Andy Cohen is in the middle of a tumultuous few days, during which he has been sued by one former Real Housewives cast member, days after being accused of sexual harassment by another.
Former Real Housewives of New York City star Leah McSweeney filed a civil lawsuit against Cohen, Bravo Media, NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media US, and individual producers on Tuesday.
In her 109-page complaint, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, McSweeney has alleged that she was subjected to a "rotted" workplace culture that "thrives off" hard drugs and encourages alcohol abuse. She has accused the defendants of failing to establish a safe working environment for her disabilities, including "alcohol use disorder" and "mental health disorders."
McSweeney, who appeared on two seasons of the New York edition of Real Housewives and one season of The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, alleged in her filing that producers discriminated against her alcohol and mental issues.
The TV personality accuses the producers, in whom she had confided of her issues, of "intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate [her] disabilities," in a bid to "create morbidly salacious reality television."
According to McSweeney, she shared with the team that she had broken her sobriety after nine years, but was sober when she started filming the 12th season of Real Housewives back in 2019.
Drug Allegations
She aimed a series of allegations at Cohen, accusing him of engaging in "cocaine use with Housewives and other 'Bravolebrities' that he employs." McSweeney further accused Cohen of having a "proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees."
"Cohen tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits," the lawsuit alleged. "Cohen intentionally uses cocaine with his employees to further promote a workplace culture that thrives off drug and alcohol abuse, which leads to a failure to accommodate employees who are disabled and attempting to remain substance free."
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McSweeney added that "Cohen's preferred workplace environment, which is fueled with substances and illicit behavior, permeates every aspect of Defendant Bravo productions."
Cohen's representative hit out at the allegations on Wednesday, telling Newsweek in an emailed statement: "The claims against Andy are completely false."
Newsweek has contacted representatives of NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Shed Media via email for comment.
Brandi Glanville's Claims
Last week, Cohen issued an apology after he was accused by former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville of sexual harassment.
Warner Bros., NBC Universal and Shed Media were sent a letter from Glanville's attorneys Mark Geragos and Bryan J. Freedman. In the missive, it was alleged that Cohen sent Glanville an inappropriate recorded message in 2022.
"Ms. Glanville herself has been a victim of sexual harassment at Bravo by none other than Andy Cohen," read the letter, which has been filed in Los Angeles. "In a video sent by Mr. Cohen to Ms. Glanville in 2022, Mr. Cohen—appearing obviously inebriated—boasted of his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via Facetime."
The lawyers added that Cohen was "Ms. Glanville's boss at the time and exercised complete and total control over her career. In the letter, Freedman and Geragos branded Cohen's alleged behavior "an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted."
Cohen responded to the letter by issuing a public apology on X, formerly Twitter.
"The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi," Cohen stated. "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."
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.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) February 23, 2024
Elsewhere in the letter, allegations that Glanville engaged in inappropriate behavior while shooting the fourth season of Ultimate Girls Trip last year were also addressed. The season, which has yet to air, saw the cast travel to Morocco.
However, things were unceremoniously cut short for Glanville, when she was asked to leave filming early last year over allegedly kissing and groping former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo off-camera without her consent. Also claiming cast members were plied with alcohol, Manzo last month filed a lawsuit against Bravo and its affiliated companies, mentioning the alleged incident.
Denying any wrongdoing, Glanville's letter stated that "the cast spent the day in question drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and, at the end of the evening, learning how to belly dance." Glanville and Manzo, states the letter, later began "dirty dancing" while attending "a party thrown by production."
"We have heard about a supposed 'bathroom incident' through press leaks, but Shed Media has repeatedly refused to allow Ms. Glanville or her counsel to see the footage in question; there is no truth to any allegations of impropriety," Glanville's attorneys stated. "Ms. Glanville and Ms. Manzo were never alone together that evening."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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