Perhaps Leah McSweeney thought her hot take was a lot hotter than it turned out to be. The Real Housewives of New York alum had quite a journey during her short time on the show. Now she’s telling some not-so-pleasant stories.
Leah is one of several former Bravolebs going to the frontlines with a network they volunteered to be on. Vanity Fair also put a spotlight on Leah and shared she was extremely unhappy with how she was treated. She believes she was exploited and Bravo needs to thank their “flacks” for keeping the network of trouble. Page Six has the details.
Leah’s Legacy
While Leah might not have been the most popular addition to an existing cast, she definitely made a name for herself. She started as a fan favorite but was struck by the sophomore curse in her second season.
She didn’t have a great time because now Leah is in a legal war with Bravo. In March, she filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “Andy Cohen, Bravo, and Shed [Media] all need to give their PR teams a bonus. They worked in overdrive to try to hide the truth,” Leah shared.
It was noted Andy was the only executive from Bravo who was named in the recent “takedown” article published by Vanity Fair. While several reality stars openly discussed their traumatic purported experiences, anonymous statements were used to refute their allegations.
But that wasn’t how it went down for Leah. When responding to Leah’s claims, a Bravo insider said, “[Bravo’s] PR team only aimed to resolve any inaccuracies that [Vanity Fair] was given.”
The piece detailed what several network stars perceive to be manipulative tactics used by the network, and it raised questions about how issues like sexual misbehavior, racism, and alcohol misuse are handled within the Real Housewives franchise, among other things. TL;DR, they aren’t handled well.
Tempted by the fruit of another (show)
Leah, for instance, claims she was persuaded to participate in Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip by producers, including Andy. Even though she had previously spent time in a mental health facility. It would be fair to recognize Bravo held no gun to Leah’s head and forced her to appear on any programs.
Additionally, another Bravoleb revealed, “[Even] if you were the most successful Housewife ever, you would not be able to [do] it without [experiencing] also absolute emotional destruction, public humiliation, divorce, death, crime, prison, shame, misogyny, and just an onslaught of pure hate.” That said, editors cannot magically turn someone into a complete asshole without asshole tendencies already being present. Ahem.
Big Daddy’s Big Problem
Despite his prominent position as Bravo’s Big Daddy, Andy coasts by, except for Leah’s accusations. Of course, there are also Andy’s gleeful responses in emails finding out Ramona Singer was having issues with her white fragility. I’m not sure if Leah is aware of this, but Ramona’s mouth has now done a lot more to hurt Bravo than her lawsuit.
Bravo’s employees are only mentioned by their job titles in the article. Other folks, namely a psychologist, and executives at production connected to the shows are mentioned by name in the VF piece.
I think it’s safe to say we won’t have to worry about seeing Leah on any future Bravo projects. Stay tuned.
TELL US – DO YOU SEE LEAH’S SIDE IN THE BRAVO CONFLICT? IS IT BRAVO’S FAULT LEAH CHOSE TO APPEAR ON SHOWS?
