Lines continue to be drawn in the Battle of Bravo. Leah McSweeney, formerly of The Real Housewives of New York, is one of the most recent Bravolebrities to file suit against Bravo and Andy Cohen. She alleges that she was encouraged to drink alcohol to amp up her wild behavior, despite being a recovering alcoholic.
Kelly Bensimon, who appeared on earlier seasons of RHONY, had one of the most memorable episodes of Housewives ever: Scary Island. It went down in reality TV history due to her odd behavior on a cast trip to St. John.
Leah cited Kelly and Scary Island in her lawsuit as a master class in the batshit behavior that Bravo producers have come to expect. However, Kelly just asserted her position. She doesn’t share Leah’s sentiments and wants absolutely no part in her attempt to take down Bravo.
Kelly says Leah’s “trying to use me to get something for herself”
Kelly spoke to Page Six and expressed her desire for Leah to take her out of the equation. “I’m not angry,” Kelly clarified, “I just like facts. I think people should stick to the facts.”
Kelly views her mention in the lawsuit as an insinuation that she was either under the influence of drugs or having a mental health crisis during her Scary Island scenes. She maintains that she was mentally sound and had only consumed a little wine during filming.
Kelly adamantly rejects the notion that she was exploited by Bravo or its producers. “I’m not a victim, I’m nobody’s victim.”
Highlighting her own clarity during filming, Kelly revealed that she even named the legendary episode herself and took the initiative to halt scenes that seemed unproductive.
“It was me who branded ‘Scary Island.’ I gave it that name.” She also claimed to call “cut” herself when filming became unproductive. And, she says she made the call fly home when it became too chaotic.
Kelly’s thankful for the opportunity and takes offense at the suggestion that a few tequila shots could be responsible for creating one of reality TV’s most iconic moments, comparing it to Jessica Simpson’s infamous “chicken of the sea” blunder on Newlyweds.
Humble as always, she added, “I’m amazing TV. I always enjoyed making the show, plus it meant that I could give my [daughters] something that nobody can take away from them: an unbelievable education.”
Kelly, now a successful realtor with Douglas Elliman, wouldn’t change anything about those scenes. “They’re part of my trajectory,” she remarked.
She finished up by swiping at Leah. “[She’s] trying to use me to get something for herself.”
Leah’s rep declined to respond to Kelly’s comments.
You can watch Scary Island by streaming Season 3 of RHONY on Peacock. Kelly was also on the most recent season of Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy; also on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KELLY’S TAKE ON LEAH INCLUDING SCARY ISLAND IN HER SUIT?
