“Real Housewives of New York” alum Leah McSweeney is suing the show’s producer, Andy Cohen.
Tuesday’s filing in the Southern District of New York accuses him and Bravo, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media and producers John Paparazzo, Darren Ward and Lisa Shannon of curating a “rotted” workplace culture.
McSweeney appeared in three seasons of the franchise, including its “New York” iteration and “Ultimate Girls Trip” series, and claimed in court papers obtained by People and Page Six that the defendants failed to accommodate her “alcohol use disorder” on set.
A representative for Cohen has since told Deadline the claims “are completely false.”
The suit claims McSweeney disclosed having broken nine years of sobriety before beginning to film Season 12 in 2019 while sober, but that the defendants “intentionally” orchestrated scenes “intended to exacerbate” her ailment to “create morbidly salacious” footage.
The fashion designer alleged executives were aware of her alcoholism and breached her rights under state employment law by failing to provide access to proper care. McSweeney claims producers “pressured” her to drink and that Cohen was a frequent cocaine user.
“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 added Tuesday on Instagram.
“Some of the stories and incidents that are detailed in the lawsuit have been shown in edited form on TV or reported in media, but many have not,” she continued. “And there will be much more that comes out once the people involved are questioned under oath.”
Reps for NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
McSweeney claimed in her suit that Cohen “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs” and has a “proclivity” to give those “with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits” than to those who don’t.
Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
“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,” the suit alleges.
The filing arrives mere days after “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Brandi Glanville accused Cohen of sexually harassing her over the phone by inviting her to watch him have sex “with another Bravo star.” The openly gay producer said he was “clearly joking.”
Cohen, who has produced iconic reality television franchises including “Queer Eye,” “Project Runway” and every “Real Housewives” spin-off imaginable, apologized Thursday on X, saying that he meant it as a joke, but that it was “totally inappropriate.”
McSweeney, who claimed in her suit it’s “reckless and diabolical” how higher-ups at Bravo allegedly “drool over the mishaps and misfortunes” of the female talent, reportedly added “toxicity, alcoholism and pain” are not only “expected but encouraged” at the network.
Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.