Leah McSweeney, Andy Cohen. Getty Photographs (2)
Followers have come to count on one thing particular from The Actual Housewives.
Petty drama, iconic one-liners and insane shows of wealth (see The Actual Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne combating for custody of her $750,000 earrings) are all hallmarks of the Bravo empire. And whereas the franchise has documented some genuinely darkish chapters of its stars’ lives — for instance, the bodily abuse that RHOBH’s Taylor Armstrong suffered by the hands of her late husband, Russell Armstrong — The Actual Housewives is usually all in good enjoyable, proper? Leah McSweeney says no.
McSweeney, who starred on The Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis from 2020 to 2021, filed a lawsuit towards Bravo and govt producer Andy Cohen in February 2024, claiming that the community inspired her to desert her sobriety for the sake of creating higher tv. Cohen has denied the claims.
Bear with Us as we clarify the franchise-threatening authorized drama:
The Key Gamers
Leah McSweeney: The style designer and Married to the Mob founder joined the solid of RHONY for season 12 in 2020. She starred alongside veteran Actual Housewives Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer. McSweeney additionally appeared on season 13 of RHONY in 2021 and season 3 of The Actual Housewives Final Women Journey in 2023.
Andy Cohen: Cohen is taken into account the face of Bravo as the chief producer of the Actual Housewives franchise and his late-night speak present, Watch What Occurs Dwell With Andy Cohen. He has labored for the community since 2004 — he served as govt vice chairman of improvement and expertise from 2011 to 2014 — and hosts reunions for Bravo exhibits together with Vanderpump Guidelines and Summer season Home.
Being a Actual Housewife isn’t all diamonds and rosé — simply ask the numerous Bravolebrities who’ve authorized woes have performed out within the highlight. Whereas some franchises deal with the lawsuits on air — together with Actual Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa and Joe Giudice’s fraud case, Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis’s Sonja Morgan’s chapter submitting […]
Bravo: The cable community, which is owned by NBCUniversal, launched in 1980 and has had large success with unscripted collection together with the OG Queer Eye for the Straight Man, Undertaking Runway and Prime Chef. The Actual Housewives franchise debuted in 2006 with The Actual Housewives of Orange County and has since spawned 11 completely different Actual Housewives collection in the USA and numerous spinoffs.
The Gist
McSweeney participated in an October 2023 Vainness Honest exposé on Bravo together with fellow RHONY alums Bethenny Frankel and Eboni Ok. Williams. She advised the outlet that she relapsed after 9 years of sobriety proper earlier than her first season of RHONY, claiming that showrunner Darren Ward warned her, “This s— is boring as hell. … You higher flip it up.”
After McSweeney was dubbed “Hurricane Leah” for her drunken antics on season 12, she stopped consuming once more earlier than season 13.
McSweeney went on to file a civil lawsuit towards Bravo and Cohen in February 2024, claiming that producers pressured her to drink throughout each RHONY and RHUGT regardless of her disclosing her journey with sobriety.
Heather Homosexual, Whitney Rose, Gizelle Bryant, Alexia Nepola, Candiace Dillard-Bassett, Porsha Williams, Leah McSweeney, Marysol Patton on ‘RHUGT.’ Mark Rogers/PEACOCK
In an Instagram assertion posted hours after the swimsuit was filed, McSweeney claimed, “Your favourite Bravo exhibits are run by individuals who create a harmful work setting, encourage substance abuse to artificially create drama and cynically prey on the vulnerabilities of their workers.”
The fact star additional claimed that high-ranking Bravo executives “drool over the mishaps and misfortunes” of their actuality stars in a way she finds “disturbing.”
“It’s a office tradition the place toxicity, alcoholism and ache usually are not solely anticipated however inspired and facilitated,” she alleged.
McSweeney’s lawsuit took particular goal at Cohen, claiming that he “makes use of cocaine along with his workers to additional promote a office tradition that thrives off drug and alcohol abuse,” which places these “trying to stay substance free” in a troublesome place.
“Cohen tends to offer the Housewives with whom he makes use of cocaine with extra favourite therapy and edits,” she alleged.
Cohen’s rep known as the allegations “fully false” on the time, and a Bravo spokesperson advised Deadline in Might 2024 that the claims about Cohen “have been discovered to be unsubstantiated.”
Cohen spoke out in regards to the lawsuit himself throughout a Might 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter and identified that McSweeney isn’t the primary Housewife to abstain from alcohol.
“We now have so many sober folks and individuals who have gotten sober on the present, like Countess Luann. We now have individuals who’ve by no means had a drink throughout your complete run of the present: Jill Zarin. Kandi Burruss. Heather Dubrow will simply have an occasional glass of champagne,” he stated. “Positive, there are individuals who drink. There are various individuals who by no means drink. We don’t pressure anybody to do something. … We’ve been very supportive of individuals’s sobriety.”
Why It’s a Massive Deal
McSweeney’s claims compelled Bravo followers to think about whether or not their favourite actuality stars are in on the joke or the butt of it. There could be no Actual Housewives with out solid members stirring up drama and being messy at occasions, however do any of Us really need to watch somebody’s life collapse for leisure? McSweeney sued Bravo and Cohen, however she additionally made some viewers ponder whether they have been a part of the issue.
