Real Housewives

Andy Cohen está contraatacando a las afirmaciones que hizo Leah McSweeney, pero hay una acusación en particular que tiene al ejecutivo de TV y a sus abogados enfurecidos, tanto que están amenazando con una demanda.

El mandamás de Bravo, que fue demandado por McSweeney junto con la red la semana pasada, envió una carta a Leah a través de sus abogados, donde deja claro que creen que su acusación sobre el consumo de cocaína contra Andy es falsa y difamatoria.

Sus abogados van sin rodeos y dicen que prácticamente todo lo que dijo sobre Cohen en la demanda es infundado y falso, pero sobre la afirmación de cocaína dicen: "[E]xigimos que se retracte inmediatamente y retire todas las acusaciones relacionadas con el supuesto 'consumo de cocaína' del señor Cohen". Si no lo hace, dicen que la llevarán a juicio.

El equipo legal de Andy continúa: "Para ser claros: estas acusaciones son categóricamente falsas. El Sr. Cohen nunca consumió cocaína con ningún miembro del elenco de ningún programa de Real Housewives ni con ningún otro empleado de Bravo. La ausencia de cualquier base razonable para hacer tales alegaciones es confirmada por el propio alegato".

Señalan que no hay detalles incluidos respecto a este alegato, lo que sugeriría que no sabe nada concreto porque simplemente no es cierto. Sus abogados creen que esta imprudente demanda de Leah contra Andy solo busca obtener titulares y potencialmente dinero.

Los abogados de Andy terminan diciendo: "La verdad importa. Los litigios no pueden ser utilizados para crear noticias falsas. Y no puede ser utilizado como un vehículo para difundir mentiras falsas y maliciosas, en apoyo de un chantaje. Exigimos que emita una retractación pública inmediata y pida disculpas al Sr. Cohen. Cada día sin hacerlo no hace sino aumentar los daños sufridos por el Sr. Cohen".

En cuanto a cómo Leah está reaccionando a esta carta, una fuente cercana a ella le dice a TMZ que está atónita de que él quiera seguir llamando la atención sobre esto en la prensa, en lugar de simplemente dejar que se desarrolle en los tribunales.

Andy Cohen is firing back at Leah McSweeney's claims about him -- but one specific allegation has got him and his lawyers fired up ... and they're threatening a lawsuit.

The Bravo honcho -- who was, along with the network, sued by McSweeney in an explosive lawsuit last week -- fired off a letter to Leah through his attorneys ... and they make it crystal clear that they believe her allegation of cocaine use against Andy is false and defamatory.

His lawyers don't mince words, saying virtually everything she said about Cohen in the lawsuit is baseless and false, but on the cocaine claim specifically they write ... "[W]e demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported 'cocaine use.'" If she doesn't, they say they're taking her to court.

Andy's legal team continues ... "To be clear: these allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee. The absence of any reasonable basis to make such allegations is confirmed by your pleading itself."

They point out there are no details included in her allegation here, which they think points to her not knowing anything concrete ... because it's simply not true. Her attorneys say they believe Leah levied this salacious claim against Andy recklessly just to get headlines and potentially a quick payday.

Andy's lawyers end by saying ... "The truth matters. Litigation cannot be used to create fake news. And it cannot be used as a vehicle to spread false and malicious lies, in furtherance of a shakedown. We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen. Every day you fail to do so only increases the damages suffered by Mr. Cohen."

McSweeney’s attorney, Sarah M. Matz tells TMZ ... "That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising.  Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen’s attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in Court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney. We do not intend to litigate this matter in the press, and if Mr. Cohen wants to address Ms. McSweeney’s claims, we suggest he do so in Court, not in a letter for the press."

A source close to Leah tells TMZ that she's flabbergasted that he wants to keep bringing attention to this in the press, rather than just letting it play out in court.

Kathy Hilton cree que la ruptura de su hermana Kyle Richards con Mauricio Umansky se veía venir desde hace mucho tiempo y expresó su opinión sobre el asunto nada menos que en televisión nacional.

La madre de Paris Hilton hizo su esperado regreso a "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" para la segunda parte de la reunión el miércoles y no se contuvo de opinar sobre el matrimonio de su hermana.

La veterana socialité especuló en voz alta que Kyle probablemente no se precipitó en su decisión de separarse del magnate inmobiliario. Como Kathy dijo: "[Kyle] no es una persona compulsiva".

