Former Real Housewives of New York City and Ultimate Girls Trip: Thailand solid member Leah McSweeney has filed a civil go well with in a New York federal court docket in opposition to Bravo and its guardian firm, NBCUniversal, in addition to manufacturing firm Shed Media and its guardian firm, Warner Bros. Discovery. The submitting additionally names as a defendant Andy Cohen, the Bravo character who’s an govt producer of The Real Housewives and the host of the nightly speak present Watch What Happens Live. RHONY and UGT govt producers Darren Ward, John Paparazzo, and Lisa Shannon (an govt at Shed) are the one different particular person defendants within the lawsuit, which was filed by McSweeney’s attorneys, Sarah Matz and Gary Adelman. (No defendants instantly responded to Vanity Fair’s request for remark.) As Vanity Fair has already reported, all events have been beforehand named in a March 10, 2023, employment discrimination grievance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In October, that grievance was dismissed at McSweeney’s request on the grounds that she deliberate to sue the respondents in court docket.
The submitting begins, “Where there is smoke, there is fire. Defendants discriminated against, tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated against Ms. McSweeney because she is a woman with disabilities, such as alcohol use disorder and various mental health disorders, all in the name of selling drama.”
It describes “a rotted workplace culture that uniquely depended on pressuring its employees to consume alcohol” and states, “Defendants with the knowledge that Ms. McSweeney struggled with alcohol use disorder, colluded with her colleagues to pressure Ms. McSweeney to drink, retaliated against her when she wanted to stay sober, and intentionally failed to provide reasonable accommodations that would aid her efforts to stay sober and able to perform.”
According to the submitting, “Shannon specifically told Ms. McSweeney, and upon information and belief, also told the other cast members, that Defendants terminated [Dorinda] Medley [from RHONY] because Medley transformed from a ‘fun drunk’ to a ‘mean drunk.’”
The submitting states, “upon information and belief” Cohen, “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs” and that he “tends to provide theHousewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits.”
The submitting additionally says Cohen “repeatedly commented on Plaintiff’s breast augmentation surgery and implied that Plaintiff’s surgery allowed her to properly fit the role of ‘housewife.’”
Former Real Housewife Caroline Manzo has also filed a civil suit recently. Like McSweeney’s, her suit centers on the work environment at Ultimate Girls Trip (though a different season). And like McSweeney’s complaint, Manzo’s names NBCUniversal, Bravo, and Shed Media. NBCU’s streaming service, Peacock; Shed’s parent division, Warner Bros. Entertainment; and a Shed subsidiary called Forest Productions Inc. are also defendants. Executive producer Shannon is mentioned in both but not named as a defendant in Manzo’s suit. Manzo’s filing mentions co-executive producer Shanae Humphrey. The filing alleges that producers encouraged cast member Brandi Glanville to drink alcohol during production of Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco so that she would “be more likely to commit outrageous and harassing acts, thereby helping Defendants’ ratings without regard to the rights and safety of those around her.” Manzo alleges that Glanville “groped, grabbed, and forcibly fondled Manzo’s vagina and breasts.” According to her submitting, Manzo screamed for assist, although nobody from manufacturing intervened. (Glanville shouldn’t be named as a defendant.)
