Attorneys for a number of reality stars demand that NBC and Bravo let them out of "draconian" NDAs
The request comes after Bethenny Frankel's reality union movement said they were preparing to sue NBCUniversal earlier this month
No one knows the actual reality that Bravo’s biggest stars face every day, at least according to attorneys for a “significant number” of still-unnamed reality cast and crew members. Earlier this month, they were preparing to sue NBCUniversal (which owns Bravo and E!) for the “grotesque and depraved mistreatment” they say they’ve experienced on set. A letter threatening legal action against the network from attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos—reportedly retained by Real Housewives alum Bethenny Frankel in a push for her reality star union—specifically alleges that the cast and crew members have been “mentally, physically, and financially victimized by NBC and threatened with ruin should they decide to speak out about their mistreatment.”
The next step, then, would be to lift the strict NDAs that block stars from voicing the full extent of their allegations. “We are left with the inescapable conclusion that NBC and its production partners are grappling with systemic rot for which sunlight is the first necessary remedial measure,” writes Freedman in a letter to NBCUniversal’s general counsel, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter and dated August 20. “To date, that has been impossible owing to the draconian terms of NBC’s contracts with its cast and crew, which contain onerous confidentiality provisions coupled with ruinous penalties for breach.”
Further, the attorneys argue that the NDAs are unenforceable because the agreements fail to include required language under California law. In the state, an agreement can’t prevent “discussing or disclosing information about unlawful acts in the workplace, such as harassment or discrimination or any other conduct that you have reason to believe is unlawful.”
The letter also calls upon NBCUniversal to follow its own example from the #MeToo movement. “NBCUniversal has two choices: lead by example or be forced into compliance,” Freedman writes. “In 2019, NBC News voluntarily released its employees from the nondisclosure agreements that had prevented them from sharing their experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination. This request is no different. We trust that NBCUniversal will do the right thing.”