This show’s successful women have been creating drama for fourteen seasons, both in front and behind the cameras, but as they say, all that glitters is not gold. One of the former cast members of “The Real Housewives of New York City”, Leah McSweeney, 41, has filed a lawsuit against the Bravo cable channel, NBCUniversal, and executive producer Andy Cohen, claiming that they contributed to creating a “rotted workplace culture” that “discriminated against, tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated against” her.
According to The New York Times, Ms. McSweeney joined the cast in 2019 and appeared in the 12th and 13th seasons; she had enjoyed nine years of sobriety, but when hired was going through a hard time because of a recent relapse. She alleges that Bravo & Co. used “her disabilities, such as alcohol use disorder and various mental health disorders” to “sell drama.” They intentionally put her in situations that would exacerbate her disorders in order to pressure her into “a psychological break and cause Ms. McSweeney to relapse.”
The lawsuit also goes on to allege that Cohen shares cocaine with other cast members and he rewards them with better treatment. He has denied all of the allegations. A representative for NBCUniversal said an investigation was undergoing. Bravo replied they worked to keep the work environment safe and respectful.
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But the list of charges is running longer. In January, former “Real Housewife of New Jersey” Caroline Manzo sued Bravo and other parties claiming that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by a fellow cast member while filming “Ultimate Girls’ Trip,” the spin-off of the series. Last summer, two entertainment lawyers accused Bravo of “grotesque and depraved mistreatment” on behalf of “several current and former cast members and crew members on some of NBC’s most lucrative reality shows.”
“I thought it was going to be fun”, Ms. McSweeney told The New York Times. It certainly was not. “Every single thing that was said to me was coded language for, ‘You better drink’,” she said.
