‘Vanderpump Rules’ producers accused of giving “draconian” NDAs to cast members

Real Housewives alum Bethenny Frankel’s campaign to unionize reality stars just named Vanderpump Rules as a source of potential labor violations.

As revealed by documents obtained by Deadline, Frankel’s legal team have cited NBCUniversal, a mass media conglomerate, as a site of “systemic rot for which sunlight is the first necessary remedial measure”, according to a letter from attorney Bryan Freedman, sent on Aug. 20th.

“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. To ensure silence, NBC has been wielding these contractual terms like a sword.”

NBCUniversal is the parent company of the TV networks such as Bravo and NBC, but one attached company in particular, Evolution Media, was cited. Evolution Media is the production company behind Vanderpump Rules, Botched, and much of the Real Housewives universe. The production company was accused in the letter of forcing its stars to sign “unlawful and unenforceable” NDAs.

In particular, the forces behind Vanderpump Rules allegedly prohibited “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” in its contracts.

In perhaps the most damning accusation of the letter, Freedman writes that “This culture of fear and silence is no doubt responsible, in part, for the disproportionate rate of suicide among reality TV participants.”

The letter ends echoing Bethenny Frankel’s call to unionize, stating that “NBCUniversal has two choices: lead by example or be forced into compliance.”

Earlier this month, an initial letter was sent by the same legal team, citing specific incidents of cruelty and illegal activity at the hands of NBCUniversal. “NBC has exceeded the moral and legal limits permissible in a civilized society governed by the rule of law.”

The letter continued, “It goes without saying that the foregoing misconduct by NBCUniversal and/or its employees, contractors, and affiliates exposes NBCUniversal to significant legal liability for, among many other things, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, distribution of revenge porn, and false imprisonment.”

The legal action comes in the midst of some serious accusations by Vanderpump Rules star Rachel Leviss, who has recently exited the show. In the past week, Leviss has stated that co-star Tom Sandoval recorded a sexually explicit video of her without consent, and that fellow co-star Kristen Doute was paid “hush money” by producers to not go public with accusations of physical abuse.