Andy Cohen Cleared of Harassment & Substance Allegations in Internal Investigation

This week, Andy Cohen appeared on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter in something of a commemoration for his 15 years as the host of Watch What Happens Live and his illustrious history at Bravo. The story saw him answer to a myriad of things during his time at the network but chief among them was the range of recent allegations—from racism to railing lines with employees—made by former Real Housewives like Eboni Williams, Leah McSweeney, Brandi Glanville, Caroline Manzo, and Bethenny Frankel that prompted an internal investigation.

Cohen—very adeptly—addressed the “reality reckoning,” calling it “hurtful,” while claiming he had no regrets regarding how he’s handled matters. And the network clearly agreed because the probe into the accusations just turned out pretty well for Cohen.

“The outside investigation into the recent allegations made by Brandi Glanville and Leah McSweeney against Andy Cohen has now been completed, and the claims were found to be unsubstantiated,” a spokesperson for the network told THR. Welp, there you have it!

Should you have missed the details of the Housewife allegations, Williams and McSweeney (who were both regulars on the Real Housewives of New York between 2020 and 2021) told Vanity Fair that they encountered racism and a substance relapse that may or may not have been coerced by production, respectively.

McSweeney told the publication that her relapse—culminating in a “major depressive episode” and a hospital stay—was part of a culture of excessive drinking allegedly encouraged by production. According to another unnamed Housewife who spoke to VF, it’s common practice for the cast to keep water bottles filled with clear alcohol on set for the purpose of calming their nerves or for getting a cast member to become “crazy” drunk. That Housewife said she felt producers were hoping for the latter.

Meanwhile, the bulk of Williams’ testimony alleged racial hostility and use of the N-word in conversation—with a Black crew member, no less—from former castmate, Ramona Singer. Williams became the first Black cast member of the New York Housewives in 2021 and said she soon realized there was a race issue amongst the ensemble—all of which were white women of a certain age and tax bracket. Prior to filming Williams’ first and only season, NBCUniversal and Bravo held a virtual education session that covered topics like microaggressions and offensive language for the cast.

As for Glanville and Manzo, the former was accused by the latter of sexual assault during the production of Ultimate Girls Trip in early 2023 in an active lawsuit against Bravo and other NBCUniversal entities.

“Defendants, including Bravo, regularly ply the Real Housewives cast with alcohol, cause them to become severely intoxicated, and then direct, encourage and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members because that is good for ratings,” the filing asserted. “Caroline Manzo is a victim of those harmful actions.” In turn, Glanville accused Cohen of sexual harassment earlier this year after he jested about sleeping with her in 2022. Cohen denied the allegation outright via Twitter: “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. That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize.”

Finally, Frankel—who attempted to start a union for Bravolebrities last summer—provided background context as to the production methods and the culture of the network to VF. “Everybody wants the bag of shit to not be on them at all times,” Frankel said. As for her former castmates: “People I never would have given the time of day—who I judged through this toxic process, and who may not have a past I would normally respect—but who have been tossed away after being used like trash.” She added: “It’s kill or be killed.”

Speaking of! From where I’m standing, it’s looking like any hope of that union is currently in a ditch.