Fans have come to expect something specific from The Real Housewives.
Petty drama, iconic one-liners and insane displays of wealth (see The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne fighting for custody of her $750,000 earrings) are all hallmarks of the Bravo empire. And while the franchise has documented some genuinely dark chapters of its stars’ lives — for example, the physical abuse that RHOBH’s Taylor Armstrong suffered at the hands of her late husband, Russell Armstrong — The Real Housewives is mostly all in good fun, right? Leah McSweeney says no.
McSweeney, who starred on The Real Housewives of New York City from 2020 to 2021, filed a lawsuit against Bravo and executive producer Andy Cohen in February 2024, claiming that the network encouraged her to abandon her sobriety for the sake of making better television. Cohen has denied the claims.
Bear with Us as we explain the franchise-threatening legal drama:
The Key Players
Leah McSweeney: The fashion designer and Married to the Mob founder joined the cast of RHONY for season 12 in 2020. She starred alongside veteran Real Housewives Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer. McSweeney also appeared on season 13 of RHONY in 2021 and season 3 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in 2023.
Andy Cohen: Cohen is considered the face of Bravo as the executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise and his late-night talk show, Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. He has worked for the network since 2004 — he served as executive vice president of development and talent from 2011 to 2014 — and hosts reunions for Bravo shows including Vanderpump Rules and Summer House.
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Bravo: The cable network, which is owned by NBCUniversal, launched in 1980 and has had massive success with unscripted series including the OG Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Project Runway and Top Chef. The Real Housewives franchise debuted in 2006 with The Real Housewives of Orange County and has since spawned 11 different Real Housewives series in the United States and various spinoffs.
The Gist
McSweeney participated in an October 2023 Vanity Fair exposé on Bravo along with fellow RHONY alums Bethenny Frankel and Eboni K. Williams. She told the outlet that she relapsed after nine years of sobriety right before her first season of RHONY, claiming that showrunner Darren Ward warned her, “This s— is boring as hell. … You better turn it up.”
After McSweeney was dubbed “Hurricane Leah” for her drunken antics on season 12, she stopped drinking again before season 13.
McSweeney went on to file a civil lawsuit against Bravo and Cohen in February 2024, claiming that producers pressured her to drink during both RHONY and RHUGT despite her disclosing her journey with sobriety.
In an Instagram statement posted hours after the suit was filed, McSweeney claimed, “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.”
The reality star further claimed that high-ranking Bravo executives “drool over the mishaps and misfortunes” of their reality stars in a manner she finds “disturbing.”
“It’s a workplace culture where toxicity, alcoholism and pain are not only expected but encouraged and facilitated,” she alleged.
McSweeney’s lawsuit took specific aim at Cohen, claiming that he “uses cocaine with his employees to further promote a workplace culture that thrives off drug and alcohol abuse,” which puts those “attempting to remain substance free” in a difficult position.
“Cohen tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorite treatment and edits,” she alleged.
Cohen’s rep called the allegations “completely false” at the time, and a Bravo spokesperson told Deadline in May 2024 that the claims about Cohen “were found to be unsubstantiated.”
Cohen spoke out about the lawsuit himself during a May 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter and pointed out that McSweeney is not the first Housewife to abstain from alcohol.
“We have so many sober people and people who have gotten sober on the show, like Countess Luann. We have people who’ve never had a drink during the entire run of the show: Jill Zarin. Kandi Burruss. Heather Dubrow will just have an occasional glass of champagne,” he said. “Sure, there are people who drink. There are many people who never drink. We don’t force anyone to do anything. … We’ve been very supportive of people’s sobriety.”
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Why It’s a Big Deal
McSweeney’s claims forced Bravo fans to consider whether their favorite reality stars are in on the joke or the butt of it. There would be no Real Housewives without cast members stirring up drama and being messy at times, but do any of Us actually want to watch someone’s life fall apart for entertainment? McSweeney sued Bravo and Cohen, but she also made some viewers wonder whether they were part of the problem.
