Leah McSweeney alleges that Andy Cohen orchestrated a media campaign to defame her after she leveled serious accusations against him and the “Real Housewives” franchise, according to new court documents.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” star previously filed a lawsuit in 2022, accusing Cohen of using cocaine with cast members and alleging that producers encouraged her to relapse.
In recent legal filings, McSweeney now contends that Cohen misused his influence to rally Bravo personalities to publicly label her as dishonest.
The papers filed in New York Supreme Court late Wednesday night claim that “in direct response” to McSweeney’s filing her suit, Cohen “either directly requested or induced current and former ‘Real Housewives’ cast members” to “publicly disparage McSweeney’s character, and propensity for truthfulness, to curry favor with Cohen in the hopes that such favor would propel their entertainment careers.”
The mentions more than 20 cast members by name — including Luann de Lesseps, Kyle Richards, Melissa Gorga, Kandi Burruss and Dorinda Medley — who it claims were coaxed to slam McSweeney’s claims in the media, including on TMZ, Page Six and various podcasts and TV shows.
It specifically alleges that ubiquitous Bravolebriy Lisa Vanderpump appeared on “The Talk” and said “I’m on [Cohen’s] side,” that Heather Dubrow of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” implied on her podcast that McSweeney should be “thanking” Bravo rather than suing Bravo because she is “making money and thriving because of this platform,” and said that she was “irritated” by her lawsuit, and that Margeret Josephs of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” told Page Six that McSweeney’s claims are “[intended to do] nothing but to assassinate [Cohen’s] character and that is disgusting.”
In each case the suit claims that the star “would not have made [the] statement but for Cohen’s direction and/or inducement.”
The new filing is intended to bolster McSweeney’s argument that the defendents retaliated against her for filing her lawsuit.
In May 2024, Bravo and the other defendants filed a motion to dismiss her suit, and a judge heard oral arguments in the matter in November. In March, the judge dimissed parts of the suit, allowed her to proceed with other claims and asked for more evidence on some others, including the retaliation claim.
In Wednesday’s court papers, McSweeney also attempted to shore up her claims Cohen has done cocaine with some cast members, and that he has given preferential treatment to those stars.
After McSweeney made the claims in her lawsuit, Cohen demanded in an unusual move that she retract the claims or be sued for defamation.
The new court papers claim that this move was also retaliation against McSweeney, and they note that not only have two unnamed cast members privately told her that he uses cocaine, but that former cast member Nene Leakes has called him a “cocaine head,” that former cast member Danielle Staub has said he does “drugs,” and that former Cohen pal Kathy Griffin has claimed that Cohen offered her cocaine.
Cohen has strenuously denies all wrongdoing.
Reps for Bravo, Cohen and McSweeney didn’t immediately get back to us.
