Another Bravo Star Is Suing Andy Cohen

Former Bravo star Leah McSweeney filed a lawsuit against Andy Cohen and the network on Tuesday, claiming that they intentionally preyed on her alcoholism for the benefit of the shows she was on. McSweeney has appeared in four Bravo reality shows – most notably The Real Housewives of New York City and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girl Trip. The lawsuit obtained by Page Six comes just days after McSweeney's RHUGT co-star Brandi Glanville accused Cohen of sexual harassment, and weeks after their co-star Caroline Manzo sued Bravo and Peacock for alleged sexual harassment on the job.

McSweeney joins a rising tide of criticism against Bravo, and against Cohen specifically. Her lawsuit claims that Cohen intentionally exacerbated her alcoholism in order to bolster RHONY's ratings, with no regard for her health or safety. As evidence, she points to the spike in viewership for the episode "Scary Island," in which McSweeney is portrayed as irrational and out of touch with reality. Her lawyers also point out that Cohen and the network knew about McSweeney's history with addiction and mental health issues, but contrived to put strain on her anyway for the benefit of the cameras.

McSweeney claims that Cohen and others behind the show hoped to goad her into relapsing on her alcoholism, at times trying to tempt her or even coerce her into drinking. She also says she was refused time off from work to go to her previously scheduled Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Finally, she says she experienced workplace retaliation for her refusal to drink on the show. She believes all of this was an attempt to replicate the high ratings of "Scary Island."

McSweeney is the third star this year to take legal action against Cohen, and she joins a rising tide of criticism against his reality TV empire. Last week, Glanville's lawyers sent a letter to NBC detailing her allegations of sexual harassment against Cohen. She claims that Cohen made inappropriate sexual comments to Glanville about herself and another unnamed cast member, and that he invited her to watch him engage in sexual acts via FaceTime. All the while, her attorneys emphasized that Cohen was exercising "complete and total control over [Glanville's] career." Cohen did not deny the allegations, saying that his comments were "meant in jest."

Meanwhile, Manzo filed a lawsuit at the end of January targeting Bravo and Peacock. She claims that she was sexually harassed by Glanville during the filming of RHUGT. The suit says that Glanville "mount[ed] Manzo on the couch holding Manzo down with her body, forcibly squeezed Manzo's cheeks together and thrust her tongue in Manzo's mouth, while humping her." Manzo said that this dredged up repressed memories of a sexual assault that she suffered as a child. She holds the production responsible for all of this because she believes it was allowed to happen in the hopes of "gathering more 'drama' to increase their ratings."

So far, it's not clear where any of these legal actions will go or what they mean for the future of Cohen's reality TV empire. While Cohen responded to Glanville on X, neither he nor Bravo have responded publicly to McSweeney or Manzo's lawsuits.