Beneath The Bravo Glitz

Leah McSweeney's Lawsuit Questions The Toxic Reality Behind The Housewives Franchise

Photos by Kelsey Cherry

“This Is A Story I Never Wanted To Tell . . .”

How did Leah McSweeney, the successful fashion designer behind Married to the Mob and brief cast member of The Real Housewives of New York, become the latest thorn in Bravo's side; exposing the insidious work culture that belies the cult the network has cultivated? As it turns out, pretty unwittingly…

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March 12, 2024 — The Odeon 

The Odeon (for those not familiar) is known for hosting historic celebrity clientele. Regulars at the restaurant have at times included Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Belushi, and Andy Warhol; Lena Dunham even has a tattoo of the restaurant's sign. Leah arrives sporting her signature look—a high-neck black mesh long-sleeve top with camouflage cargo pants, PUMA X Fenty sneakers, and a Star of David pendant around her neck (she recently converted to Judaism). Right off the bat, her disposition is refreshingly unguarded. Despite little communication leading up to our meet-up, she is at ease settled in a table in the back corner. A trait I assume made her a sought-after choice for The Real Housewives of New York, a show she participated in for two seasons and is currently in the middle of a lawsuit against.

During our dinner, I learned the backstory to her landing the spot and how the outrageously popular Housewives franchise is kept afloat by 1) a work culture that promotes — and even forces — toxic, addictive behavior among its participants and 2) a ringleader who has built a multi-million dollar brand out of misogyny packaged as signature bluntness. 

After New York, we spoke on the phone again the following month. Over the course of that second conversation, Leah, at one point, likened the Bravo experience to a cult, describing a workplace environment that encouraged (if not required) severing oneself from the world outside it, shaming members who questioned its methods, and pitting women against other women who "disobeyed" certain show expectations.

She was also quick to clarify her intentions behind this lawsuit. In coming forward, she hopes a new precedent might be set and women's voices in the Bravo universe are valued as they actually are, not as they are manufactured to fit the show to ensure ratings continue to handsomely fund the network. Speaking out publicly means putting a target on her back.

“I have sacrificed a lot by suing them. Like, speaking out against them has created job loss. And I have no idea what the outcome will be,” she told me on the call.

Plenty of Bravo fans resent her for it.

Who Is Leah McSweeney?

She grew up in Chelsea but moved to Connecticut after being expelled from the Upper East Side's elite Convent of the Sacred Heart Catholic all-girls school at age 14. Her mother, who works as a social worker and therapist, and her father, a retired city health inspector, thought it would be a healthier environment for their daughter. Leah's struggle with substance abuse began shortly after. She was admitted into rehab after high school and was not allowed back into her parents' home afterward. Instead, she was sent to a halfway house in upstate New York run by nuns.

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Leah talks about maintaining relationships and running a successful business - 2015

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After high school, she moved back to the Big Apple and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology for a month before dropping out to focus on starting her own business. She received a $75,000 settlement from the NYPD after an officer smashed her face into a subway grating in 2002, knocking out one of her teeth. The payout was used to launch her own clothing line — and has now amassed millions through her brand, Married to the Mob (MTTM), one of the first-ever women's streetwear companies (worn by the likes of Rihanna, Ciara, Fergie, and Cara Delevigne). She had her daughter, Kier Marie, in 2007, with her ex Rob Cristofaro. (She met her current boyfriend in recovery.) 

RHONY's Bill of Goods

Leah's foray into the Housewives universe came thanks to her esthetician. She texted her out of the blue, asking if she'd ever consider being on RHONY. Bethenny Frankel, another one of her esthetician's clients, had expressed interest in putting Leah's name in the hat for potential cast consideration. Leah says she was surprised but open to it. Bethenny and Leah had an internet acquaintance, so Leah assumed Bethenny was familiar with her from Instagram.

From the initial interviews, the network seemed very interested in Leah as a cast member. For one, she was 10-15 years younger than her fellow Housewives and projected a very different vibe and persona: cool, stylish, edgy. Now on their radar, Bravo began courting her, looking for fresh blood to revive the New York strand of the series. 

Production had previously thrown young blood in the mix with the addition of Tinsley Mortimer — But audiences knew there was something about Leah that was more provocative, less fragile, and ideally, more amenable to dynamite. 

