Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Brandi Glanville has reportedly accused Bravo’s Andy Cohen of sexual harassment, according to Page Six.
On Thursday, the outlet reported that it had obtained a letter sent by Glanville’s attorneys to NBCUniversal, Shed Media, and Warner Bros, threatening a potential lawsuit. The Cut also received an email copy of the letter, in which Glanville’s lawyers allege that the Watch What Happens Live host sent her a video in 2022 “boast[ing] of his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via Facetime.” The letter, which claims Glanville was a “victim of sexual harassment at Bravo” due to the incident, also alleges that Cohen appeared “obviously inebriated” at the time.
“Mr. Cohen was Ms. Glanville’s boss at the time and exercised complete and total control over her career. This was an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted,” the letter, sent from lawyers Bryan J. Freedman and Mark Geragos on Glanville’s behalf, reads. “It is inconceivable that Mr. Cohen remains in his post in spite of this behavior and harkens back to the bad old days of Matt Lauer and NBC News when profits were prioritized over people.”
When reached for comment, representatives from NBCUniversal pointed the Cut to a tweet from Cohen posted on Thursday night, referencing a joke between himself and Kate Chastain, a castmate from Bravo’s Below Deck,along with its new competition series The Traitors. (We have also reached out to Cohen’s personal representatives, Shed Media, and Warner Bros, and will update this story if we hear back.)
“The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking to Brandi,” Cohen wrote. “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.”
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.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) February 23, 2024
When approached for further information, Glanville’s lawyers sent the Cut the following statement on her behalf:
“This is yet another example of the abusive practices of the reality TV industry. Mark Geragos and I have heard from thousands of current and former cast members on reality shows about the physical and emotional harm inflicted on them by virtue of their participation. NBC, Bravo, Warner Bros., and Shed Media intentionally obscure their legal rights, bind them to illegal contracts, and knowingly cause them to suffer in silence. We know there are untold numbers of innocent victims who have yet to tell their stories or seek legal redress. We encourage all of them to contact us and join our growing team as we fight for change in this sordid industry.”
The letter, according to Glanville’s lawyers, was prompted by a lawsuit filed by former The Real Housewives of New Jersey castmate Caroline Manzo in January. Manzo sued Bravo earlier this year over allegations of sexual harassment that allegedly took place on an upcoming season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco. The lawsuit, which was filed in New York and obtained by Variety, includes allegations that fellow cast member Glanville forcibly kissed Manzo, groped her, and held her down on a couch. In Glanville’s Thursday letter, her attorneys claim that there “is no truth to any allegations of impropriety,” and alleged that the show’s production team encouraged Glanville’s behavior by making it “crystal clear to the cast that they were there to make good TV.”
“Over the past year, Ms. Glanville has been subjected to a vicious media campaign based on false allegations of sexual misconduct,” Glanville’s lawyers wrote. “Indeed, Ms. Glanville has long been taken advantage of by the institutions with which she is indelibly tied personally, professionally, financially, and in the public mind.”
For now, Glanvill’s team appears set on keeping the pressure on the network, without letting up anytime soon.
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Emily Leibert , 2024-02-23 01:48:15
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