As unscripted collection proceed to dominate the tv panorama, McSweeney additionally make clear the attention-grabbing energy dynamic that exists between actuality TV producers and stars. Whereas Cohen and Bravo denied McSweeney’s claims that those that aren’t recreation to celebration worsen edits, the truth nonetheless stands that the present’s editors management the narrative.
What Individuals Are Saying
A number of Actual Housewives stars have come to Cohen’s protection since McSweeney filed her lawsuit. In February 2024, de Lesseps, whose sobriety journey was documented on RHONY, advised TMZ that consuming on the present is a private determination.
“I can solely say my expertise. A part of the Housewives is events, and naturally, there’s consuming concerned, however it’s not like somebody compelled her to drink,” she advised the outlet. “You may’t pressure somebody to drink one thing. You need to be the one that picks up the drink.”
De Lesseps added that McSweeney’s claims about Cohen have been “not in his character” and stated she had “by no means, ever seen within the years that I’ve been doing Housewives any drug abuse” from him.
Leah McSweeney, Ramona Singer and Heather Thomson on ‘Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis.’ Heidi Gutman/Bravo
Burruss identified throughout a February 2024 look on Tamron Corridor’s titular speak present that she didn’t drink throughout her 14 years on The Actual Housewives of Atlanta.
“Individuals know I don’t do medicine. I’ve by no means been drunk in my life. And sure, some folks ask for somewhat wine or a drink or no matter as a result of that’s what they like,” she stated. “Do I’ve drinks? No. So, the identical method that I’ve a selection, they’ve a selection, too. No person is making you do something.”
RHOBH alum Brandi Glanville, in the meantime, has spoken out in help of McSweeney.
“We’re NOT expendable. We’re stronger girls & ever stronger collectively,” she commented on McSweeney’s Instagram assertion about her lawsuit. “Time to take our energy again.”
Glanville turned embroiled in one other Bravo lawsuit when The Actual Housewives of New Jersey alum Caroline Manzo sued the community in January 2024, claiming that producers pushed stars on her unaired season of RHUGT to “change into severely intoxicated” after which inspired or allowed them “to sexually harass different solid members” for “good scores.”
Though Glanville was not named within the lawsuit, it was reported in January 2023 that Manzo and Glanville left RHUGT filming in Morocco early after Glanville allegedly kissed Manzo a number of occasions with out her consent. Glanville’s authorized workforce shared an announcement with Us Weekly after Manzo’s swimsuit was filed, denying the claims.
“Sadly, Brandi needed to get up to yet one more lawsuit that features defamatory, false accusations about her,” the assertion learn. “Whereas filming, Brandi adopted what the producers requested of her, and there was no sexual assault.”
RHUGT govt producer Lisa Shannon responded to Manzo’s lawsuit in April 2024, claiming in courtroom paperwork that Manzo advised producers “she didn’t really feel sexually violated” and “needed to proceed to movie.” The lawsuit continues to be pending.
What We’re Saying
There are sufficient Bravo stars who’ve claimed they’ve by no means felt pressured by producers to drink to counsel that there isn’t a franchise-wide conspiracy to pressure alcohol on its stars. Nonetheless, there have been some situations the place McSweeney’s sobriety was taken lower than critically by her costars.
Earlier than filming started for season 3 of RHUGT, McSweeney’s costar Marysol Patton texted her, “I help your sobriety clearly, and I might by no means do what you do as a result of I don’t have your will energy, and I marvel at what you’ve gotten achieved!! However on that notice I want you have been nonetheless consuming. That’s all.”
The Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis premiered in 2008, however not each Housewife has gone the space. The season 1 solid of RHONY included Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel, Jill Zarin and Alex McCord. Whereas Kelly Killoren Bensimon joined the solid throughout season 2, Sonja Morgan turned a full-time solid member throughout […]
Patton admitted to sending the textual content, telling Vainness Honest in October 2023, “Sure, I despatched the textual content message. There was a collective reminiscence of the lady working round throwing tiki torches and thin dipping, and that’s who I hoped to go on trip with.”
Heather Homosexual and Gizelle Bryant additionally each made feedback about wanting McSweeney to drink on the present, with Homosexual declaring, “Let’s get Leah drunk!” and Bryant asking whether or not it could “be an enormous deal” if McSweeney drank on the journey.
The rowdy setting of Actual Housewives might not have been the correct match for McSweeney and the place she was in her sobriety journey. Actuality TV does include a stress to carry out and be attention-grabbing — particularly whenever you’re the beginner — and alcohol may be a straightforward strategy to launch your inhibitions on digicam. Having your life documented on digicam can get messy, however isn’t that one thing all actuality stars perceive and settle for once they willingly signal their contracts? Ought to or not it’s? Us thinks you’ll must resolve for your self.
What’s Subsequent
McSweeney’s lawsuit is headed to courtroom. Web page Six reported that an October 2024 courtroom date has been set for oral arguments.
