TV & Movies
TheRHONYstar dishes on her memoir, Rihanna, and her future on the Bravo franchise.
The Real Housewives of New York CitysLeah McSweeneyknows that parts of her memoir read like storylines from HBOsEuphoria.
I dont want to watch teenagers doing drugs and having sex and being totally reckless.
I did that already, and I dont want to relive it.
Season 13 ofRHONYshowed a Cali sober McSweeney bearing the grief of her grandmothers death.
In light of low ratings, Bravo didnt even film a Season 13 reunion.
As of now, McSweeney doesnt know if shell be invited to return for either iteration.
Obviously with this show, you dont sign on for multiple seasons, she explains.
Chaos Theorydetails a lot of your struggles growing up.
What was the most difficult thing to write about, and how did revisiting those dark periods affect you?
It felt like I was so deep in the hole that I couldnt really crawl out of it.
Thinking back to that time, it was a little bit painful.
Was there anything you were nervous for your 14-year-old daughter Kier to read?
Did revisiting your life at her age shift your perspective as a parent?
She would never think that.
So I guess my daughter already knows who I am.
Im so f*cked up.
But you know what?
You just do it.
I became a parent, and I was like, I cant hide who I am.
I am very straightforward with my daughter.
I think it was hypocritical, but they didnt know me that well.
I was definitely out of control on the trip.
I mean, I was blackout drunk that night.
How Im a scary blackout drunk, but Sonja isnt, I dont know.
The meaning in the madness for that is that peoples actions reflect how theyre feeling.
Were objectified a bit by the audience.
Like, hey, these are strangers, they dont know me, I dont know them.
Thats the meaning in the madness.
Can you unpack that a bit?
That was the meaning in the madness right there!
Its about the quality of your fans, not the quantity.
No one ever comes up to me in the street and says something nasty.
People will build you up to tear you down, and I think that definitely happened with me.
I think people went overboard with being obsessed with me my first season.
It was just a little weird.
Like, you dont know me yet!
And then I think they went overboard with wanting to turn on me.
I was the same girl just with a new nose.
Ive definitely vocalized to her how much its all meant to me.
Shes such a badass b*tch.
My first season, I felt pretty out of place because I was out of place.
The juxtaposition of me with Ramona and Luann [de Lesseps] is kind of hilarious.
Then theres how much gets edited and all of that.
I trust the internet execs and Bravo to kind of figure that out.
I would love Tinsley [Mortimer] and Dorinda [Medley] to come back.
I was surprised that you andEboni K. Williamsgrew apart after filming.
How much did the filming process play into where things stand between you two now?
I think that me and Eboni had obviously just met each other that week before we started filming.
Its not the most conducive environment to build a friendship.
Wait, what happened with Sonja?
I would film with all of them again, tomorrow, if thats what was happening.
Ive never said that I wouldnt film with any of them, thats insane, Id completely do it.
I thought thats what was going to happen.
So yeah, I think maybe we all needed this break.
Have any of the women reached out to you now that your book is out?
Not a single one?
Does that surprise you?
Dorinda actually texted me and said, Are you excited?
Im excited for you.
That was before the book came out.
But I dont think they even know.
I think theyre all in their own worlds.
I dont have high expectations from them.
WhatHousewives-style tagline would you give this chapter of your life?
Oh my god, this is hard.
My anxiety is chronic, but my ass is iconic.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onApril 29, 2022
