Ex-Real Housewife claims she worked in 'rotted workplace'

I'm glad that the shows bring people Joy I just think there is a way to make shows without ruining people's lives and putting their lives in danger former Real Housewife of New York Leah mcweeney is pulling back the curtain disclosing what she says really went on behind the scenes of the Bravo reality TV shows she worked on I feel bad that she seems like she is going through some your life on display correct and and your mess ups on display yeah it's a weird workplace but it's a workplace filing a lawsuit this week filled with stunning allegations against Andy Cohen Bravo its producers production companies and parent networks mweene who says she's recovering alcoholic claiming the defendants established a rotted workplace culture and discriminated against tormented demoralized demeaned harassed and retaliated against her for Disabilities including alcohol use disorder and bipolar disorder I think it is fascinating that it is part of a larger sweep of lawsuits that are being brought against reality show Productions in a lot of different genres ex Jersey housewife Caroline Manzo known for her straight talk you know what you are you're a clown alleging in a lawsuit that Bravo and its production teams plied her cast of Real Housewives ultimate girls trip with alcohol and encouraged sexual harassment while former Hills cast member Brandy Glenville known for her sometimes outrageous behavior Pi somebody directly accuses executive and host Andy Cohen of past sexual harassment in a scathing legal letter Cohen explaining on X that he was very clearly joking to Brandy but it was totally inappropriate and I apologize all this coming on the heels of last year so-called reality Reckoning as many stars came forward from several franchises arguing that when they joined reality TV they signed away more than they bargain for some of the most jaw-dropping claims in mweene suit are directed at Cohen alleging he used cocaine with his employees and treated Housewives who did it with him with more favorable treatment and edits on their shows a representative for Cohen blasted back telling ABC News the claims against Andy are completely false several Housewives Are publicly supporting the Bravo ring Master including Kyle Richards Luan dups and Candy burus I think this is not something that's going to go away without some form of uh of it being addressed but late last year mcweeny painted a darker picture of her time in reality TV in our interview a fashion designer and New York City party girl of the early 2000s she joined the Real Housewives of New York in 2019 I'm having more fun than I've had in a month and a half the same week that I got the call to audition was was the same week that I relapsed after 9 years when mcweeney joined the cast of season 12 she said she got paid $3,000 an episode and thought she knew clearly what the downsides might be the pros were maybe I'll be able to help my mom retire you were thinking financial success yes and stability she said she told producers about her laps sobriety and that they also knew about her mental health struggles and so when you told the producers you you'd started drinking again but you sort of downplayed it yeah why not say this was a full-blown relapse that I was going through so I think at that point I was also in a lot of denial about my own relapse and I was still holding on somewhere in the back of my head that maybe I could drink normally you're a little out of control nobody's ever been out of control in this group are you kidding me she said some of the moments that made her a fan favorite were actually some of her darkest including a night dubbed hurricane Leo yeah horrible it was horrible I need two shots and that because it's time during that fine I thought you were covering alcoholic I don't remember what I did I don't know what I said what you're describing though is the definition of blackout drunk oh I was totally blackout drunk and I was so nervous to see myself and what are people going to say they're going to say you're a drunken disaster instead they loved it which was really messed with my brain she now says she requested relief from filming because she was having a panic attack but wasn't given accommodations Bravo disputes this claim her lawsuit claims the episode was the highest rated from season 12 adding to the pressure she says she felt to keep drinking where are you [Music] going what was going through your mind not a lot and look did I choose to drink that day yes was I an alcoholic in a the middle of a relapse like absolutely give us a sense of how the producers might have had an influence on your behavior I'm not going to put that on them for this because I made my own decisions there is no this isn't okay there is get the cameras in her face more but now she does point the finger at producers claiming they were increasingly pressuring her to consume alcoholic beverages she also says producers knew she was struggling with bipolar disorder in fact she'd been outed on the show you know I found out she's bipolar and she's on medication and I know people who are bipolar and you cannot mix alcohol with meds mweene saying that televised moment caused her to suffer extreme anxiety and depression a spokesperson from NBC Universal telling ABC news they are conducting an investigation into the recent allegations and a Bravo rep explained explaining that they've been working with production companies for stricter guidelines on alcohol consumption and safety as well as increased psychological support and a requirement to raise concerns up to the parent Network NBC ABC news also reached out to the producers and production companies named in the lawsuit but did not hear back it's a very interesting lawsuit when you have these retaliation claims that are very well vetted in how workplaces work how much of this was personal choice and that's something that's going to have to wander through the courts on some of these counts shed media the company that produces Housewives told ABC News late last year that cast members and cast members only make their own decisions about whether to consume alcohol adding it's not a requirement to drink and that production provides non-alcoholic Beverages and doesn't single out non-drinkers everyone on the show is an adult but it becomes a dangerous working environment when people are extremely intoxicated do you think it's up to the producers to cut somebody off while they're drinking I do actually yeah I do I think that bars cut people off there is a cache to being a housewife you get money you also get to be a sort of public figure and that is a a sort of cultural heft that I think is really hard to put a price tag on mcweeny decided to return for another season newly sober why did you go back to the show well I think that financially I was very dependent on it I was going to actually leave and then they offered me over three times more per episode I haven't drank since March 31st yeah but season 13 she says proved to be even more painful I told them numerous times that I was struggling and it was just like as if I was a nuisance and just get it together you know focus on work ABC News confirmed that a member of production at one point on offered mwei some emotional support shed media also told ABC news last year that production provides additional Mental Health Services to cast and crew during or after filming at no cost adding that they've also enhanced these psychological support protocols but mcweeney says that the hostile work environment on season 13 ultimately made her check into a psychiatric care facility I thought my daughter would be better off if I wasn't here that's hard to hear yeah yeah it's hard to say out loud yeah it is I just think that when someone says I'm struggling there needs to be a seriousness but a few months later Bravo asked her back again for a onewe trip to Thailand for the housewife spin-off ultimate girls trip after all that you've been through why go back I want to give everybody the benefit of the doubt I just was like nothing could be worse than season 13 the cash incentives at that point she says proved irresistible and she accepted the offer you were offered $250,000 for one week of filming yes mweene claims she feared relapsing requesting producers and cast not question her regarding her sobriety but says they later told her that her scenes were boring because sober Leah was not the Leah we know and love Here Comes Leah let's get Leah drunk you guys let's get Leah drunk ABC News learned that mcweeney was offered a sober coach by the production team and at least once a member of production offered to have her accommodations moved closer to AA meetings but mcweeney claims when she asked to go to AA meetings producers refused to provide transportation instead directing other cast members to taunt Ms mcweeney about her sobriety and mental health diagnosis mcweeney decided not to return for another season when we're dealing with a very large Network and a very large personality like Andy Cohen I imagine we will see this lawsuit settle before it ever sees a trial I think the most important thing is that the production companies and the network and the people who are with the talent dayto day need to be much more empathetic and compassionate and see these women more than characters cuz I think there's a lack of humanity hi everyone George Stephanopoulos here thanks for checking out the ABC News YouTube channel if you'd like to get more videos show highlights and watch live event coverage click on the right over here to subscribe to our Channel and don't forget to download the ABC News app for breaking news alerts thanks for watching

Channel: ABC News

Views: 167,170

Keywords: Andy, Bravo, Cohen, Ex, Housewife, Leah, McSweeney, Real, abc, abcnews, allegations, business, culture, entertainment, p_cmsid=2494279, p_vid=news-107738943, rotted, workplace

Id: P_a16fB-yZk

Length: 10min 47sec (647 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 02 2024