Con eso en mente, Kathy piensa que es poco probable que Kyle pusiera fin a su matrimonio de 27 años por unos meses difíciles. La matriarca Hilton sospecha que su hermana ha estado considerando la separación durante al menos unos años.

En cuanto a cómo están Kyle y Mauricio luego de su pública ruptura, Kathy dejó claro que están todos muy bien, haciendo sus propias cosas, y destacó la participación de Mauricio en "Dancing With the Stars" como prueba. Esa era su opinión cuando esto se filmó.

Kyle, que ha negado los rumores de que está saliendo con su amiga Morgan Wade, ha cambiado un poco su tono en los últimos meses. De hecho, le dio a Mauricio su bendición para que saliera con otras personas durante un evento de Amazon Live la semana pasada.

Kathy Hilton believes her sister Kyle Richards' split from Mauricio Umansky was a long time coming ... and she expressed her fiery opinion on national television, no less.

Paris Hilton's mom made her highly anticipated return to "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" for part 2 of the reunion on Wednesday -- and she didn't hold back when it came to weighing in on her sister's marriage.

The veteran socialite speculated aloud that Kyle likely didn't rush into her decision to separate from the real estate mogul. As Kathy put it ... "[Kyle]’s not a compulsive person.”

With that in mind, Kathy thinks it's unlikely that Kyle would end her 27-year marriage over a few rocky months. The Hilton matriarch suspects her sibling has been considering the split for at least a few years.

As for how Kyle and Mauricio are doing in the aftermath of their public breakup ... Kathy made it clear that they're all hunky dory, doing their own things -- shouting out Mauricio's stint on "Dancing With the Stars" as proof. That was her view when this was filmed anyway.

Kyle -- who has denied rumors she's dating gal pal Morgan Wade -- has somewhat changed her tune in recent months ... as she revealed in an Amazon Live stream last week that she and Mauricio are allowed to date other people.

Kyle and Mauricio's split is set to play out on season 2 of "Buying Beverly Hills" ... the family's other reality show. We'll be tuning in!

Teresa Giudice's marriage to Luis Ruelas is doing just fine -- this despite the fact that a new trailer for an upcoming season of her show suggests otherwise ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to the couple tells TMZ that fans of 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' shouldn't be concerned for Tre and Louie -- as they've never been better as a couple. In fact ... we're told fans should be praying for the other ladies on the show -- hinting at serious drama to come (for them).

There's no shortage of intrigue in what Bravo teased in the trailer for Season 14 of 'RHONJ.' Like in previous seasons, Teresa's personal life is at the center of the new footage ... with costar Danielle Cabral alleging that the longtime reality star is "distraught" amid supposed trouble at home.

While the sneak peek does not get into many specifics -- they want you to watch, after all -- they do show a glimpse of Teresa and Louie bickering at one point. Another costar, Margaret Josephs, claims in a phone call that Louie has "pissed [Teresa's] money away."

Of course, we can't speak to the validity of this claim ... we reached out to Teresa’s attorney, James Leonard, but no word back just yet.

Still, this topic is likely a sensitive subject for Teresa. Remember, she served 11 months behind bars after pleading guilty to fraud charges back in 2014.

Her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, also pled guilty to the charges and served three years in prison before being released ... and subsequently deported. Since leaving Joe -- she's moved on and married Louie ... and on the surface, there's been no signs of trouble between 'em.

Kyle Richards tuvo el mejor asiento del lugar para ver el show de Morgan Wade el sábado en Arizona y mantuvo sus ojos fijos en la cantante de country, grabando todos sus movimientos.

La estrella de "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" estuvo en el Festival Extra Innings en Tempe, aterrizando en un asiento de la primera fila sin su marido Mauricio Umansky.

TMZ obtuvo un video de la actuación de Morgan en el que se ve a Kyle usando su teléfono celular para acercarse y grabar a Morgan tocando y cantando sus canciones. Kyle está claramente disfrutando de la actuación, asintiendo con la cabeza a la música y mostrando con orgullo una muñeca llena de bandas del festival.

Parece que Kyle es el mayor fan de Morgan estos días y los mejores amigos son tan cercanos como siempre. ¿Qué tan cerca?, bueno, digamos que esta salida no está desmintiendo ningún rumor.

Por cierto, Morgan actuó en el mismo festival de 3 días junto con Elle King, que estaba de vuelta en el escenario por primera vez después de su debacle borracho en el Grand Ole Opry durante una celebración del cumpleaños de Dolly Parton.

