The Real Housewives of New York City star Leah McSweeney has filed a lawsuit against the TV network Bravo. Her lawsuit marks the third in a row against Bravo as the reality TV industry appears to be drawing close to its day of reckoning.
While reality TV remains widely popular among viewers with an appetite for drama or a desire to feel like they’re watching “real people,” the industry has proven itself to be very problematic behind the scenes. Recently, reality shows such as Vanderpump Rules, The Real Housewives franchise, Squid Game: The Challenge, and Love is Blind, have been the center of numerous lawsuits and threats of legal action. Lawyers have also recently threatened a major lawsuit against Bravo’s parent company, NBCUniversal, and all of its subsidiaries for its “pattern and practice of grotesque and depraved mistreatment” of reality TV stars.
The same lawyers, Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, who threatened NBCUniversal with legal action are also representing Love Is Blind‘s Renee Poche in her lawsuit against Netflix and the show’s production company. Her lawsuit seeks to render her contract null, and if successful, it could call into question the legality of countless exploitative and silencing contracts across the whole industry. Meanwhile, Bravo has been juggling lawsuits from Vanderpump Rules‘ Rachel Leviss and The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s Caroline Manzo and threats of a lawsuit from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Brandi Glanville. To top it all off, McSweeney has joined the growing number of lawsuits against the controversial network.
Leah McSweeney sues Bravo and Andy Cohen
On February 27, McSweeney filed a lawsuit against Bravo, NBCUniversal, and Andy Cohen, the executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise. Her lawsuit paints quite a disturbing portrait of the toxic workplace environment fostered by Bravo. The suit explained that she has long struggled with substance abuse but had gotten sober shortly before appearing on The Real Housewives of New York City. She alleges that the show’s executives were aware of her struggles and even fostered “artificially close relationships” with her to get her to reveal personal details about her life. Then, they allegedly plied her and fellow contestants with alcohol, purposefully putting her in situations they knew were triggering and even retaliating against her when she revealed her desire to remain sober.
The suit also accuses Cohen of making sexual comments toward the show’s stars and claims the producer would pressure women to do drugs with him, giving favorable treatment to those who participated. McSweeny’s suit is specifically suing Bravo, NBCUniversal, and Cohen for fostering a toxic workplace culture and discriminating against her. The suit requires recognition of substance abuse as a disability and must prove that the show failed its duty to provide reasonable accommodation to help McSweeney maintain her sobriety.
Similar to Poche’s suit against Love Is Blind, McSweeney’s suit also has the potential to impact the reality TV industry as a whole. One commonality found throughout various lawsuits against Love Is Blind and The Real Housewives is the allegation of contestants being constantly plied with alcohol due to the producers’ desire to create drama and entertainment. Now, McSweeney’s lawsuit could potentially open the door for these networks to be held accountable for the development or exacerbation of substance abuse among contestants.
Cohen’s representatives have responded to and refuted McSweeney’s claims, while Bravo stated that many of her claims in the lawsuit were “investigated and unsubstantiated.” Shortly after filing the lawsuit, McSweeney posted about the matter on Instagram. In her statement, she explained that she hopes to fix reality TV through her lawsuit, forcing it to adhere to its “true purpose,” which is “to authentically depict the complexities of life while offering genuine support to those who share their stories.” McSweeney also warned that viewers’ favorite Bravo shows are “run by people who create a dangerous work environment, encouraging substance abuse to artificially create drama and cynically prey on the vulnerabilities of their employees.”
The outcome of McSweeney’s lawsuit remains to be seen. However, the flurry of lawsuits the industry is facing cannot be a coincidence. Although reality stars have long been silenced with non-disclosure agreements, many are bravely speaking out anyway, and their stories demonstrate an urgent need for reform in the industry to ensure that future stars don’t suffer the same exploitation and unsafe work environments.
(featured image: John Nacion / Getty)
