Bravo Star Fires Back: ‘Why Is Andy Cohen Getting a Pass?’
Brandi Glanville isn’t ready to make nice with Andy Cohen. Just hours after Cohen’s public apology to the Real Housewives alum—who yesterday accused him of sexual harassment—Glanville’s legal team has doubled down, ripping the Bravo host’s “abusive and harassing” behavior in a statement sent exclusively to The Daily Beast.
“Any boss, clearly inebriated that contacts their employee by facetime video and invites the employee to watch the employee’s boss to have sex with another employee constitutes sexual harassment plain and simple under any definition of sexual harassment as defined by NBC,” Glanville’s lawyer Bryan Freedman wrote.
“Why is Andy Cohen getting a pass? Any other supervisor at Comcast who did that would be fired on the spot especially if the excuse was that this was a joke,” the statement continues. “If it was such a known joke then why did he apologize? Because he knows he is in a position of power to control where and how much she works so he can do what he wants and behave in a fashion that is abusive and harassing.”
Andy Cohen Responds to ‘RHOBH’ Star’s Sexual Harassment Allegations
The statement ends with Glanville’s attorney comparing Cohen to ousted NBC News anchor Matt Lauer, who was fired in 2017 over sexual harassment claims.
“Has NBC learned nothing from the cover up at NBC News? Here we go again with the protection of those in power. Does Andy Cohen make too much money for Bravo to fire? That is the message Comcast is sending. Mr. Roberts [Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts], it’s time to step in and do the right thing. The only thing worse than his excuse is saying it’s okay because he thought it was a joke.”
Reps for Glanville and Shed Media declined to comment. Cohen, Warner Bros, and NBCUniversal could not immediately be reached for comment.
Glanville’s accusations against Cohen surfaced on Thursday when Page Six obtained a letter sent by her attorneys to NBC, Shed Media, and Warner Bros. In it, Glanville alleges that an “obviously inebriated” Cohen sent her a video in 2022 in which he “boasted” that he wanted to “sleep with another Bravo star” and invited her to watch via FaceTime.
“This was an extraordinary abuse of power that left Ms. Glanville feeling trapped and disgusted,” the letter states.
Cohen publicly responded to the accusations on Thursday evening, tweeting that he was “very clearly joking” in the video, which he said he filmed alongside former Below Deck star and The Traitors contestant Kate Chastain.
“It was absolutely meant in jest, and Brandi’s response clearly communicated she was in on the joke,” he tweeted. Still, he apologized for the “totally inappropriate” display, before resuming his normal Twitter activities and soliciting questions for Watch What Happens Live guests.
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
Although Cohen stepped down as Bravo’s executive vice president of original programming and development in 2013, he has continued to serve as a figurehead and executive producer on the Real Housewives franchise, while also hosting Watch What Happens Live and various Bravo reunion shows.
Once a Bravo darling, Glanville has faced a rocky few years with the network and its parent company. She has been accused of sexual assault by Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Morocco costar Caroline Manzo, who is currently suing Bravo, leaving the unaired series in limbo. Meanwhile, Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club star Marco Vega, who served as the butler on the series, has also accused Glanville and co-star Phaedra Parks of sexual assault.
Glanville has vehemently denied all the claims against her. She was asked not to attend the reunion for The Traitors Season 1, filmed shortly after Manzo’s allegations surfaced early last year, and has since had no affiliation with any Bravo or Peacock series.
Freedman, too, has faced allegations of sexual assault. The celebrity lawyer, who has also represented Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon, and Kevin Spacey, was accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl while he was a college student, which led to him paying a $40,000 settlement in 1991, Business Insider first reported.
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