Elle y Kyle se encontraron entre bastidores el día antes del concierto de Morgan ... tomando una foto juntos también.

En cuanto a cómo están las cosas entre Kyle y Mauricio... la verdad es que no está claro. Acabamos de verlos juntos la semana pasada para celebrar el cumpleaños de su hija. Dicho esto, parece que Kylie solo se reúne con su marido para reuniones familiares.

Kyle Richards had the best seat in the house for a Morgan Wade performance Saturday in Arizona ... and she kept her eyes trained on the country singer, recording her every move.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star was front and center at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe ... parking herself in a front-row seat on the other side of the fence from the main crowd, with estranged husband Mauricio Umansky nowhere to be found.

TMZ obtained video of Morgan's gig ... and you see Kyle using her cell phone to zoom in and record Morgan playing and belting out her tunes. Kyle's clearly enjoying the performance ... nodding her head to the music and proudly showing off a wrist full of festival bands.

Seems Kyle is Morgan's biggest fan these days ... and the BFFs are just as close as ever. In terms of how close -- well, let's just say this outing isn't tampering down any rumors.

BTW, Morgan performed at the same 3-day festival along with Elle King, who was back onstage for the first time after her drunken debacle at the Grand Ole Opry during a Dolly Parton birthday celebration.

Elle and Kyle found each other backstage the day before Morgan's gig ... snapping a photo together as well.

As for where things stand between Kyle and Mauricio ... it's unclear. We just saw them together this past week to celebrate their daughter's birthday -- and they were side by side. With that said, it appears Kylie is only getting together with her hubby for family gatherings.

One of the 'Real Housewives' is saying the quiet part out loud ... Heather Gay is calling BS on all the talk about body positivity -- flat out saying, "It is better not to be overweight."

The "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" cast member went off about weight issues during a sit down with "20/20" co-anchor and ABC senior national affairs correspondent, Deborah Roberts.

In the Friday night "Impact x Nightline" segment, Heather fired back at critics of Ozempic and other weight loss meds. She said, "I’ve sold out, I’ve given up the banner of you know, accept yourself. And it’s disappointing and sad to know that body positivity was all a big lie. It is better not to be overweight.”

She also admitted, "I didn’t want to show up at another party and see all of my friends 20 pounds thinner and just be resentful."

Once she started shedding pounds, Heather says she noticed treating her differently -- "For the first time, I was being valued by my castmates, by the public, in a way that I had never been valued before. And that felt to me … sad.”

Her overall message here is ... people give a lot of lip service to the idea of body positivity, but the reality is society loves you more when you're in better shape.

Fact is, even the supremely accomplished Oprah Winfrey has said how much better she feels having dropped at least 40 lbs while using medication.

Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Boy George and several other celebs are publicly embracing the use of weight loss meds -- and, for her part, Heather's saying why the hell wouldn't you??

Una de las "Real Housewives" está dándo de que hablar. Heather Gay está llamando una "mentira" todo lo que tiene que ver con la positividad del cuerpo, diciendo: "Es mejor no tener sobrepeso".

La "Real Housewives de Salt Lake City" miembro del elenco, se refirió a cuestiones de peso con Deborah Roberts de ABC News.

En el segmento del viernes por la noche de "Impact x Nightline", Heather respondió a las críticas sobre Ozempic y otros medicamentos para perder peso. Dijo: "Me he vendido, he renunciado a la bandera de, ya sabes, acéptate a ti misma. Y es decepcionante y triste saber que la positividad corporal era una gran mentira. Es mejor no tener sobrepeso".

También admitió: "No quería aparecer en otra fiesta y ver a todas mis amigas nueve kilos más delgadas y estar resentida".

Una vez que empezó a perder kilos, Heather dice que se dio cuenta de que la trataban de manera diferente, "Por primera vez estaba siendo valorada por mis compañeros de reparto y por el público de una manera que nunca había sido valorada antes. Y eso me pareció... triste".

Su mensaje general es que la gente habla mucho sobre la idea de la positividad corporal, pero la realidad es que la sociedad te quiere más cuando estás en mejor forma.

El hecho es que incluso Oprah Winfrey ha dicho lo mucho mejor que se siente después de haber bajado al menos 40 libras mientras usaba la famosa medicina.

Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Boy George y varias otras celebridades están abrazando públicamente el uso de medicamentos para perder peso, y por su parte, Heather dice ¿por qué diablos no lo harías?

Esta es una imagen rara por estos días: Kyle Richards y Mauricio Umansky saliendo juntos por la ciudad, aunque esta no es una señal de que sus problemas matrimoniales se hayan suavizado, es solo que son buenos padres.

La separada pareja se reunió públicamente en Bel Air para celebrar el cumpleaños 16 de su hija Portia. La familia fue vista saliendo de un restaurante el jueves por la noche y Mauricio llevaba lo que parecía una caja de regalo o pastel e incluso condujeron a casa juntos.

Kyle estaba detrás del volante de su SUV, y Mauricio viajó en el asiento de copiloto. Esta es la primera vez que los vemos juntos en mucho tiempo, en medio de lo que ha sido una separación muy pública, que anunciaron el verano pasado.

Desde que comenzó a emitirse la nueva temporada de "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", hemos visto a Kyle trazar una línea en la arena, insinuando en el programa que su matrimonio de 27 años podría estar llegando a su fin.

En una escena, le dijo a Dorit Kemsley: "Si no hay esfuerzo, no vamos a terminar juntos".

Mientras Mauricio y Kyle siguen viviendo bajo el mismo techo, Kyle ha estado saliendo con Morgan Wade, que ella insiste que es solo una amiga, y hemos visto a Mauricio de fiesta en Aspen con otras mujeres.

La pareja hizo pública su separación en julio de 2023, pero desde entonces han estado de vacaciones un par de veces juntos como familia, incluyendo un viaje de vacaciones a Aspen poco después de la salvaje noche de Mauricio allí.

Here's a rare sight these days ... Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky hitting the town together -- but it's not a sign they've smoothed out their marital issues, it's just that they're great parents.

The separated couple publicly reunited in Bel Air to celebrate their daughter Portia's 16th birthday. The fam left a restaurant together Thursday night -- Mauricio was carrying what seemed like a gift or cake box ... and they even drove home together.

Kyle was behind the wheel of their SUV, and Mauricio rode in the passenger seat. It's the first time we've seen them out together in a long time ... amid what's been a very public separation, which they announced last summer.

Since the new season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" started airing, we've seen Kyle draw a line in the sand ... hinting on the show that their 27-year marriage might be coming to an end.

In one scene, she told Dorit Kemsley, "If there's no effort, we're not going to end up together."

While Mauricio and Kyle are still living under the same roof, Kyle's been hanging with Morgan Wade, who she insists is just a friend -- and we've seen Mauricio partying hard in Aspen with other women.

The couple went public with their separation in July 2023, but since then they've been on vacay a couple of times together as a family -- including a holiday trip to Aspen ... shortly after Mauricio's wild night out there.

Alexis Bellino ended up needing Dr. Terry Dubrow's expert help when a piercing left her with a nasty infection ... TMZ has learned.

Alexis tells us her cartilage ear piercing had been giving her grief since she got it a year ago ... but it wasn't until a hairdresser accidentally bumped into it last Thursday that she really felt the agony. Ouch!

She says her hairdresser notified her that the earring was deeply embedded in her ear, and the skin around it was clearly infected and overgrown. Alexis didn't waste any time and dashed straight to urgent care to get it sorted out. Smart move!

However, when docs busted out the scalpel, Alexis told them to hold up ... 'cause the only person she'd trust near her ear was Terry. Of course, the "Botched" star's wife, Heather Dubrow is Alexis' costar on 'RHOC,' so it's all about keeping it all in the Bravo family.

The big removal went down Monday, and Dr. Dubrow, being the champ he is, even skipped his lunch break to help her out.

We're told he managed to pull out Alexis' earring, which was decked out with four diamonds, without having to make any incisions. Now that takes some serious skill.

For his part, Terry tells TMZ he's glad Alexis came to him for help ... especially 'cause messing with infected cartilage in your ear is like playing with fire. He explains to us the area doesn't have much blood flow, so if things go south, it can result in seriously gnarly infections that can straight-up wreck your ear, or even worse. Yeah, no thanks!

Alexis is showering Terry with gratitude ... telling us he's a top-notch surgeon and a super kind friend. She's also raving about how Terry squeezed her into his busy schedule ASAP and made sure the whole ordeal was as painless as possible. Now that's the definition of having a true friend in high places!

