Andy Cohen’s was cleared of Leah McSweeney’s case in opposition to him after an investigation from an out of doors social gathering in Might 2024.
In February 2024, former The Actual Housewives of New York Metropolis star Leah McSweeney shook up the Bravosphere by suing her former boss and the community’s golden boy, Andy Cohen. The lawsuit went public on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 and included a number of surprising allegations in opposition to the Watch What Occurs Reside host. Lots of the claims embrace drug use, a rumor that has plagued Andy for years.
Leah’s lawsuit was one of many fits on the middle of a “actuality” or “Actual Housewives reckoning” first initiated by Andy’s former buddy, Bethenny Frankel.
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After a number of months of maintaining mum concerning the matter, Andy spoke out concerning the lawsuits, calling them “hurtful” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. At some point after that interview was launched, experiences confirmed Leah’s case in opposition to Andy had been dropped, calling her allegations in opposition to him “unsubstantiated.” Nonetheless, Leah’s legal professional stated the battle in opposition to Bravo and Andy is not over but.
Right here’s what to learn about Leah’s lawsuit and allegations in opposition to the Housewives boss.
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‘RHONY’ alum Leah McSweeney’s legal professional denies that Andy Cohen’s drug and alcohol abuse allegations are over.
Leah starred on RHONY for 2 seasons between 2020 and 2021. Throughout her time on the present, she candidly addressed her points with alcohol abuse. In her lawsuit in opposition to Andy, Leah claimed Bravo “pressured her to drink” and refused to assist her search sobriety.
On Feb. 27, Web page Six reported Leah is in search of “unspecified damages” in opposition to Andy, Bravo, RHONY’s manufacturing studio Shed Media, and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon, and Darren Ward. Leah shared within the authorized paperwork that Andy and the networks disallowed her to look after her psychological well being and alcohol use dysfunction.
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What’s extra, she stated Andy allegedly “engages in cocaine use with Housewives that he employs,” although none of them are named within the lawsuit. Nonetheless, Leah stated the Housewives solid members who’ve engaged in cocaine with Andy obtained “favorable remedy” from him, together with receiving extra flattering edits than their different co-stars. She claimed Andy’s habits is a well known secret amongst the Bravo group.
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“Cohen deliberately makes use of cocaine along with his staff to additional promote a office tradition that thrives off drug and alcohol use, which ends up in a failure to accommodate staff who’re disabled and attempting to remain substance-free,” Leah’s attorneys acknowledged within the paperwork. “Cohen’s most popular office surroundings, which is fueled with substances and illicit habits, permeates each side of Defendant Bravo’s productions.”
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Leah’s lawsuit additionally made damaging allegations in opposition to Shed Media, which produces a number of Actual Housewives exhibits along with RHONY. Leah stated in her case {that a} Shed Media producer “routinely sends unsolicited photos of [their] genitalia to lower-level manufacturing staff” as a type of sexual harassment.
The lawsuit says Bravo and Shed are allegedly nicely conscious of the producer’s actions however have continued to “elevate” the unnamed producer “to positions of elevated energy.”
On Thursday, Might 9, 2024, Deadline reported that every one fees in opposition to Andy had been dropped. A supply informed the outlet that the choice was made after an “exterior investigation” into Leah and former The Actual Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville’s claims.
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“The surface investigation into the latest allegations made by Brandi Glanville and Leah McSweeney in opposition to Andy Cohen has now been accomplished, and the claims had been discovered to be unsubstantiated,” a spokeswoman for Bravo shared.
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Regardless of Andy’s group stating his authorized issues are behind him, Brandi and Leah’s attorneys say there’s extra to come back in his real-life actuality drama. Based on Leah’s lawyer, Gary Adelman, the assertion was an inconvenient ploy to maintain audiences centered on the NBCUniversal 2024 UpFronts, which broadcasts all the programming throughout the NBC household, together with Bravo.
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“That is good timing,” Adelman stated informed Deadline in response to Andy’s remark. “One line to allow them to repeat it to all of the advertisers on the Up Fronts.”
“How do you’ve an investigation with out talking with to anybody?” Adelman added. “Our opinion is that nobody goes to imagine this was an actual investigation.”
Brandi’s legal professional, Bryan Freedman, additionally fought in opposition to the “investigation” assertion, claiming neither his shopper nor Leah was consulted by Andy’s group earlier than the investigation.
“I’m wanting ahead to reviewing the small print of report from the ‘unbiased’ investigation,” Freedman stated. “Since there was no discovering of wrongdoing, there, after all, could be no want to cover or in any other case bury the findings.”
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Andy Cohen has denied all of Leah McSweeney’s allegations and apologized to Brandi Glanville.
Deadline reported that Andy’s attorneys, Gibson Dunn, threatened to go after Leah if she didn’t “instantly retract and withdraw” the allegations. She has but to take action and the group hasn’t made any claims in opposition to her.Amid Leah’s lawsuit in opposition to Andy, Bravo, Shed Media, and Warner Media, a rep for Andy briefly addressed the Housewives head honcho’s position. The assertion from the rep confirmed Andy denying any of Leah’s allegations.
“The claims in opposition to Andy are fully false,” the rep informed Web page Six.
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Whereas Andy denied Leah’s claims, he took some accountability in Brandi’s plight. In a message on his X account, in February 2024, Andy stated the video to Brandi was “in jest,” although he admitted it was “inappropriate.”
“It was completely meant in jest, and Brandi’s response clearly communicated she was in on the joke,” Andy wrote on Feb. 22. “That stated, it was completely inappropriate, and I apologize.”
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Regardless of Andy’s rep dismissing the claims, Leah’s lawsuit got here after different former Bravo and Housewives stars accused Andy of comparable inappropriate habits. Former Actual Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes additionally acknowledged in her 2022 lawsuit that Andy, Bravo, and NBCUniversal for “fostering a hostile and racist work surroundings” and has referred to as Andy “racist” on X. Nonetheless, the case in opposition to Andy and the networks was dismissed “with out prejudice” in August 2022.
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A number of ‘Actual Housewives’ stars have defended Andy Cohen in opposition to Leah McSweeney, inflicting her to reply.
Leah’s surprising allegations in opposition to Andy have, unsurprisingly, induced an uproar across the Bravo universe. Amid the lawsuit, many Actual Housewives stars, who’ve typically been dubbed “Andy’s Ladies,” got here to his protection on social media.
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Vicki Gunvalson, who helped Andy launch the Actual Housewives franchise by starring in Orange County in 2006, has additionally spoken out about Leah taking authorized motion in opposition to their former boss. Whereas Vicki formally left RHOC as a full-time housewife in January 2020, she informed Us Weekly she and Andy have a “large relationship.” She additionally stated that Leah’s “soiled lawsuit” was “loopy.”
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“Why she is ready now for everyone else and bringing our bosses down?” Vicki requested the outlet. “I don’t know as a result of I wasn’t there.”
Us reported that Vicki later added she believed Leah’s lawsuit had extra to do along with her “attempting to get deep pockets” from it.” Vicki’s feedback and different Housewives stars’ help induced Leah to launch an announcement by means of her lawyer. On March 12, Adelman warned the allegations from Andy would not cease with Leah.
“There are extra lawsuits coming, and there are extra people who find themselves going to talk out,” he informed Us Weekly. It doesn’t matter what folks say or suppose—that Andy’s a very good man, that it is best to anticipate to drink, or that it is best to anticipate this habits.”
“What’s going to matter is what the legislation thinks of it,” Adelman continued. “And we imagine the legislation thinks that is unsuitable.”
Andy Cohen has maintained enterprise as regular at Bravo.