At the onset, Leah was told the show would change her life immeasurably for the better — opening up doors to countless opportunities. As a fan of reality TV herself, and a single mother, it sounded like a good way to support herself and her daughter. The bill of goods Bravo sells its cast members is "exposure, exposure, exposure." Linking up with the Bravo network insinuates any Housewive's brands will explode after being on the show. Leah claims it's a facade, pointing out that many of the housewives companies do not do well. Based on Bethenny Frankel's success with Skinny Girl, the Bravo network suggests to potential housewives that their brands will explode when they join the cast. However, the success of Skinny Girl was an anomaly. No other housewife's brand has ever come close to seeing the kind of success that Skinny Girl saw. Leah notes that she rarely pushed Married to the Mob on air, but explains that the time she spent filming RHONY interfered with running her business. The women are told that the show will supplement their lives but not take it over. Housewives are assured they can maintain their businesses and personal pursuits while participating in this alternative reality onscreen.

What Does Bravo Expect of Their Women?

It quickly became clear upon joining the show that there was one significant expectation left out of the job description: drama. The network needs the women to be dramatic and vocally opinionated to keep ratings up. But the second you speak your mind to them? It's over. "It's a very known thing," Leah said. There's also an expectation of gratitude that you "get to be a Housewife." This expectation in particular, upon reflection, struck Leah as cult-like — because "it's literally just a job."

On the call, she described it as "archaic and patriarchal and oppressing and weird to expect women to never show anger, and never show any kind of emotion except graciousness" — especially when there's such a double standard at play. Keep the drama high when the camera's on, and shut your mouth the second it's off. It's an invasive job, where your very self is being given. It's not a normal employment exchange. "Shouldn't the network also be grateful for the women?" For making them millions of dollars?

In addition to gratitude, everyone on the show is expected to get along with Andy— the "omnipotent deity" in Bravo. While Leah's lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen contains multiple allegations, some key points address Cohen's blatant favoritism towards certain cast members who pander to his many "preferences."

Cohen has publicly denied the allegations, calling them "hurtful" and standing by his conduct.

Latest Development

Andy Cohen has filed to dismiss Leah McSweeney's lawsuit alleging discrimination and substance misuse on the set of "Real Housewives of New York City." Cohen's legal team argues that McSweeney's claims are insufficient and infringe on the franchise's First Amendment rights. Leah's attorney counters that the dismissal motion lacks merit and suggests that agreeing with the defendants would exempt creative industries from anti-discrimination laws. 

"We do not agree that the motion has merit — it mostly argues for dismissal on technical grounds, essentially saying that Defendants were allowed to discriminate against Ms. McSweeney —not that they did not do it. To agree with the Defendants would be to essentially say that the creative industries are not subject to anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws and that networks could engage in discrimination and retaliation with impunity, which is not the law." — Sarah Matz co-founder Adelman-Matz

Andy Cohen : A "Modern Day P.T. Barnum" & His Audience of Drama Junkies Who “Love to Hate Women”

On air, we've come to accept how Cohen confidently provokes cast members while they take it on the chin, wearing extravagant outfits and hoping their most vulnerable moments don't become a viral meme. Backed by the support of Bravo super fans, he has masterfully crafted a profitable spectacle out of the Housewives franchise, simultaneously serving as both ringleader and referee. Executive producer and a main talent. Some argue that his unique position as a gay man permits him to berate, criticize, and mock a predominantly female cast in ways that might be deemed inappropriate or unacceptable for others. This dynamic allows Cohen to wield a peculiar form of influence and control, turning personal dramas into public entertainment while highlighting the double standards that persist in the treatment of women in reality television.

For instance: in a now-deleted-from-Peacock episode of WWHL on December 5, 2022, Cohen challenged veteran Housewife Teresa Guidice to a game of "Tre-Saurus," quizzing the numb-to-it-all mother of four on the definitions of words like "Parody," "Slapstick," "Hyperbole," "Self-Deprecating" and "Deadpan." As Cohen and his production team seemed to have predicted, Guidice did not know any of the answers.

Critics Wonder: Can Only a Gay Man Pull This Off?

