegations by disclosing the network's purported culture that is heavily influenced by substance use.

She then alleged that the television presenter "engages in cocaine use with Housewives that he employs" while exposing his reported, "proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees is well-known throughout the Real Housewives franchise." 

Avoiding any names, McSweeney claimed that Cohen had become known for giving "the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine more favorable treatment" and "[makes them appear more agreeably [in] edits [of their shows]."

Dragging Cohen even further into the ground, the "Real Housewives of New York" alum accused the 55-year-old of "intentionally" using "cocaine with his employees to further promote a workplace culture that thrives off drug and alcohol use."

Similarly, the allegations against Bravo included fostering an environment where substance use is prevalent and turning a blind eye to sexually inappropriate conduct.

Specifically, McSweeney's lawsuit brought to light the actions of a Shed Media producer, accusing them of sending unsolicited explicit images to junior production staff. 

Despite these allegations, it has been reported that the producer has been promoted to more influential positions, as reported by The Blast.

Shed Media is known for producing the "Real Housewives of New York City" [RHONY] and "Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" [RHUGT], among other shows in the "Real Housewives" franchise.