Leah McSweeney has dropped her bombshell lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen after the two sides reached a settlement, heading off what would have been the network’s first courtroom trial against a “Real Housewives” cast member.
The “Real Housewives of New York” alum, 41, filed suit in January 2024 against the reality giant, “Housewives” executive producer Cohen and others, claiming they had exploited her alcohol addiction in a cynical bid to boost ratings by pushing her to drink. McSweeney, founder of streetwear label Married to the Mob, had been sober for a decade before relapsing shortly before she began filming the show in 2019.
She regained sobriety before her second season, but alleged in court papers that producers then pressured her to start drinking again. McSweeney also claimed she suffered serious psychological and emotional anguish during her time with the franchise, which included two seasons of “RHONY” and a season of “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.”
New York Judge Lewis Liman found after a November 2024 hearing that Bravo held a First Amendment right to require its stars to drink to excess. However, Liman said he wanted the network to answer for the allegedly brutal methods it had used to encourage McSweeney to drink.
The judge noted that McSweeney alleged producers “joked about [her] drinking issues in her presence despite her requests that they stop, taunted her about her alcohol use disorder and tried to undermine her sobriety through harassing comments, directed other cast members to bring up [her] mental health and substance abuse issues and to call [her] a drug addict, and coached fellow cast members to further disparage [her].”
She had also claimed they assured her she could attend AA meetings while shooting “RHUGT,” then barred her from going once cameras were rolling.
While pressing her case that Bravo rewarded substance abuse, McSweeney had claimed in court papers that Cohen had snorted cocaine with favored cast members. Cohen denied the allegations through his attorney and took the rare step of accusing McSweeney of defamation — though allegations made in court are protected against such claims — calling her lawsuit a “shakedown” and demanding she withdraw the cocaine claim and apologize.
McSweeney has issued no apology, and Cohen never filed suit.
Her attorney, Gary Adelman of the law firm Adelman Matz, said on Friday, “We are extremely satisfied with the outcome [and] we are proud of Leah and her perseverance.”
The dollar figure of the settlement remains unknown. Bravo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other Bravo stars have sued the network before, including “Real Housewives of Atlanta” veteran NeNe Leakes, but McSweeney’s case marked the first time a cast member’s lawsuit had advanced all the way to a courtroom hearing.
McSweeney’s legal battle had drawn intense attention for its potential to expose behind-the-scenes production practices in the unscripted television industry, particularly around cast members’ mental health and sobriety. The settlement leaves those questions largely unanswered, though Liman’s ruling on Bravo’s First Amendment protections had already signaled significant legal hurdles for such claims.
The case also spotlighted the broader tensions between reality performers and the networks that profit from their personal struggles, with McSweeney’s allegations describing a deliberate campaign to destabilize her recovery for entertainment value.
Cohen continues to host “Watch What Happens Live” and oversee the sprawling “Housewives” franchise.