Melissa Gorga, Luann De Lesseps, Andy Cohen, Leah McSweeney. Getty Images(4)
Melissa Gorga and Luann de Lesseps are the latest Housewives to come to Andy Cohen’s defense against the claims made by Leah McSweeney’s lawsuit.
“I’ve been to personal social dinners with Andy multiple times. [He’s] always respectful, always appropriate,” Gorga, 44, said on the Thursday, March 7, episode of her “On Display With Melissa Gorga” podcast. “Listen, is Andy a fun guy? Yes of course he is. It’s why we all know and love him. He’s a personality.”
Gorga shared that she believes Cohen, 55, “would never” offer any of his staff or the Real Housewives stars “any type of drug.” De Lesseps, 58, agreed that she didn’t believe the allegations against the Bravo exec, either.
“I’ve known Andy for a long time… since the very beginning. Like I said, it’s been 16 years and it’s just not his character,” De Lesseps said. “He’s not going to be that stupid to start offering things to Housewives.”
Getty Images; WireImage; Getty Images Several Real Housewives franchise stars are coming to Andy Cohen’s defense following Leah McSweeney’s bombshell claims against the Bravo boss. The former RHONY star filed a lawsuit against Cohen and Bravo on February 27. After news of her civil suit went public, she alleged in a lengthy Instagram post that […]
Gorga and de Lesseps were referring to the recent allegations McSweeney, 41, made against Cohen and Bravo. The Real Housewives of New York alum filed a lawsuit in February claiming that the network pressures its stars to consume alcohol while filming.
While filming RHONY, McSweeney was sober and wanted to stay on that path. She claimed producers pressured her to drink and “intentionally failed to provide reasonable accommodations that would aid her efforts to stay sober and able to perform,” per court docs obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to the alcohol claims, McSweeney also alleged that Cohen does cocaine with some Bravo personalities and rewards them with “more favorable treatment and edits.” Cohen has vehemently denied all the allegations.
While de Lesseps was sympathetic towards McSweeney and her struggles, she admitted that her time filming while being sober was completely different.
“Leah has her experience and I have mine. It’s never been my experience what Leah had to go through. God knows we’ve had the same experience,” she explained to Gorga. “You were with me on the first Ultimate Girls Trip. I did not drink the entire trip because I was sober.”
Gorga agreed that she remembered being on the show with de Lesseps and confirmed that she “didn’t have one sip of alcohol.”
“Nobody is forcing you to drink. Nobody is pouring alcohol down your throat,” de Lesseps said. “It is your choice to pick up a drink or not.”
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De Lesseps noted that she “understands” the amount of “pressure” to drink in the environment. However, she reaffirmed that everyone has the option to not attend and not put themselves in that position.
Being a Real Housewife isn’t all diamonds and rosé — just ask the many Bravolebrities who’ve legal woes have played out in the spotlight. While some franchises tackle the lawsuits on air — including Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa and Joe Giudice’s fraud case, Real Housewives of New York City’s Sonja Morgan’s bankruptcy filing […]
Gorga and de Lesseps aren’t the only Bravo stars coming to Cohen’s defense. Lisa Vanderpump also shared that she believed that McSweeney’s lawsuit was “bulls–t.”
“I know Andy Cohen very well. He does his edible or whatever he does, but no, he never does [cocaine]. I’ve seen others do it but not him, that’s for sure,” Vanderpump, 63, told TMZ in February. “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.”