3/2 9:58 AM PT -- Rachel Leviss' rep is responding to Lisa's dig ... calling the comments, "A disappointing choice for an executive on the show since victim shaming is a defense mechanism often used by abusers and coming from a person in a position of power can cause even further harm to a person's mental health.”

Lisa Vanderpump is coming to the defense of her old friend Andy Cohen amid some new allegations -- and in the same breath ... she's taking a swipe at Rachel Leviss.

The former 'Housewives' star -- who obviously ended up getting up her spinoff show on Bravo -- was arriving at LAX at landing back in town Friday ... where our photog ran into her and asked her all about the latest drama going on in the reality world, and there's a lot.

For starters, our camera guy asked about Leah McSweeney's claims in a new lawsuit she filed this week against the Bravo honcho ... alleging he'd partaken in cocaine, not to mention claiming Bravo at large was a toxic hell hole that coaxed their stars into boozing/debauchery.

Well, Lisa has some thoughts on all that ... and she goes to bat for AC here, telling us she's never seen him do any hard drugs -- nor does she know him to be how Leah described.

On the notion that Bravo is pressuring 'Housewives' into drinking on set ... Lisa says what a lot of her contemporaries have already been making clear -- the stars are adults, and they don't have to do anything they don't want to. Bottom line ... she calls BS on Leah's suit.

Lastly, Lisa weighs in on the legal battle brewing in her own world ... namely, Rachel suing Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix over revenge porn, among other things.

She doesn't have very nice things to say about that either -- noting Rachel probably should've never compromised herself on camera the way she did if she didn't want it out.

We clarify, though, that Tom's alleged to have recorded her from his phone and circulated it with the cast ... but even then, she doesn't have much sympathy for her ex-employee.

Bottom line ... Lisa's good with Andy, not so much with Leah and Rachel. That much is clear.

Several 'Real Housewives' stars are coming to the defense of Andy Cohen in the wake of Leah McSweeney's shocking allegations ... slamming her and rallying around their boss.

Several housewives are speaking out in support of Andy in the wake of Leah's lawsuit earlier this week ... making it clear they've never done drugs with the 'Watch What Happens Live' host.

Kyle Richards -- who said she was one of the housewives closest to Andy -- told Page Six that she has "never seen Andy do drugs, offer drugs or do anything inappropriate ever."

Kyle went on to praise Andy as a professional -- highlighting how he even refuses to follow many Bravo stars on Instagram to keep "a distance from all of them."

"RHONJ" star Margaret Josephs was equally vocal in her support of Andy -- she said point-blank that the father of two "has never offered any 'Housewife’ cocaine.'"

Margaret -- who notably doesn't drink -- adds ... "I am appalled that someone would just go so low to assassinate and target someone’s character in that way.”

Likewise, Cynthia Bailey ...  who appeared on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" -- assured TMZ on Wednesday that she was "never forced" to drink and has definitely "never seen him do blow."

ICYMI ... the 'RHONY' alum hit Andy, as well as Bravo, with a discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday -- claiming the reality TV honcho created a toxic work environment, where AC allegedly used cocaine and encouraged other housewives and Bravolebrities to participate ... giving good TV edits to his favs.

A rep for Andy denied the allegations -- telling TMZ … "The claims against Andy are completely false."

'RHOC's Heather Dubrow and Meghan King have also offered up public support of Andy, applauding him for his professionalism and respect.

Leah isn't the only unhappy ex-housewife, however ... as 'RHOBH' vet Brandi Glanville also recently accused Andy of sexual harassment after he invited her to watch him hook up with another Bravo personality over FaceTime.

Andy hit back at that ... calling the exchange a joke that's been blown out of proportion.

Múltiples estrellas de la franquicia "Real Housewives" están saliendo en defensa de Andy Cohen por las acusaciones de Leah McSweeney y todos ellos se inclinan por la idea de que cada miembro del elenco es personalmente responsable de sus acciones.

Luann de Lesseps, que compartió reparto con Leah en "RHONY", habló con nosotros el miércoles en "TMZ Live" sobre la demanda de Leah contra Cohen, la productora de Shed Media y Warner Bros., alegando que se aprovecharon de sus problemas de abuso de alcohol.

Leah afirma que fue alentada por Cohen y otros a beber, y todo para supuestamente crear un mejor contenido para el programa.

