‘Real Housewives’ Defend Andy Cohen Against Leah McSweeney’s ‘Disgusting’ Cocaine Claims

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | March 1, 2024 |

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | March 1, 2024 |

Former Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney sued Bravo and Andy Cohen this week, alleging they “intentionally preyed on her alcohol problem in a cynical attempt to turn her suffering into record ratings.” She and her lawyers did not mince words in the lawsuit, besmirching Cohen’s name and claiming he parties with his favorite Real Housewives and snorts cocaine. Now, some of those favorites are speaking out.

“I just want to also say about the cocaine allegations, Andy has never offered me cocaine. I am friends with every ‘Housewife.’ He has never offered any ‘Housewife’ cocaine,” said Margaret Josephs of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. “Those allegations are nothing but to assassinate his character and that is disgusting. I’ve never seen Andy do anything like that, so I am appalled that someone would go so low to assassinate and target someone’s character in that way.”

These are questionable statements coming from Josephs for two reasons: they assume she’s one of Cohen’s favorites, which I highly doubt because she lives in Jersey and she doesn’t drink (and never has as long as she’s been on the show)—so when would they even hang out, and when would she have been in a situation with Cohen where he might have done cocaine?—and she’s not even friends with every housewife in her cast, so she can’t possibly be friends with “every” housewife.

Kyle Richards, who I would believe is one of Cohen’s favorites based on sheer seniority, said, “I’ve never seen Andy do drugs, offer drugs or do anything inappropriate ever, ever. And I’m one of the closer ones to Andy.” She also said he maintains a professional distance between himself and the Housewives.

“There’s a reason he doesn’t follow any of them on Instagram. He likes to keep somewhat of a distance from all of them. He’s professional. That’s been my experience.”

I see Richards as a more reliable source on the preying on alcoholism part because she famously gave up drinking in the last year. Before that, we knew her as the gal who did the splits on the dance floor after one skinny margarita. She said she “felt very supported” by Cohen and the network when she went sober.

“We’ve never been made to feel like we have to drink, never not one time,” she said.

Will this be the thing that finally takes down Andy Cohen? I doubt it.