Brandi Glanville — a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Ultimate Girls Trip” — has accused Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” host and “Real Housewives” executive producer Andy Cohen of sexual harassment in a lengthy letter from her legal representation.
Glanville sent a letter from her lawyer Bryan Freedman to NBCUniversal, Shed Media and Shed’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, claiming that an “inebriated” Cohen sent her a video message stating of “his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via Facetime.”
More from Variety
The letter continues stating that Glanville felt both “trapped” and “disgusted” due to the nature of Cohen’s exchange.
Shortly after the letter went public, Cohen released his own statement explaining that the video was “very clearly” a joke to Glanville, and featured former “Below Deck” star Kate Chastain.
“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.”
This letter lands nearly a month after her castmate Caroline Manzo of the yet-to-be-aired reality series “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip,” sued Bravo, NBCU and Shed, alleging that she had been sexually harassed and assaulted by Glanville while filming in Morocco.
Manzo, who previously appeared on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” alleges that Glanville forcibly kissed her and groped her vagina and breasts during taping of an episode.
The suit, filed in state court in New York, also alleges that Bravo and the additional production arms of the network were aware of Glanville’s past improper conduct but hired her anyway to juice the ratings on their new reality series.
In the letter of Feb. 22, Freedman writes that in Manzo’s suit, Glanville has been “subjected to a vicious media campaign based on false allegations of sexual misconduct. The false narrative, which NBC and Shed Media have apparently decided to foment, arises from Ms. Glanville’s experience on ‘Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco.’”
Describing Manzo’s allegations as “character assassination” which have lead to “financial ruin” for Glanville, her representation places the blame on both NBC and Shed Media stating that they are, “Deliberately refashioning a series of intimate moments between two consenting adults into a #MeToo scenario. This is a transparent attempt to cut ties with Ms. Glanville in a manner intended to deny her recourse, discredit her, and ward off damaging revelations that Ms. Glanville is uniquely positioned to reveal.”
The letter also indicates that the firm has an ongoing investigation into the production process of reality TV. “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. Her story — one of thousands we have heard in the course of our investigation into the practices of the reality television industry — is part and parcel of the Reality Reckoning.”
The letter was sent in hopes of preserving evidence for Glanville, “since our client is asserting rights that may result in litigation.” The notice of duty directed the letter’s recipients to “take immediate steps to preserve all existing documents and data relevant to Ms. Glanville’s claims against NBC, Warner Bros., Shed Media, and/or Caroline Manzo to prevent the overwriting or any other possible destruction of relevant documents and data.” This includes all electronic correspondence and communications between the listed parties in the letter along with all audio and video from production on “Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco.”
A spokesperson for NBCU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
