Andy Cohen Slams Cocaine Allegations from Real Housewife

Andy Cohen is demanding a retraction and an “apology” from Real Housewives of New York City alum Leah McSweeney, claiming in a new letter from his lawyer that her recent lawsuit accusing him of cocaine use with cast members is “baseless” and a “shakedown.”

“While virtually every statement about Mr. Cohen contained in the complaint is false and will be proven so if this baseless lawsuit proceeds, we demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported ‘cocaine use,’ including but not limited to the allegation that Mr. Cohen ‘engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” the letter obtained by Rolling Stone states.

“These allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee,” the letter continues. “We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen.”

The letter, dated March 6, was sent to McSweeney’s lawyer, Sarah Matz. In a reply statement, Matz accused Cohen’s camp of trying to “intimidate” her client.

“That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising,” Matz said. “Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen’s attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney.”

McSweeney filed her bombshell lawsuit last month in federal court in Manhattan. She alleged Bravo, Real Housewives producers, and Cohen failed to accommodate – and even knowingly exacerbated – her struggles with sobriety, depression, and bipolar disorder during her time as a “Housewife” between 2019 and 2023. She claimed in the filing that the defendants “colluded with her colleagues to pressure McSweeney to drink, retaliated against her 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.”

The massive 109-page complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, alleged Cohen had a “proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees” and “tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits.

“Upon information and belief, Defendant Cohen intentionally uses cocaine with his employees to further promote a workplace culture that thrives off drug and alcohol abuse, which leads to a failure to accommodate employees who are disabled and attempting to remain substance free,” the lawsuit claimed.

In the new letter demanding the retraction, Cohen’s lawyer, Orin Snyder, says the lawsuit fails to include any “reasonable basis” for the cocaine claim. “While proclaimed as facts, these allegations are missing every detail, including the who, where, and when. That is because you know that no such details exist.” He says the allegations were fabricated “as leverage to force an unjustified settlement.”

McSweeney’s lawsuit is part of a stream of new lawsuits alleging exploitative working conditions on reality shows. Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss filed an invasion of privacy lawsuit last week against fellow cast members Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix and said producers at Bravo “deliberately fomented” the alleged misconduct. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo also filed a civil suit recently, while last year, Bethenny Frankel headlined a letter that accused NBCUniversal of “a pattern and practice of grotesque and depraved mistreatment.”

Andy Cohen is demanding a retraction and an “apology” from Real Housewives of New York City alum Leah McSweeney, claiming in a new letter from his lawyer that her recent lawsuit accusing him of cocaine use with cast members is “baseless” and a “shakedown.”

“While virtually every statement about Mr. Cohen contained in the complaint is false and will be proven so if this baseless lawsuit proceeds, we demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported ‘cocaine use,’ including but not limited to the allegation that Mr. Cohen ‘engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” the letter obtained by Rolling Stone states.

“These allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee,” the letter continues. “We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen.”

The letter, dated March 6, was sent to McSweeney’s lawyer, Sarah Matz. In a reply statement, Matz accused Cohen’s camp of trying to “intimidate” her client.

“That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising,” Matz said. “Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen’s attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney.”

McSweeney filed her bombshell lawsuit last month in federal court in Manhattan. She alleged Bravo, Real Housewives producers, and Cohen failed to accommodate – and even knowingly exacerbated – her struggles with sobriety, depression, and bipolar disorder during her time as a “Housewife” between 2019 and 2023. She claimed in the filing that the defendants “colluded with her colleagues to pressure McSweeney to drink, retaliated against her 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.”

The massive 109-page complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, alleged Cohen had a “proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees” and “tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits.

“Upon information and belief, Defendant Cohen intentionally uses cocaine with his employees to further promote a workplace culture that thrives off drug and alcohol abuse, which leads to a failure to accommodate employees who are disabled and attempting to remain substance free,” the lawsuit claimed.

In the new letter demanding the retraction, Cohen’s lawyer, Orin Snyder, says the lawsuit fails to include any “reasonable basis” for the cocaine claim. “While proclaimed as facts, these allegations are missing every detail, including the who, where, and when. That is because you know that no such details exist.” He says the allegations were fabricated “as leverage to force an unjustified settlement.”

McSweeney’s lawsuit is part of a stream of new lawsuits alleging exploitative working conditions on reality shows. Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss filed an invasion of privacy lawsuit last week against fellow cast members Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix and said producers at Bravo “deliberately fomented” the alleged misconduct. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo also filed a civil suit recently, while last year, Bethenny Frankel headlined a letter that accused NBCUniversal of “a pattern and practice of grotesque and depraved mistreatment.”