Andy Cohen apologizes, denies sexually harassing Brandi Glanville in 2022 video call

Andy Cohen is apologizing after Brandi Glanville accused him of sexual harassment.

The former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star made the accusation in a letter on Thursday issued to Bravo's parent company, NBCUniversal, which claims Cohen sent her an inappropriate video in 2022.

"In a video sent by Mr. Cohen to Ms. Glanville in 2022, Mr. Cohen — appearing obviously inebriated — boasted of his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via Facetime," reads the letter, obtained by USA TODAY.

The letter, issued by Glanville's attorney's via email, was also sent to Warner Bros. Discovery and Shed Media.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY Friday, Glanville's attorney Bryan Freedman accused the companies addressed in the letter and the wider reality television industry of "abusive practices."

The letter called the alleged incident an "abuse of power" as Cohen is Glanville's boss and "exercised complete and total control over her career" and left her "feeling trapped and disgusted."

On Friday, Cohen responded to the letter via X, formerly Twitter, claiming the video was "clearly" a joke between he, Glanville and "Below Deck" star Kate Chastain.

"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," he wrote. "That said, it was totally inappropriate and I apologize."

Cohen is the longtime executive producer of Bravo's "The Real Housewives" franchise and host of its reunions, as well as the host of the network's late night talk show "Watch What Happens Live!"

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Glanville appeared on "RHOBH" from 2011 to 2016 and 2019 to 2020. She also appeared on Season 2 and the upcoming Season 5 of "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip."

Cohen "remains in his post in spite of this behavior," the letter says, and compares the video to NBC's handling of accusations against Matt Lauer in 2017, "when profits were prioritized over people."

Mark Geragos, Glanville's other attorney, and Freedman claim to "have heard from thousands of current and former cast members on reality shows about the physical and emotional harm inflicted on them by virtue of their participation. NBC, Bravo, Warner Bros., and Shed Media intentionally obscure their legal rights, bind them to illegal contracts, and knowingly cause them to suffer in silence."

The statement continues: "We know there are untold numbers of innocent victims who have yet to tell their stories or seek legal redress. We encourage all of them to contact us and join our growing team as we fight for change in this sordid industry."

USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Cohen for comment. Warner Bros. Discovery, Shed Media and NBCUniversal declined to comment.

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Brandi Glanville's claim follows Caroline Manzo's harassment accusation against her

The letter was written in response to accusations of sexual assault made against Glanville.

The reality star accused NBCUniversal and its affiliate companies of taking advantage of her and "standing idly by" as her character and livelihood are put into question.

A lawsuit filed by Caroline Manzo against Bravo, the producers of "Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," last month alleged an incident involving sexual harassment by Glanville, her former co-star.

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The former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court on Jan. 26 alleging that "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" breakout Glanville sexually assaulted and harassed Manzo while filming an upcoming season of "Ultimate Girls Trip" in Morocco in January 2023, according to a legal filing obtained by USA TODAY.

"NBC and Shed Media are deliberately refashioning a series of intimate moments between two consenting adults into a #MeToo scenario," the letter states, later accusing the companies of refusing to provide Glanville with video and audio recordings in an attempt to refute the allegations against her.

Manzo accused the show's producers of hiring Glanville as a cast member despite "overwhelming prior notice of Ms. Glanville's prior deviant sexual proclivities and sexually harassing conduct."

The lawsuit alleged that Glanville kissed Manzo multiple times without her consent, which made the former New Jersey Housewife “uncomfortable," as they were filming. The "Manzo’d with Children" matriarch said that, after the initial kissing incident, Granville mounted Manzo on the couch and held her body down before forcibly kissing and humping her.

The lawsuit similarly named Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal as defendants.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY last month, a representative for Glanville said: "Sadly, Brandi had to wake up to yet another lawsuit that includes defamatory, false accusations about her. While filming, Brandi followed what the producers asked of her, and there was no sexual assault."

The statement continued, "She is innocent of these absurd accusations that have weighed on her mental and physical health for far too long without a word of support from Peacock, Shed (Media) or Bravo. This painful storytelling seems endless and needs to stop. She is looking to move on and upward and get her life back."

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE & online.rainn.org).

Contributing: Jay Stahl and KiMi Robinson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'RHOBH': Andy Cohen apologizes after Brandi Glanville harassment claim