Last fall, Vanity Fair published what was supposed to be a scathing exposé on the Real Housewife franchises, with dirty details about how producers have always encouraged fighting, drama, racism, alcohol abuse and drug abuse. The exposé landed with a whimper though. My theory is that most Real Housewife fans are tuning in for that exact drama and since everyone involved is an adult who willingly signs up for it, no one cares. Andy Cohen, who produces the franchises, walked away from the VF piece with his career intact and barely a slap on the wrist from Bravo. But… this new story is the kind of thing which might actually lead to something.

So, remember Brandi Glanville? Used to be married to Eddie Cibrian until LeAnn Rimes “stole” him (and LeAnn promptly started Single-White-Female-ing everything about Brandi). Brandi needed money in the wake of her divorce, so she turned to reality stardom. She did a stint on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, among other reality shows. Well, she’s now threatening to sue Andy Cohen, NBC and Warner Bros:

Brandi Glanville is accusing Bravo head honcho Andy Cohen of sexually harassing her, according to a scathing letter her attorneys sent NBC, Shed Media and Warner Bros. and obtained by Page Six. The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum, 51, claims the “Watch What Happens Live” host, 55, allegedly sent her a video in 2022, in which he appeared “obviously inebriated.”

Cohen allegedly “boasted” in the clip that he wanted to “sleep with another Bravo star” while “thinking” of Glanville, per the letter, and allegedly invited the former “Housewife” to watch him engage in the sexual act via FaceTime. The identity of the reality star that the father of two allegedly wanted to hook up with was not disclosed.

“Mr. Cohen was Ms. Glanville’s boss at the time and exercised complete and total control over her career,” the letter further states. “This was an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted. 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.”

Not many Bravo stars have publicly spoken out against Cohen and it appears none have come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment in the past. However, “Real Housewives of New York City” alum Bethenny Frankel has been at the forefront of a “reality TV reckoning” at Bravo and has accused her former boss of belittling racism at the network.

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Nene Leakes also previously sued Bravo, claiming she was discriminated against because of the color of her skin — but then withdrew the suit.

[From Page Six]

Yeah, the dominos will really begin to fall once the first person proves in court (or in an out-of-court settlement) that Cohen and Real Housewife producers have created a hostile work environment. I think Glanville is on to something here and, by the way, I believe her. I absolutely believe that Cohen regularly “crosses lines” with the housewives and that he feels that he can say and do outrageous things and it’s not sexual harassment.

PS… While this is the first time a Housewife (or adjacent-Housewife) has threatened to sue Cohen specifically for sexual harassment, NBC is actually being sued by Caroline Manzo because she claims Brandi Glanville sexually harassed her, during a filmed “girls’ trip” in which producers encouraged the women to harass each other.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.