Reality star insists network pressured her to drink despite desire to remain sober
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Former "Real Housewives of New York City" reality star Leah McSweeney sued Bravo and Andy Cohen on Tuesday, claiming they created a hostile work environment, pressured employees to consume alcohol and ignored her desire to remain sober.
The 109-page suit, filed in the Southern District of New York, said defendants were aware that McSweeney struggled with alcohol use disorder but "colluded with her colleagues to pressure" the reality star to drink, "retaliated against her when she wanted to stay sober, and intentionally failed to provide reasonable accommodations that would aid her efforts to stay sober and able to perform" while favoring male cast members.
The suit also claims "Real Housewives" executive producer Cohen and other Bravo honchos "employed psychological warfare intentionally weaponized to break Ms. McSweeney’s psyche" because they knew she suffered from depression, bipolar and anxiety disorders but failed to accommodate her. Bravo’s parent company, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery are also named as defendants, alongside other Bravo executives.
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Former "Real Housewives of New York City" reality star Leah McSweeney sued Bravo and Andy Cohen on Tuesday. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
McSweeney claimed she was sober for roughly nine years until she relapsed a few months before joining the "Real Housewives of New York City" cast for season 12 of the show. McSweeney said she disclosed she had broken her sobriety but got clean prior to the start of filming.
However, she claimed that Bravo producers put her in scenarios "that might trigger" another relapse "or otherwise exacerbate her mental health disabilities." The suit also alleges that Bravo producers collected a "treasure trove of Ms. McSweeney’s dark secrets with intent to place her in situations known to exacerbate her alcohol use disorder and mental health disabilities because they thought that intentionally making these conditions worse would create good television."
The suit alleged that the episode in which McSweeney relapsed became the highest-rated episode of season 12. When season 13 came, McSweeney claimed she stayed sober but was called "boring" by Bravo staffers during performance reviews as a result.
"McSweeney brings this action to hold Defendants’ accountable for their unlawful employment acts of disability discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, sex and gender discrimination," the lawsuit said. "Reality always reveals itself: these unconscionable practices will no longer be tolerated; the pattern of discrimination and retaliation must stop."
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Bravo host and executive Andy Cohen also co-hosts CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve special alongside Anderson Cooper. (CNN)
A representative for Cohen quickly shot down the suit, telling the New York Post "the claims against Andy are completely false."
McSweeney also claimed she was threatened that visiting her dying grandmother would result in termination or a pay cut if it meant leaving the filming location. McSweeney, who said she was "petrified" to speak out, took to Instagram to notify her followers of the suit.
"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," McSweeney wrote.
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A representative for Andy Cohen quickly shot down the suit, telling the New York Post "the claims against Andy are completely false." (Getty Images for Sirius XM)
"Some of the stories and incidents that are details in the lawsuit have been shown in edited form on TV or reported in media, but many have not. And there will be much more that comes out once the people involved are questioned under oath," she continued. "Today I am taking back my reality."
McSweeney claimed she was also discriminated against and pressured to drink on the spin-off series "Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," and was regularly asked inappropriate questions about her body and sex life.
The suit claimed that Cohen, who also co-hosts CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve special alongside Anderson Cooper, engages in cocaine use with people he employs. McSweeney also claimed "Cohen tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment."
Another "Real Housewives" star, Caroline Manzo, sued Bravo earlier this year after claiming she was sexually harassed and assaulted by fellow cast member Brandi Glanville. In the lawsuit, Manzo alleged that the staff associated with the Bravo network and its affiliated companies – Forest Productions, Warner Bros. Entertainment, NBCUniversal Media, Shed Media and Peacock TV – "regularly ply the Real Housewives cast with alcohol, cause them to become severely intoxicated, and then direct, encourage and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members because that is good for ratings."
Bravo, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery and reps for Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum and Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.
Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
