Fashion designer and Real Housewives star Leah McSweeney filed a lawsuit riddled with cocaine and booze-related allegations against television host and executive producer of Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise Andy Cohen.
“Defendant Cohen’s proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees is well-known throughout the Real Housewives franchise,” McSweeney’s lawsuit claims, according to a report by Deadline.
The complaint, which refers to Cohen as the “Real Housewives omnificent ringleader,” goes on to allege that “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.”
A representative for Cohen responded to the allegations, telling Deadline “the claims against Andy are completely false!”
McSweeney’s lawsuit, meanwhile, claims the fashion designer is bringing “this action to hold Defendants’ accountable for their unlawful employment acts of disability discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, sex and gender discrimination.”
“Reality always reveals itself: these unconscionable practices will no longer be tolerated; the pattern of discrimination and retaliation must stop — it is time that Defendants answer,” the complaint states.
Cohen reportedly wasn’t surprised by McSweeney’s lawsuit, as the former Real Housewives of New York City star had openly threatened to take him, Bravo, NBCUniversal, production company Shed Media and various producers to court after her employment discrimination action with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was thrown out.
In her complaint, McSweeney even claimed that there was a distinct effort to stop her from remaining sober, despite the defendants knowing that she had “struggled with alcohol use disorder.”
The lawsuit also alleged that Cohen makes sure the Housewives “with whom he uses cocaine” receive “more favorable treatment and edits” on the show.
The former Real Housewives star called her experience on the show a “rotted workplace culture that uniquely depended on pressuring its employees to consume alcohol,” and claimed that Cohen “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other Bravolebrities that he employs.”
“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 in a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday.
“I may be a pariah to them after this, but I do hope my 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,” she added.
These are not the only allegations Cohen has faced lately.
Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville recently accused the Bravo host of sending her an inappropriate video that included a proposal to watch him have sex in 2022.
Cohen apologized to Glanville, saying that his sex-viewing proposal was “meant in jest.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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