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Former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Brandi Glanville has accused “Watch What Happens Live” host and “Real Housewives” executive producer Andy Cohen of sexual harassment.
Glanville, 51, made the claims in a letter his lawyers sent Thursday to NBCUniversal, Shed Media and Shed’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Glanville said that in 2022, Cohen sent her a video bragging about “his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night.” The letter alleged that Cohen appeared intoxicated and invited her to watch via FaceTime.
Cohen, 55, said the comment was a joke but apologized to Glanville.
As executive producer of “Real Housewives,” Cohen was Glanville’s boss, the letter said. He accused Cohen of abusing his power and leaving Glanville “feeling trapped and upset.”
In his response to Glanville, Cohen wrote that he and former “Below Deck” star Kate Chastain had made a prank and that Glanville was involved.
“The video shows Kate Chastain and I very clearly joking around with Brandi,” Cohen. saying Thursday in a post on X. “It was absolutely a joke, and Brandi’s response clearly communicated that she was in on the joke. That being said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize.”
Shed Media and Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment. NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News and Bravo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The letter also addressed claims Caroline Manzo made in a lawsuit alleging that she was harassed and sexually assaulted by Glanville while filming “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” in Morocco in January 2023. The season of the show has not aired on television.
Manzo, 62, who starred on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” alleged in a lawsuit filed in January that an “intoxicated” Glanville groped and kissed an unwilling Manzo at a bar. He also accused Glanville of kissing Manzo on a couch and following her to a bathroom where Glanville allegedly groped Manzo.
Glanville said in her letter that Manzo’s accusations were “murder” and that the two had engaged in “dirty dancing, flirting and playful touching” and that they “shared a couple of kisses.” Glanville also said Manzo took her to the bathroom so they could wash their hands and that they were accompanied by two other co-stars.
NBC News reached out to representatives for Manzo.
The letter blamed Shed Media and NBC for “deliberately recasting a series of intimate moments between two consenting adults into a #MeToo scenario.”
“This is a transparent attempt to sever ties with Ms. Glanville in a manner intended to deny her recourse, discredit her, and prevent damaging disclosures that Ms. Glanville is uniquely positioned to reveal,” the letter said.
Glanville also accused NBC and Shed Media of attempting to “bolster their allegations of sexual misconduct” against Glanville by “deliberately misinterpreting an interaction” between her and a production executive named Shawn Loesser.
The letter alleged that her relationship with Loesser was “characterized by mutual flirtation” and that Ms. Glanville’s “attempt to reframe a single interaction of this nature as sexual harassment is incredible.”
Loesser could not be reached at the phone numbers listed for him.
Attorneys Bryan J. Freedman and Mark Geragos, who represent Glanville, said her allegations are “yet another example of the abusive practices of the reality television industry” and encouraged others to come forward.
“Mark Geragos and I have heard from thousands of current and former reality TV cast members about the physical and emotional harm inflicted on them by virtue of their participation,” they said in a joint statement. “We know there are untold numbers of innocent victims who have yet to tell their stories or seek legal redress.”
The reality star and legal team are threatening legal action and have requested that NBC, Shed Media and Warner Bros. retain all documentation related to their claims.