Vanity Fair Releasing ‘Deeply Reported’ Investigation Into Bravo and Real Housewives

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https://www.realitytea.com/2023/10/1...al-housewives/

2023 has not been the best year for Bravo. Amid Hollywood’s writers’ and actors’ strikes, many called into question the treatment of reality TV stars. Since Bravo is one of the world’s biggest reality distributors, critics shined a light on the company in particular.

Even after the buzz around the strikes died down a bit, Bravo was still taking the brunt of criticism from media commentators. It didn’t help that Bethenny Frankel seemed so persistent in her reality reckoning. Also targeting her former employer, with Andy Cohen catching a lot of the heat.

Recently, Bravo did release an update to its safety guidelines, among other policies. Unfortunately for the production company, that wasn’t enough to quell the critics. Now, Bravo might have an upcoming PR disaster on its hands.

On October 19, Page Six reported that Vanity Fair has been putting together an investigation into the Real Housewives franchises for the better part of half a year. The piece is slated to be released in the coming weeks. Sources say a VF reporter has spent about six months interviewing cast members and others with ties to the Real Housewives properties.

Reportedly, the piece will expound on the demands Bravo places on their Housewives—their schedules, privacy, images, mental health, and relationships with alcohol. One insider close to VF shared, “[The journalist] is really going deep into what the women go through and what’s expected of them as members of the cast and members of the ‘Bravo family.’”

The source further opined, “I think it’s going to explain a lot that fans don’t really see or understand about how it really works.” The report will allegedly tackle the control that Bravo stars feel they have over their lives, as well as Bravo’s protocols for addressing issues with their stars’ well-being. Some sources say Bravo execs are nervous, though others disagree.

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Leah McSweeney sues Bravo and Andy Cohen

Leah McSweeney has accused Bravo, Real Housewives producers, and Andy Cohen of exacerbating and failing to accommodate her struggles with drinking and mental health disorders during her time as a “Housewife.”

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Andy Cohen fires back Leah McSweeney, calling her lawsuit “false, offensive and defamatory"

On Feb. 27, former Real Housewives of New York star McSweeney filed a complaint against Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal, alleging that Cohen fostered a “rotted workplace culture,” as she told the New York Times. McSweeney also alleged that the executive producer had “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.” In response, Cohen sent a letter to McSweeney's attorneys saying “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.”