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Leah McSweeney Joins the ‘Real Housewives of New York’ Cast After Bethenny’s Exit: ‘She’s Perfect for the Show’
When one window closes, another opens — and apparently, a new NYC housewife jumps in from the fire escape! Real Housewives of New York OG Bethenny Frankel announced her departure from the Bravo TV series after 11 long years with the franchise, and now, Life & Style can confirm entrepreneur Leah McSweeney will join the cast next season in her absence.
According to a source, she’s “definitely filming for the show,” though at this point we’re unsure if she’ll be joining the crew as a full cast member or in a “friend” role as of now. A second source told LS “she’s perfect for the show” and “loves controversy,” so we have a feeling we might see some juicy moments from her, no matter her cast status.
So, who is this new cast member and what exactly do you need to know about her before she graces your TV screen for season 12 of the show? Allow us to fill you in with some details on the ~new addition.~
Who is Leah McSweeney?
After a quick Google search and a bit of poking around, we found out that the 36-year-old is a New York native who was educated at the well-known Convent of the Sacred Heart School before going on to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a.k.a. the prestigious FIT.
What is Leah’s job?
Considering her fashion education, it makes sense that the blonde babe would have her own successful clothing line. She is the founder of female streetwear brand Married to the Mob. According to her bio on the brand’s website, she came up on the fashion scene in 2004, after “successfully winning a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department for false arrest.”
The settlement she received ($75,000) paved the way for her to start her company in a male-dominated style genre — and build some serious clout pretty quickly for her troubles. Since their inception, the brand has collaborated with famous brands like G-Shock, KAWS, Lacoste, Nike, Peanuts by Charles Schulz, Reebok, WU-Tang and more.
What else does Leah do?
Not only has her brand been highlighted in some seriously influential media outlets, but she writes for a few as well. According to her IG, she is a recurring columnist for Penthouse Magazine and has written for female streetwear outlet Hypebae, the sister site to Hypebeast.
She also appeared in a segment of Built to Fail in 2017, a feature-length documentary that explored the phenomenon of the streetwear industry. Before that — and before RHONY — Leah did a stint on the old Bravo favorite, Millionaire Matchmaker, back in 2010, a source told Life & Style.
She is also the creator and host of “Improper Etiquette,” a weekly podcast cohosted with HOT 97’s Laura Stylez.
What about her family?
According to her Instagram, she’s also a mother, like many of her new castmates. Her two daughters, Kier and Kiki, appear frequently in photos with their mom on her feed.
But as far as a husband, boyfriend or someone special, her social media doesn’t exactly give anyone up as her boo. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about her love life while we get to know her on the show.
Welcome, Leah!
