Lisa Vanderpump Defends Andy Cohen After RHONY’s Leah McSweeney Files Lawsuit: ‘Bulls–t’
Lisa Vanderpump came to Andy Cohen’s defense following accusations leveled against him in a lawsuit from Real Housewives of New York alum Leah McSweeney.
Vanderpump, 63, spoke to TMZ on Saturday, March 2, where she addressed McSweeney’s, 41, allegations that Cohen, 55, and Bravo gave preferential treatment — including favorable edits — to Housewives who consumed alcohol and drugs with him.
“Nobody gets a good edit on that show, that’s for a fact,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum said. “And Andy doing coke? I know because I’ve partied with him hundreds of times — in my business, in my house, in New York — I’ve never seen anything like that. I can categorically say, ‘No, he wouldn’t do that.’ I know for a fact he wouldn’t do that.” She added, “Anybody can say anything, can’t they?”
When pressed further about the allegations, Vanderpump shot back, “That’s exactly what they are, allegations. Nothing concrete,” and went on to call the lawsuit “bulls–t.”
‘Real Housewives’ Stars Defend Andy Cohen After Leah McSweeney’s Bombshell Lawsuit
McSweeney’s civil suit was filed on Tuesday, February 27 and claimed she faced discrimination. The filing alleges that Cohen, Bravo, NBCUniversal, production house Shed Media U, and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon and Darren Ward “discriminated against, tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated against Ms. McSweeney because she is a woman with disabilities, such as alcohol use disorder and various mental health disorders, all in the name of selling drama.”
According to the court documents, McSweeney also alleged that “[Cohen] engaged in cocaine use with ‘Housewives’ and other Bravolebrities that he employs” and “rewards Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits.”
“As I say, I know Andy Cohen very well. He does his edible or whatever he does but no, he never does [coke]. I’ve seen others do it but not him, that’s for sure,” Vanderpump told TMZ. “I’ve been on that show. You drink if you wanna drink. Who’s pressuring you? I don’t get that. Be responsible for your own actions.”
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On the contrary, McSweneey’s lawsuit described Bravo’s “rotted workplace culture that uniquely depended on pressuring its employees to consume alcohol.”
At the time McSweeney joined RHONY in 2019, she was 30 days sober and hoping to stay that way. She claimed producers pressured her to drink despite this and retaliated “when she wanted to stay sober, and intentionally failed to provide reasonable accommodations that would aid her efforts to stay sober and able to perform.”
Cohen denied the allegations. “The claims against Andy are completely false,” a representative told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, February 28.
McSweeney’s suit comes shortly after Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville accused Cohen of sexual harassment, claiming the Bravo executive told Glanville he wanted to “sleep with another Bravo star” while “thinking” about her. Cohen has apologized for these comments.
“The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi. It was absolutely meant in jest, and Brandi’s response clearly communicated she was in on the joke,” Cohen wrote via X on February 22. “That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize.”
