The allegations are piling up against Andy Cohen. In a bombshell lawsuit obtained by People, former Real Housewives of New York City star Leah McSweeney accuses Cohen of supplying Bravolebrities with cocaine and fostering a “rotted workplace culture” that pressures employees to consume alcohol.
McSweeney — whose suit also names Shed Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, Bravo Media, NBC Universal Media and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon and Darren Ward as defendants — claimed that Cohen “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” per People.
The ex-reality star further alleged that Housewives who use cocaine with the Bravo boss are rewarded with “more favorable treatment and edits.”
The suit adds, “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.”
In response to the allegations, reps for Cohen told Deadline, “The claims against Andy are completely false!”
McSweeney, who appeared in two seasons of RHONY and one season of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, also claimed the defendants failed to give her proper support for her “alcohol use disorder” and other “mental health disorders,” despite knowing about her struggles.
Instead, she claimed that producers discriminated against her by “intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate [her] disabilities” to “create morbidly salacious reality television.” McSweeney ended nine years of sobriety while filming RHONY, though she was sober again by the time filming for Season 12 began in 2019.
She later doubled down on her claims in an Instagram post, where she claimed fan-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.”
“There’s something wonderful about the concept of Reality TV — that millions of people you’ve never met can laugh with you, cry with you, empathize with you and root for you,” she continued. “But the reckless and diabolical way in which the people at the top drool over the mishaps and misfortunes of the women including myself are disturbing.”
With the suit, McSweeney wrote that she hopes to help reality TV “align with its true purpose: to authentically depict the complexities of life while offering genuine support to those who share their stories.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