As unscripted series continue to dominate the television landscape, McSweeney also shed light on the interesting power dynamic that exists between reality TV producers and stars. While Cohen and Bravo denied McSweeney’s claims that those who aren’t game to party get worse edits, the reality still stands that the show’s editors control the narrative.
What People Are Saying
Several Real Housewives stars have come to Cohen’s defense since McSweeney filed her lawsuit. In February 2024, de Lesseps, whose sobriety journey was documented on RHONY, told TMZ that drinking on the show is a personal decision.
“I can only say my experience. Part of the Housewives is parties, and of course, there’s drinking involved, but it’s not like someone forced her to drink,” she told the outlet. “You can’t force someone to drink something. You have to be the person who picks up the drink.”
De Lesseps added that McSweeney’s claims about Cohen were “not in his character” and said she had “never, ever seen in the years that I’ve been doing Housewives any drug abuse” from him.
Burruss pointed out during a February 2024 appearance on Tamron Hall’s titular talk show that she didn’t drink during her 14 years on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
“People know I don’t do drugs. I’ve never been drunk in my life. And yes, some people ask for a little wine or a drink or whatever because that’s what they like,” she said. “Do I have drinks? No. So, the same way that I have a choice, they have a choice, too. Nobody is making you do anything.”
RHOBH alum Brandi Glanville, meanwhile, has spoken out in support of McSweeney.
“We are NOT expendable. We are stronger women & ever stronger together,” she commented on McSweeney’s Instagram statement about her lawsuit. “Time to take our power back.”
Glanville became embroiled in another Bravo lawsuit when The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Caroline Manzo sued the network in January 2024, claiming that producers pushed stars on her unaired season of RHUGT to “become severely intoxicated” and then encouraged or allowed them “to sexually harass other cast members” for “good ratings.”
Although Glanville was not named in the lawsuit, it was reported in January 2023 that Manzo and Glanville left RHUGT filming in Morocco early after Glanville allegedly kissed Manzo several times without her consent. Glanville’s legal team shared a statement with Us Weekly after Manzo’s suit was filed, denying the claims.
“Sadly, Brandi had to wake up to yet another lawsuit that includes defamatory, false accusations about her,” the statement read. “While filming, Brandi followed what the producers asked of her, and there was no sexual assault.”
RHUGT executive producer Lisa Shannon responded to Manzo’s lawsuit in April 2024, claiming in court documents that Manzo told producers “she did not feel sexually violated” and “wanted to continue to film.” The lawsuit is still pending.
What We’re Saying
There are enough Bravo stars who’ve claimed they’ve never felt pressured by producers to drink to suggest that there isn’t a franchise-wide conspiracy to force alcohol on its stars. However, there were some instances where McSweeney’s sobriety was taken less than seriously by her costars.
Before filming began for season 3 of RHUGT, McSweeney’s costar Marysol Patton texted her, “I support your sobriety obviously, and I could never do what you do because I don’t have your will power, and I marvel at what you have done!! But on that note I wish you were still drinking. That’s all.”
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Patton admitted to sending the text, telling Vanity Fair in October 2023, “Yes, I sent the text message. There was a collective memory of the girl running around throwing tiki torches and skinny dipping, and that is who I was hoping to go on vacation with.”
Heather Gay and Gizelle Bryant also both made comments about wanting McSweeney to drink on the show, with Gay declaring, “Let’s get Leah drunk!” and Bryant asking whether it would “be a big deal” if McSweeney drank on the trip.
The rowdy environment of Real Housewives may not have been the right fit for McSweeney and where she was in her sobriety journey. Reality TV does come with a pressure to perform and be interesting — especially when you’re the newbie — and alcohol can be an easy way to release your inhibitions on camera. Having your life documented on camera can get messy, but isn’t that something all reality stars understand and accept when they willingly sign their contracts? Should it be? Us thinks you’ll have to decide for yourself.
What’s Next
McSweeney’s lawsuit is headed to court. Page Six reported that an October 2024 court date has been set for oral arguments.
