Andy Cohen Reportedly Eyeing Bravo Exit Amid ‘Real Housewives’ Controversy

Could Andy Cohen be abandoning his Real Housewives empire? Reports alleging that Cohen is negotiating a departure package amid legal troubles are unsubstantiated, according to a Bravo rep.

The spokesperson told TMZ that rumors that Cohen is negotiating a departure from the network are entirely false, and they are shutting down all speculation. Several sources with direct knowledge of the situation also told the outlet that a report that cited an anonymous source for the headline was incorrect and that none of the information published was accurate.

Sources told In Touch that after a series of scandals and falling ratings for Bravo, the 55-year-old patriarch is looking to leave the network he played a significant role in creating. “Negotiations for Cohen’s departure package are underway as he grapples with the fallout from mounting accusations by his stars,” a source told the outlet.

Earlier this year, ex-Housewife Leah McSweeney filed a lawsuit accusing Cohen of pushing rampant substance abuse for ratings. Among her appearances on Bravo reality shows, McSweeney has starred in The Real Housewives of New York City and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girl Trip. 

As part of her lawsuit, she alleges that Cohen intentionally aggravated her alcoholism in an effort to increase RHONY’s ratings. Additionally, McSweeney’s lawyers alleged that Cohen and the network knew about her history of substance abuse and mental health issues yet put a strain on her.

Throughout the show, Cohen and others allegedly tried to tempt or even coerce McSweeney into drinking to goad her into relapsing on her alcoholism. Also, she says she was denied leave from work to attend her previously scheduled Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. She said her refusal to drink on the show resulted in workplace retaliation. According to her, all of this was done to mimic the high ratings of “Scary Island.”

McSweeney joins a growing chorus of criticism against Cohen, as her RHUGT co-star Brandi Glanville claimed he sexually harassed her. She claimed Cohen invited her to watch him perform sexual acts via FaceTime and made inappropriate sexual comments about her and another cast member. While this occurred, her lawyers stressed that Cohen had “complete and total control over [Glanville’s] career.” While Cohen didn’t deny the allegations, he stated that his remarks were “meant in jest.”

Bravo and Cohen have denied the allegations. “This couldn’t be further from the truth,” a Bravo insider said. Moreover, the Watch What Happens Live host apologized after he was accused of harassing Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Glanville, based on a video alleged to have been sent by Cohen to Glanville in 2022.

“The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi. It was absolutely meant in jest, and Brandi’s response clearly communicated she was in on the joke. That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize,” Cohen wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in February. In Touch contacted a publicist for NBC and Bravo, who denied the story.