Luann, hablando desde su experiencia personal, no sentía que ese fuera su caso, diciendo que, por supuesto, el alcohol y las fiestas son parte del mundo de "Housewives", pero nadie la obligó a tomar una copa.

De hecho, ella dice que no cree que nadie pueda hacer que una persona beba, en lugar de eso, ella cree que la responsabilidad personal juega un papel clave en la recuperación de la adicción. Este es un tema del que Luann también se ocupó durante el rodaje de la serie, después de haber ido a rehabilitación en varias ocasiones.

En cuanto a la afirmación de que Leah Andy consume cocaína con las amas de casa, Luann dijo que nunca ha visto ni oído hablar de eso y añade que ella no es así.

Luann dice que ella está "manejando la situación" respecto al consumo de alcohol, y está de gira con un nuevo espectáculo de cabaret e insiste en que no tiene que beber para pasar un buen rato en "Housewives".

Ella responde por Andy, diciendo que no cree que él obligaría a nadie a beber como asegura Leah, un sentimiento del que se hizo eco otra ex estrella de "RHONY".

Dorinda Medley -que apareció en el programa entre 2015 y 2020- nos dice que se siente terrible por Andy y cuestiona por qué Leah decidió volver para una segunda temporada de "RHONY" y un "Ultimate Girls Trip" si se sentía tan incómoda.

Medley añadió que se saltaría a la oportunidad de volver a "Real Housewives", diciendo que no ha tenido más que buenas experiencias con Andy y Bravo y además le ha beneficiado mucho estar en el show. También dijo que los adultos deben ser responsables de sus propias acciones.

Y un no neoyorquino -Cynthia Bailey ex de "Real Housewives of Atlanta"- también defendió a Andy, diciéndonos en LAX que ella nunca se vio obligada a beber o nunca creyó que Andy estuviera consumiendo cocaína como afirmó McSweeney.

Cynthia dice que simpatiza con los adictos, pero añade que las personas que saben que tienen problemas de abuso de sustancias deben tomar decisiones inteligentes, como rechazar cócteles si saben que tienen un problema.

A propósito, otra ex estrella de Bravo -Brandi Glanville- también está amenazando con demandar a Andy por un comentario inapropiado que supuestamente hizo.

Multiple stars of the 'Real Housewives' franchise are coming forward to defend Andy Cohen against Leah McSweeney's allegations -- and they're all leaning into the idea each cast member is personally responsible for her actions.

Luann de Lesseps, who costarred with Leah on 'RHONY,' talked to us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" about Leah's lawsuit against Cohen, Bravo, the production company Shed Media, and Warner Bros. ... claiming they took advantage of her alcohol abuse issues.

Leah claims she was encouraged by Cohen and others on and around the show to drink all in the name of creating better content for the program.

Luann, speaking from personal experience, didn't feel that was the case for her ... saying of course alcohol and parties are part of the 'Housewives' world, but no one ever forced her to take up a glass.

In fact, she says she doesn't think anyone can make a person drink, instead believing personal responsibility plays a key part in addiction recovery -- an issue Luann also dealt with while shooting for the show, having gone to rehab multiple times.

As for Leah's allegation Andy does cocaine with the housewives ... Luann says she's never seen or heard about that, and adds it's not in his character.

LDL says she's now in the "driver's seat" with alcohol consumption and touring with a new cabaret show -- and insists you don't have drink to have a good time on 'Housewives.'

She further vouches for Andy, saying she doesn't believe he'd force anyone to drink like Leah's claiming -- a sentiment echoed by another former 'RHONY' star.

Dorinda Medley -- who appeared on the show from 2015 to 2020 -- tells us she feels terrible for Andy, and questions why Leah decided to come back for a second season of 'RHONY' and an 'Ultimate Girls Trip' if she felt so uncomfortable.

Medley added she'd jump at the chance to get back on 'Real Housewives' ... saying she's had nothing but good experiences with Andy and Bravo and she's gained so much by being on the show. She also said adults need to be held accountable for their own actions.

And, a non-New Yorker -- Cynthia Bailey formerly of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame -- also stood by Andy, telling us at LAX, she was never forced to drink or ever believed Andy was using cocaine as McSweeney claimed.

CB says she sympathizes with addicts, but adds people who know they have substance abuse problems need to make smart choices -- like turning down cocktails if they know they have a problem

BTW ... another former Bravo star, Brandi Glanville, is also threatening to sue Andy for an inappropriate comment he allegedly made.