Andy Cohen responds after being accused of sexual harassment by Real Housewives star

Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live host and Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen has been accused of sexual harassment by former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Brandi Glanville.

Glanville, 51, who appeared on several seasons of RHOBH and seasons two and five of its spin-off Ultimate Girls Trip, made the allegations in a letter sent by her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, to Bravo’s parent company NBCUniversal, Shed Media and Shed’s parent company Warner Bros Discovery.

In the letter, according to Variety, Glanville claims that an “inebriated” Cohen sent her an inappropriate video message in 2022 stating “his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via Facetime”.

The letter adds that she felt both “trapped” and “disgusted” by Cohen’s “extraordinary abuse of power”.

Hours after the letter went public, Cohen tweeted his own statement.

“The video shows [Below Deck’s] 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,” he wrote.

“That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologise.”

Glanville’s legal team responded to Cohen’s statement in a letter shared with The Daily Beast.

“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,” they said.

“If it was such a known joke then why did he apologise? 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.”

Comparing the situation to former NBC news anchor Matt Lauer, who was fired in 2017 over sexual harassment claims, the statement adds: “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.”

The Independent has contacted NBCUniversal and Cohen’s representative for comment.

While Cohen stepped down from his role as Bravo’s executive vice president of original programming and development in 2013, he still serves as an executive producer for the network’s Real Housewives franchise.