EXCLUSIVERHONY's Heather Thomson DEFENDS Andy Cohen against Leah McSweeney lawsuit: 'I was never pushed'
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The Real Housewives of New York City alum Heather Thomson has weighed in on Leah McSweeney's discrimination lawsuit against Andy Cohen, Bravo and Shed Media.
Heather, 54, was a friend of the show in season 13, the last season of RHONY before the show was rebooted with a whole new cast, joining Leah, Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and Eboni K. Williams.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the reality star spoke about her time on the show with the cast and her thoughts on the now-controversial lawsuit that was filed in February of this year.
When asked if she was surprised with how things unfolded with McSweeney and the network, Heather shared, 'No, I was not. I am saddened.
'I'm very saddened by the turn of events. It wasn't my experience on the show ever to be pushed. I was never pushed, ever.'
The Real Housewives of New York City alum Heather Thomson has weighed in on Leah McSweeney's discrimination lawsuit against Andy Cohen, Bravo and Shed Media (Heather pictured in 2020)
Leah, pictured L in 2021, and Cohen, pictured R in 2023, have been embroiled in legal drama
'The way that whole thing ended was the writing was on the wall a little bit, I think,' she continued, referring to the downfall of season 13.
Heather then revealed that she is siding with Andy Cohen, following in the footsteps of a slew of other Housewives who have previously defended the executive producer, including Luann, Kyle Richards, Melissa Gorga, Cynthia Bailey, Lisa Vanderpump and Guerdy Abraira.
'Yes, I support Andy in this. Definitely,' she quipped, while talking to DailyMail.com on November 14 in New York City.
Heather explained that she and Andy, 56, have remained in touch and have even executive produced some show ideas together in the past. They tried to pitch a show called The Climb – following a group of ladies as they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro – about six or seven years ago, but it never got picked up.
The licensed health and wellness coach, who has her own podcast Health Harmony & Heather, said that she wouldn't have any fears if she and her castmates were ever deposed in the lawsuit and have to take the stand in front of a judge.
'I doubt [the cast would be scared]. I doubt it. I mean, I wouldn't be,' she revealed.
'You know, you tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell what you really saw. I didn't see… They were not holding her back.'
Heather was a full time cast member in seasons 5 through 7 of RHONY and then returned periodically throughout the next few seasons. When she was asked back to be a friend of the cast in season 13, she believed it was to bridge the gap between the OG Housewives and Leah and Eboni.
'Well, I think they brought me back because how they described it to me was to bridge the difference between the younger, new housewives and the OGs. I made sense,' she explained.
Leah pictured on season 13 of RHONY
Heather, pictured L, was a full time cast member in seasons 5 through 7 of RHONY and then returned periodically throughout the next few seasons
'Production felt that I would actually maybe talk to Eboni or hang out with her or Leah more than Luann or one of the other girls would. But I was not a good bridge.'
Heather also thought that her return was the producers 'trying to add more longevity to the show.' At the time, she had 'no idea' that the show would get rebooted and was shocked just as many others to learn that there would be new faces.
In the New York-based lawsuit, McSweeney claimed she had experienced a 'hostile work environment' during her time with the TV franchise, including sex/gender and disability discrimination.
McSweeney further alleged that Bravo was a 'rotted workplace culture that uniquely depended on pressuring its employees to consume alcohol' and that producers 'colluded with her colleagues to pressure Ms. McSweeney to drink.'
McSweeney said the producers did all of this knowing she struggled with an 'alcohol use disorder' and 'retaliated against her when she wanted to stay sober.'
DailyMail.com caught up with Heather as she promoted her Beyond Fresh Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Cleanse
The product recently was released at GNC retailers
Thomson promoted her apple cider cleanse on Instagram
She also accused Cohen in the lawsuit of 'engaging in cocaine use with Housewives that he employs,.
A rep for Cohen told Dailymail.com in February that 'the claims against Andy are completely false' and a letter from Cohen's attorneys obtained by TMZ the following month urged McSweeney to retract her 'categorically false' allegations or face a lawsuit.
Cohen's attorneys have said everything McSweeney claimed in the lawsuit is false and added on the cocaine claim: '[W]e demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported 'cocaine use.'"
'To be clear: these allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee. The absence of any reasonable basis to make such allegations is confirmed by your pleading itself.'
His attorneys point out there are no details included in the allegation and claim McSweeney made the explosive claim 'just to get headlines and a quick payday.'
Three months after the complaint was filed, Cohen filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing, for one, that the network never specifically tried to 'feature inebriated cast members' on the Housewives franchise.
On November 14, McSweeney had appeared in court for the first hearing– the same day DailyMail.com caught up with Heather as she promoted her Beyond Fresh Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Cleanse, which recently was released at GNC retailers.
According to Page Six, the Married to the Mob founder faced off against Andy Cohen's lawyers, including attorney Adam Levin.
They argued that interactions between McSweeney and the producers — even those off-camera — were all part of their attempts to 'craft a message' to the viewers, and are therefore protected by the First Amendment.
McSweeney's lawyer, Sarah Matz, reportedly pushed back saying that 'courts have never said that the limits on free speech stopped at crime.'
McSweeney pictured on a 2021 episode of RHONY
Cohen pictured last month in London
'You are not allowed to breach people's rights simply because you're pointing a camera at them,' Matz said during the hearing. 'There is a difference between "crafting a message" and making a show that you think people will watch.'
The case is still ongoing after the defendants requested discovery in the case be put on hold until the judge has ruled on the motion to dismiss.
In the meantime, new episodes of RHONY season 15 are airing every Tuesday with castmates Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield and Racquel Chevremont.
The ratings have reportedly suffered with the premiere episode, which raked in 312k viewers, becoming the lowest rated episode in the series' history.
'I think change is difficult for people to accept, period. End of story. People don't like change. They don't like things to change,' Heather theorized about the low ratings.
'I did hear one thing that they're a little bit guarded. I think that [producers] want to maybe show women not behaving badly, women supporting [women]. I am not really sure. I'm totally talking out of school because I haven't seen it.
'But I did hear that they were a little bit guarded. And so maybe you're not getting some of the drama, the kind of fun to watch drama that you used to get on the show.'
