There’s another Real Housewives of New York City alum joining the “reality reckoning.” In Vanity Fair’s highly-anticipated investigation into Bravo, Leah McSweeney levied some heavy allegations against RHONY’s producers. From her relationship with alcohol to her navigating her grandmother’s death on-screen, Leah detailed a reality TV experience that was everything but pleasant.
Leah explained that she entered a depressive state after her time on RHONY came to an end. She opened up about that experience on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. However, what we didn’t know is that before RHUGT even aired, Leah filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Leah McSweeney lawyered up against Bravo
Leah and her attorneys filed an employment discrimination complaint against Bravo, Shed Media, Andy Cohen, and several other high-level executive producers behind the show, citing a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This was on March 10, 2023, weeks before Leah’s season of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip aired, according to Vanity Fair.
On Real Housewives of New York Season 12, Leah opened up about her bipolar diagnosis, and she accused Ramona Singer of gossiping about it. During that same season, Leah relapsed after nearly a decade of sobriety and had the infamous drunken tiki torch moment. According to Leah, she tried to downplay the severity of her relapse so that it wouldn’t become a storyline.
Then, in Season 13, her grandmother passed away during a cast trip to the Hamptons. We watched Leah struggle with the decision of whether she should leave the trip to be with her family. After Season 13, Leah went into a major depressive state. She was hospitalized for over a week.
Bravo’s response
In response to Leah’s discrimination complaint, Bravo’s attorney denied any wrongdoing. They claimed that “production spent endless amounts of time accommodating her.” They allegedly offered various outlets of support that Leah didn’t accept. Then, they went on to downplay the severity of Leah’s disability.
“Complainant herself spent much of RHONY Season 12” — the season of her relapse— “discussing (and sometimes even mocking) the alleged disabilities that are now the subject of the instant Complaints,” the attorney said. “Complainant’s need for affirmation was never-ending but that need was completely separate from any alleged disability.”
When RHUGT premiered a few weeks after Leah’s complaint, Watch What Happens Live used her name as part of the nightly drinking game. However, Leah never appeared on WWHL to promote RHUGT. Now, with this report airing out all of her complaints over the years, it sounds like her Housewives days are probably over for good.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON LEAH’S EXPERIENCE WITH BRAVO? ARE YOU SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT SHE FILED A COMPLAINT? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ATTORNEY’S RESPONSE TO LEAH’S COMPLAINT?
