Fans have come to expect something specific from The Real Housewives . Petty drama, iconic one-liners and insane displays of wealth (see The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ’ Erika Jayne fighting for custody of her $750,000 earrings) are all hallmarks of the Bravo empire. And while the franchise has documented some genuinely dark chapters of its stars’ lives — for example, the physical abuse that RHOBH ’s Taylor Armstrong suffered at the hands of her late husband, Russell Armstrong — The Real Housewives is mostly all in good fun, right? Leah McSweeney says no.
McSweeney, who starred on The Real Housewives of New York City from 2020 to 2021, filed a lawsuit against Bravo and executive producer Andy Cohen in February 2024, claiming that the network encouraged her to abandon her sobriety for the sake of making better television. Cohen has denied the claims. Bear with Us as we explain the franchise-threatening legal drama: Leah McSweeney: The fashion designer and Married to the Mob founder joined the cast of RHONY for season 12 in 2020.
She starred alongside veteran Real Housewives Luann de Lesseps , Ramona Singer , Sonja Morgan , Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer . McSweeney also appeared on season 13 of RHONY in 2021 and season 3 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in 2023. Andy Cohen: Cohen is considered the face of Bravo as the executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise and his late-night talk show, Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen .
He has.