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Bravo and Andy Cohen are being sued by The Real Housewives of New York City star Leah McSweeney. As PEOPLE reports, the civil lawsuit names Bravo and associates as perpetrators who created a dangerous work environment and preyed on the vulnerability of her disabilities — specifically “alcohol use disorder” and “mental health disorders” — during her time on the RHONY set.
The civil lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, names Cohen, Bravo Media, NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media US and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon and Darren Ward.
Bravo and Associates Preyed on McSweeney’s Mental Health and Previous Alcoholism
McSweeney disclosed that during her time on RHONY, she had broken a nine-year-long sobriety, but was sober again by the time season 12 aired in 2019.
“I was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder on my 30th birthday and really dedicated the last seven years of my life to getting it under control and to getting myself to a good place,” she said in a season 12 episode of RHONY.
“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,” Sweeney said in an Instagram statement.
“It’s a workplace culture where toxicity, alcoholism and pain are not expected but encouraged and facilitated. That is something I most definitely did not sign up for nor would I ever endorse,” she continued.
McSweeney Alleged That Cohen Encourages Cocaine Use Among Employees
Leah McSweeney alleges that the named defendants “intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate [her] disabilities,” all in efforts to “create morbidly salacious reality television.” She goes on to claim that Cohen “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” and has a “proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees.”
“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.”
“Cohen’s preferred workplace environment, which is fueled with substances and illicit behavior, permeates every aspect of Defendant Bravo productions,” she continued.
On the contrary, a representative for Cohen told Deadline, “the claims against Andy are completely false!”
Neither Bravo nor Andy Cohen have issued a statement at this time.