In an interview for the story that was printed a number of months previous to the lawsuit, “Inside the Real Housewives Reckoning That’s Rocking Bravo,” Glanville informed Vanity Fair that producers had informed her to “party” and given her photographs of alcohol. “The whole point of these shows is to get us unhinged. If there was an issue or situation where someone was uncomfortable in Morocco, no one in production or the crew or cast intervened in the moment,” Glanville mentioned to Vanity Fair on the time. (Manzo declined Vanity Fair’s requests for remark for that story and this one.) On a earlier season of UGT, Glanville gave a lap dance to and tried to kiss one other solid member, and ripped the shirt off a butler employed to look within the season. (In October, the butler, Marco Vega, filed go well with in opposition to the identical defendants by the identical legal professional at the moment representing Manzo, Derek Smith. The submitting additionally alleges that solid member Phaedra Parks “slapped” Vega “on his buttocks.” Vega’s case continues to be pending; he declined to remark to VF. )
According to Manzo’s submitting, on January 24, 2023, Shannon and Humphrey requested Manzo what occurred within the rest room, and Manzo cried, relayed the interplay, and mentioned she by no means needed to be alone with Glanville once more. The following day, based on the go well with, “Lisa Shannon and Shanae Humphrey asked Manzo to meet with Glanville. They told Manzo that the acts committed by Glanville were just her way of showing Manzo love as per Glanville. Despite the fact that Manzo was so emotionally distraught and despite the fact that Manzo asked not to be around Glanville, Defendants still wanted Manzo to meet with Glanville. Defendants were more focused on the continuation of the show rather than the health and well-being of Manzo after she was sexually abused.” Glanville and Manzo each left the set earlier than filming ended and haven’t appeared on Bravo since.
Smith, Vega and Manzo’s lawyer informed VF, “We believe this case is about the networks selfishly sacrificing the well-being of their talent for ratings and profit. Brandi Glanville stated she was simply doing what the producers told her to do. Reality TV is leading to severe emotional and physical harm of its talent. This must stop.” On January 31, a stipulation was filed stating the defendants should reply to the grievance by April 2.
On Thursday, February 22, Glanville’s legal professional, Bryan Freedman, despatched a letter to NBCUniversal, Shed Media, and Shed’s guardian firm, Warner Bros. Discovery. The letter states Glanville was “subjected to a vicious media campaign based on false allegations of sexual misconduct. The false narrative, which NBC and Shed Media have apparently decided to foment, arises from Ms. Glanville’s experience on Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco.” The letter features a discover of responsibility to protect proof for paperwork and correspondence associated to Glanville and Manzo’s UGT expertise.
The letter additionally describes a video recording of an “inebriated” Andy Cohen despatched to Glanville, which shared “his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her [Glanville] and invited her to watch via Facetime.” After the letter turned public, Cohen posted on X: “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.”
“Inside the Real Housewives Reckoning That’s Rocking Bravo” characterised Cohen’s relationship to Bravo this fashion: “The series and cast members orbit around Cohen, who described himself to me during a 2021 interview for New York magazine as their ‘boss,’ among other roles, including ‘father.’ It’s an unusual employment arrangement and a singular workplace.”
During the primary day of BravoCon 2023, an viewers member at a Q&A requested Cohen whether or not UGT: Morocco would air. Cohen, who’s a co-executive producer on the present, replied, “There was a weird thing online that said it’s not airing. We had two [UGTs] in the can and basically just decided to push RHONY Legacy up because there was so much interest, and that’s the only thing that happened. RHONY Legacy jumped that spot in line.” He clarified the state of affairs in a follow-up interview with The Wrap: “It’s there, it’s done, and I hope everyone sees it soon.”
When one other BravoCon attendee requested concerning the “reality reckoning,” Cohen mentioned, “I live in the joy these shows bring people. I think we all do.” He turned to the gang and mentioned, “Which is why we’re all here…to have fun!” The viewers, a few of whom had paid 1000’s of {dollars} to journey and attend, applauded.
After VF’s story was printed, an unofficial Bravo recap podcast referred to as Watch What Crappens posted an Instagram meme with the caption, “Vanity Fair breaks the news that adults drink and Ramona [Singer] is racist.” Cohen responded within the feedback with a “crying laughing” 😂 emoji. Though Cohen declined to remark for the Vanity Fair story, after it was printed, he informed Variety and at the moment.com (the latter of which is, like Bravo, owned by NBCUniversal) that the article was “a factually incorrect rehash.”
Bravo moved ahead with its relationship with Singer, casting her in two seasons of Ultimate Girls Trip regardless of corroborated stories of racism on the set of season 13 of RHONY, together with the allegation that she used the N-word whereas talking to a Black manufacturing member. However, amid the press protection following the VF story, Singer was disinvited from BravoCon after she texted “n-g” to a Page Six reporter whereas denying she had used the slur. Several weeks later, she attended the UGT premiere.
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