The former 'Real Housewives of New York City' star shared her reasoning for the lawsuit on Instagram.
Leah McSweeney is taking Andy Cohen and Bravo to court. The 41-year-old reality star, who appeared on two seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City and one season of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the network.
McSweeney took to Instagram after the filing to share her reasoning behind the suit.
"I was petrified to speak on it and was warned not to," McSweeney claimed, adding, "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 Married to Mob fashion designer added, "Today I am taking back my reality."
McSweeney added, "The reckless and diabolical way in which the people at the top drool over the mishaps and misfortunes of the women including myself are disturbing. It's a workplace culture where toxicity, alcoholism and pain are not only expected but encouraged and facilitated."
Brandi Glanville, a fellow Bravo alum who recently threatened legal action against Cohen and Bravo, commented on the post, "👏👏 We are NOT expendable. We are strong women & even stronger together. Time to take our power back ⭐️."
ET obtained the 104-page complaint in which McSweeney alleges that the defendants had a toxic workplace that encouraged alcohol consumption. She also alleges that she did not have a safe working environment amid her "alcohol use disorder" and "mental health disorders."
McSweeney says she had relapsed in her sobriety after nine years but was sober when she began filming season 12 of RHONY. She accuses producers of "intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate disabilities" in order to "create morbidly salacious reality television."
McSweeney filmed two seasons of RHONY before joining the season 3 cast of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, which aired in spring 2023.
According to the lawsuit obtained by People, she also accuses Cohen of engaging in "cocaine use with Housewives and other 'Bravolebrities' that he employs," alleging he has a "proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees."
"Cohen tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits," McSweeney alleges in the lawsuit. "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 rep for Cohen tells ET, "The claims against Andy are completely false."
These allegations come after Glanville's lawyers accused Cohen of sending the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star a video in 2022 in which he allegedly said he wanted to "sleep with another Bravo star" while "thinking" about the RHOBH alum.
"In a video sent by Mr. Cohen to Ms. Glanville in 2022, Mr. Cohen -- appearing obviously inebriated -- boasted of his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via FaceTime," the lawyers wrote in their letter.
"Mr. Cohen was Ms. Glanville's boss at the time and exercised complete and total control over her career. This was an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted," Glanville's attorneys stated.
That same day, Cohen took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify what he called a joking message, writing, "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."
Still, the 55-year-old Watch What Happens Live host added, "That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize."
Days later, Glanville responded on X, writing, "I have not received a personal apology from anyone. I saw an apology that Andy posted TO HIS FANS for his mistreatment of me and inappropriateness."
RELATED CONTENT:
