Leah McSweeney Might Not Come Back to ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’

First-time Real Housewives of New York housewife Leah McSweeney made a splash in her debut season. Met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike, Leah brought a fresh take to the otherwise stale group of women. 

While many have enjoyed Leah’s freshman season on RHONY, there is a chance that Season 12 might have been her first and last appearance on the Bravo reality show. Due to contract and salary negotiations, Leah might not be coming back to the show.

According to TMZ, Leah may not be returning for Season 13 unless she gets a pay raise. A source told TMZ that she is only being offered a small raise to be on Season 13 and that she’s holding out until she is offered more money. 

TMZ reported, “Sources close to the show tell TMZ ... Leah is only being offered a 'minuscule' pay raise for the upcoming 13th season of 'RHONY' -- which would be her second -- and she feels disrespected.”

According to ScreenRant, Leah made $3,000 per episode, which comes out to a $60,000 total before taxes and other expenses.

While she may be holding out for more pay, her time to negotiate is running out. The RHONY women are supposed to start filming in the next few weeks, according to TMZ. Meanwhile, Leah has taken any mention of being on RHONY out of her Instagram bio, which used to read that she was on the show.

Perhaps Leah’s first season with Ramona Singer, Dorinda Medley, and the rest of the RHONY crew gave her the courage to ask for more money, figuring that working with those women should pay a lot more than $60K before taxes. During a March 2020 interview with The Daily Mail, Leah said that her first season was “crazy.” 

“I went into the show knowing that if I just acted as authentically and as uncensored and unapologetically me as possible then, whether I fail at the show (whatever that means), or win at the show ... I’m being who I am,” she explained.

She continued on, explaining that she did go through a short hazing period. “I definitely felt like there was a little bit of a hazing process but the thing is I think they all didn’t want to like me but they do, so they couldn’t haze me for too long … well Ramona’s different story.”

Fans were divided over Leah’s alleged demands when it comes to her returning for another season. Some were happy to hear that Leah was fighting for more money and begged Bravo to let her have what she wants. One fan wrote, “@BravoTV @Andy, pay Leah McSweeney what she is worth, she saved this season of #RHONY.”

Some others thought it was presumptuous of Leah to assume she could start demanding more money so early in her Housewives career. Another fan tweeted, “Imagine being a newbie & you are already demanding....!!!!”