Leah McSweeney has filed a civil lawsuit in opposition to Bravo and Andy Cohen after her expertise filming Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis and Actual Housewives: Final Ladies Journey.
Based on courtroom paperwork obtained by Web page Six on Tuesday, February 27, the fact star and her attorneys allege Cohen, 55, and the community deliberately preyed on McSweeney’s battle with alcoholism in an try to attain huge rankings.
“This is not a story I ever thought I would be telling; in fact, I was petrified to speak on it and was warned not to,” McSweeney, 41, stated by way of an Instagram submit hours after the go well with was filed. “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.”
Whereas McSweeney stated a number of the tales detailed within the lawsuit have been proven in edited type on TV, viewers may be taught way more because the case performs out in New York.
A number of of Hollywood’s greatest stars have been candid about their sobriety journeys over time. Kelly Osbourne, who beforehand talked about being sober for six years, revealed in April 2021 that she had suffered a relapse and was engaged on subsequent steps. “Not proud of it. But I am back on track,” she wrote by way of […]
“There will be much more that comes out once the people involved are questioned under oath. Today I am taking back my reality,” she stated. “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. It’s a workplace culture where toxicity, alcoholism and pain are not only expected but encouraged and facilitated. That is something I most definitely did not sign up for nor would I ever endorse.”
McSweeney appeared in two seasons of Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis between 2020 and 2021 and one season of the spinoff Actual Housewives: Final Ladies Journey in 2023.
Within the go well with, McSweeney stated she informed producers earlier than her first season that she’d been sober for 30 days and dealing to take care of her sobriety.
As an alternative of offering enough care and assist all through her filming expertise, McSweeney and her authorized workforce alleged within the lawsuit that producers pressured her to drink in all three seasons.
“There is nothing more important than my sobriety, without it I risk losing everything,” McSweeney stated by way of Instagram. “I have been very transparent about my addiction and recovery, however there are personal things in the lawsuit that I never wanted to disclose for fear of being judged and shamed, but I am at a point now in my life where I feel strong enough to withstand whatever may come my way.”
Whereas McSweeney stated she has “love and respect for many” of the Bravo expertise she has met and labored with over time, she hopes her lawsuit “helps reality TV to align with its true purpose: to authentically depict the complexities of life while offering genuine support to those who share their stories.”
The Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis premiered in 2008, however not each Housewife has gone the gap. The season 1 solid of RHONY included Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel, Jill Zarin and Alex McCord. Whereas Kelly Killoren Bensimon joined the solid throughout season 2, Sonja Morgan turned a full-time solid member throughout […]
“I’ve been trying to address this internally for years now but have been dismissed, stone-walled, and gaslit (but actually) at every turn since,” she stated. “Bravo can try to manipulate my reality and others’ all they want, but the cold hard facts of this case are as real as it gets. Thank you to my close friends and family and of course @adelmanmatz who have supported me in every difficult but necessary step of this journey. I will see you in court.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Bravo, Cohen’s rep and McSweeney’s attorneys for remark.