Cohen, in this role, manages to evade the same moral judgments the rest of us are expected to adhere to. Why is that? And why do we, as viewers, find ourselves still captivated by women falling apart on primetime? I have never been a fan of the show, so I am asking these questions genuinely because the attraction to toxic female dynamics as brainless entertainment baffles me. The plot, as I see it, feels relentless and tiresome. Though of course I have friends who love and live for it. 

Question: Is this type of show harmless in its appeal, or does it perpetuate certain stereotypes that help desensitize us to the emotional and psychological toll these environments impose on the women involved? Are we complicit in sustaining a culture that thrives on degradation and conflict for amusement? If so, what does this say about our society's treatment and perception of women? 

Past Offenses: Kathy Griffen’s Cocain Claims and Cohen mocking Kate Middleton

“Cohen fueled conspiracy theories about Middleton’s whereabouts on social media. When video footage of Middleton appearing to visit a farm shop circulated online last month, Cohen tweeted, “That ain’t Kate …” He also posted a screenshot of Middleton’s controversial Mother’s Day photo to his Instagram story and asked, laughing: “Is this Princess Kate?”

The Housewives Are Not Okay

“Anyone who has watched reality TV since The Real World first premiered in 1992 is at least partially aware of the normalization of televised intoxication. But alcohol has become a character itself, as the lubricant that made the cast of Jersey Shore DTF and the bubbles that preceded a thousand Bachelor tears. During a panel at BravoCon in 2022, a UGT producer told fans that during filming, cast member Marysol Patton started her mornings with "cockies” — juice and vodka. The audience loved it. According to one Housewife, the cast stashed water bottles filled with clear alcohol around the set both to calm their own nerves and, they hoped, to get one particularly volatile cast member "crazy" drunk. She felt like the producers hoped so, too.” — Anna Peele Inside the Real Housewives Reckoning That’s Rocking Bravo / Vanity Fair

According to the lawsuits filed against Bravo, the only way this treatment is possible is through the encouraged consumption of alcohol. Housewives and cast members from other shows routinely get wasted on and off-camera. The number of Housewives who have gotten DUIs or been charged with public intoxication continues to grow. Coincidence? Or, are they victims of an abusive work environment that pushes booze on them constantly.

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"It's just faster and easier," the Housewife says, trying to give the producers what they want. Cast members describe some producers using "big words": phrases written in large font on their phones, held up to redirect conversations. Former Real Housewife of New York Eboni K. Williams says she ignored one that read "BRING UP SONJA'S DRINKING," referring to Sonja Morgan. Before a day of shooting begins, the production team sends out the "beats" of each scene: topics they've written and want addressed. The following is a beat reviewed by VF for an episode that was filmed in November 2020: "Sonja is on a loop, and this abuse of pills and alcohol has been going on for way too long…. Is there anything they can do, or do they need to just be there for her when she falls?"  – Vanity Fair 

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Ratings Are Sinking — Have We Outgrown the Housewives?

It's been eighteen years since the first episode of The Real Housewives aired in 2006 with the ladies of Orange County. For the then-brand new network, Housewives was organic content about affluent American women, who were all either incredibly intelligent or super lucky, wrapped up in irresistible aesthetics.

In 2024, viewer loyalty is beginning to fatigue, as heartfelt investments in the lives of the cast has turned into a grating irritation that doesn't even allow the most exciting episode to serve as background noise to real life.

According to TVDeets.com, 2021 saw New Jersey Housewives at a series high of 1.2 million viewers. Compare that to their latest episode, which grabbed just about half of that audience at 699k. 

When it comes to RHONY, the network's decision to replace every member of the cast as a rebrand for the show has yet to show promising returns, with their latest season averaging an audience of 506k per episode. In a city that was economically and socially crushed by the pandemic, is this luxury group believable anymore? Do we really think the most interesting person in New York City wants to hang out with Erin Lichy?

In a post-pandemic, post-MeToo world, are the humiliation and intoxication habits that supported an earlier production strategy able to transfer to the next generation of reality stars? Gone are the days of throwing foes in the pool, flipping tables, and screaming on street corners. No doubt we are living in kinder, thoughtful, more sober times. Sure, Bravo might have tried to clear Mr. Cohen of any wrongdoing, but the seeds have been planted, and we can't unsee the talking points brought before us by women like McSweeny, Frankle, and Leakes. Audiences are not required to agree with network lawyers and Human Resources. 

Can Bravo find a new way to captivate its audience and, even more so, earn their trust back?