By Mia Hammel
The Real Housewives franchise on Bravo is one of America’s favorite pastimes, providing audiences with escapism and mindless television. Each series within the franchise features a group of prominent, affluent women residing in a specific geographical location. Although these women are dubbed “Housewives,” they are anything but that. Many are entrepreneurs and businesswomen who have parlayed their airtime to create a name for themselves. But besides the glitz and glamour, the aspect of the franchise that most viewers eagerly anticipate is the drama. The rivalries between cast members coupled with heavy alcohol consumption makes for salacious reality television. The drama ranges from petty fights (for example, the “Pantygate” feud between Dorit Kemsley and Erika Jayne[1]) to controversies that hit home (such as Camille Grammer’s disclosure of the domestic violence in Taylor Armstrong’s marriage[2]).
However, the very drama that the viewers love proves to be a double-edged sword for Bravo. Multiple allegations from The Real Housewives cast members assert that Bravo fosters an environment fraught with sexual harassment, retaliation, and sex and gender discrimination; and that Bravo prioritizes ratings and profits over the safety and wellbeing of its cast members.[3] On January 26, 2024, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip (“RHUGT”) star Caroline Manzo filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of New York against Bravo Media LLC, Peacock TV LLC, and NBCUniversal Media, LLC.[4] The complaint alleges that while filming Season 4 of RHUGT, Bravo production condoned and even encouraged Brandi Glanville – Manzo’s co-star – to engage in sexually offensive and harassing behavior toward Manzo.[5]
Glanville had appeared on prior seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, during which she had occasionally engaged in physically aggressive behaviors – such as slapping and pushing co-stars Lisa Vanderpump[6] and Kyle Richards,[7] respectively – especially when she was intoxicated. Manzo’s complaint alleges that despite its awareness of Glanville’s prior conduct, Bravo continued to wrongfully hire Glanville and induce her to over-consume alcohol so that she could engage in outrageous behavior for viewer entertainment.[8] Manzo specifically alleges that while she was on-set for RHUGT, she was sitting on a couch when an intoxicated Glanville mounted her, forcibly kissed her lips, and touched her inner thigh.[9] The complaint further contends that Glanville followed Manzo into a bathroom, came behind Manzo, groped Manzo, and forced her body against Manzo’s.[10] Manzo claims that Bravo production listened to the entire interaction and even sent one of its staff members to go to the bathroom door to investigate, but that no one opened the door and intervened despite Manzo’s yells for help.[11] According to Manzo’s complaint, Bravo was ultimately concerned with filming Manzo during the aftermath of her encounter with Glanville in order to “profit from the ‘entertainment’ of Manzo’s sexual assault experience.”[12]
Furthermore, on February 27, 2024, The Real Housewives of New York City (“RHONY”) star Leah McSweeney filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Bravo Media LLC, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, and Andy Cohen (The Real Housewives executive producer).[13] The complaint alleges that Bravo production engaged in unlawful employment practices including disability discrimination, retaliation, sex and gender discrimination, and the perpetration of a hostile work environment.[14]
McSweeney claims that in her initial casting tape for RHONY, she disclosed her mental health diagnoses, discussed her alcohol use disorder, and revealed that she had recently relapsed after maintaining her sobriety for nine years.[15] According to McSweeney, instead of reasonably accommodating her disability, Bravo production pressured her to over-consume alcohol and placed her in situations that ultimately triggered another relapse and exacerbated her mental health disorders.[16] McSweeney contends that Bravo sets were replete with “unlimited supplies of alcohol.”[17] One particular episode featured McSweeney in an inebriated state during which she stripped naked, jumped in a pool, and hurled a lit tiki torch.[18] The episode was named “Hurricane Leah” and ultimately became the highest-rated episode on Season 12 of RHONY.[19]
Bravo production also created an episode titled “Leah’s Best Moments,” which, according to McSweeney’s complaint, was a highlight reel of McSweeney’s relapse.[20] Bravo allegedly forced McSweeney to narrate this episode and comment on its supposed “hilarity.”[21] McSweeney further alleges that Bravo production retaliated against her when she refused to consume alcohol during Season 13, and that production informed her that her alcohol consumption increased her popularity among viewers.[22] The court held that McSweeney’s complaint successfully alleged a hostile work environment and a failure to provide reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York City Human Rights Law, and the New York State Human Rights Law.[23] However, the court also held that the defendants had a First Amendment right to portray the over-consumption of alcohol and to determine that their vision could be optimally conveyed through authentic portrayals of its cast members’ lives rather than through scripted scenes.[24]
Although Bravo’s entertainment is rooted in the outrageous behaviors of some of society’s most affluent women, the line between amusement and exploitation is a blurry one. On the one hand, Bravo should prioritize its cast members’ safety and wellbeing over its ratings and profits. On the other hand, Bravo cast members presumably join the franchise with the understanding that reality television is exploitative in nature and that they “should have known what they were getting into.” Perhaps these lawsuits will teach Bravo to implement better workplace policies and to train its production to spot mental health issues and sexually offensive situations. At the very least, they may teach Bravo to reconsider casting the Brandi Glanville’s and Leah McSweeney’s of reality television.
[1] Alaina Urquhart-White, A Timeline Of The Pantygate Feud On ‘RHOBH’, Bustle (Mar. 28, 2017), https://www.bustle.com/p/what-is-pantygate-a-timeline-of-the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-feud-that-just-wont-go-away-47379.
[2] Corinne Johnson, Top 10 Real Housewives Fights of All-Time, Collider (Dec. 30, 2023), https://collider.com/top-10-real-housewives-fights/.
[3] Complaint at 1, Manzo v. Bravo Media LLC, 2024 WL 413767 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2024) (No. 150757/2024).
[4] Id.
[5] Id. at 3; 9.
[6] Laura Rosenfeld, Brandi Slapped Lisa V. On ‘RHOBH’, Bustle (Mar. 10, 2015), https://www.bustle.com/articles/69063-brandi-glanville-slapped-lisa-vanderpump-on-the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-her-reaction-was.
[7] Virnelli Mercader, ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Season 5: Episode 11 ‘It’s Just a Scratch’ Recap, The Christian Post (Feb. 3, 2015), https://www.christianpost.com/news/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-season-5-episode-11-its-just-a-scratch-recap.html.
[8] Complaint at 3, Manzo v. Bravo Media LLC, 2024 WL 413767 (N.Y.Sup. 2024) (No. 150757/2024).
[9] Id. at 10.
[10] Id. at 11.
[11] Id.
[12] Id. at 13.
[13] Complaint at 1, McSweeney v. Cohen, 2024 WL 3460985 (S.D.N.Y. 2024) (No. 24-cv-1503).
[14] Id. at 3.
[15] Id. at 11.
[16] Id. at 12.
[17] Id. at 10.
[18] Id. at 16; Sophia Caraballo Pineiro, ‘I DON’T GIVE A F**K’ RHONY’S wild newbie Leah McSweeney strips naked, hurls a lit tiki torch and jumps in the pool after drowning vodka, The Sun (Apr. 17, 2020, at 14:47), https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/11420790/rhony-leah-mcsweeny-strips-skinny-dipping-drinking/.
[19] Complaint at 15, McSweeney v. Cohen, 2024 WL 3460985 (S.D.N.Y. 2024) (No. 24-cv-1503).
[20] Id. at 16.
[21] Id.
[22] Id. at 23.
[23] McSweeney v. Cohen, 776 F. Supp. 3d 200, 247; 251 (S.D.N.Y. 2025).
[24] Id. at 244.
