It’s big business being Andy Cohen.
The King of Bravo has built an estimated $30 million empire, mainly on being the face of the “Real Housewives” brand and merrily doing shots with A-listers on his talk show.
He’s won an Emmy and two Peabodies for his work, continues to be the executive producer on all 11 “Real Housewives” franchises and hosts “Watch What Happens Live” five nights a week — all with a knowing twinkle in his eye. He is proud to be the first openly gay host of an American late-night talk show.
But is Cohen’s empire crumbling?
Over the past year, the 55-year-old and the network where he made his name have been rocked by a string of scandals surrounding the “Housewives” brand, prompting Cohen to take advice from one of NYC’s top crisis experts. (Sources close to Cohen are quick to say that he has not hired the expert.)
Accusers claim that Cohen manipulates cast members as a means of control.
Just this week, exclusively revealed that former “Real Housewives of New York City” star Leah McSweeney, 41, is suing Cohen and Bravo for allegedly preying on her alcoholism during filming, in order to fuel drama among the cast.
Her bombshell lawsuit also claimed that Cohen, a dad-of-two, snorts cocaine with a coterie of Housewives: “In fact,” claim the papers filed in the Southern District of New York, “Cohen tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and [makes them appear more agreeably in] edits [of their shows].”
“How does someone yield so much power at a network?” asked Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman, who is working with many former “Housewives” stars. Among them is “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Brandi Glanville, who last month accused Cohen of sexually harassing her.
“Andy Cohen operates with a carrot-and-stick approach,” Freedman claimed to . “Brandi is a great example of this….
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