A Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip producer has responded to Caroline Manzo‘s lawsuit against Bravo and Peacock with her own version of what went down between the Real Housewives of New Jersey alum and her castmate, Brandi Glanville, amid filming on the fourth season of the series in Morocco.
As the fate of the season remains up in the air, executive producer Lisa Shannon acknowledged that Caroline, 62, felt “disrespected” by the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 51, but insisted she did not express that she was “sexually violated” by her.
After Caroline accused Brandi of harassing her and kissing her without consent at the encouragement of the RHUGT production team, saying Brandi “proceeded to mount [Caroline] on the couch holding [Caroline] down with her body, forcibly squeezed [Caroline’s] cheeks together and thrust her tongue in [Caroline’s] mouth, while humping her,” Lisa filed court documents of her own.
In the paperwork, obtained by Page Six on April 4, Lisa said Caroline told production that Brandi’s supposed “actions that evening had triggered memories” of her past “childhood trauma,” but she didn’t mention any assault.
“Our primary concern at that point was making sure that [Caroline] felt safe,” her documents stated. “She told us that she felt safe, that she wanted to continue to film, and that she did not want [Brandi] to be sent home.”
Even the next morning, Caroline, who Lisa said was “not left alone” with Brandi that night, allegedly said that she still “felt safe” and wanted to resume filming.
Lisa said Caroline told her, “‘Listen, I feel safe, okay, I feel your support. This is for me… I’m dealing with something that has been buried deep in my soul for 50 years.’”
Although Caroline has since expressed feelings of being violated, the RHUGT cast, including Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Phaedra Parks, 50, allegedly “perceived the events differently.”
“‘All of us thought we were having fun,’” Phaedra purportedly told Caroline. “‘No one knew about whatever has happened to you in the past.’”
While Caroline ended up flying back home, she supposedly did so only because the rest of the group had decided to visit Brandi at her hotel.
“At that time, she asked the production crew not to film her, and we honored that request,” Lisa shared. “Other than that incident, [Caroline] never asked not to be filmed or express to me, or to my knowledge, anyone else from production, that she was uncomfortable being filmed … [And Caroline] willingly allowed production to film her [discussing her decision to leave the trip early].”
Lisa also confirmed that despite leaving Morocco before filming wrapped, she was paid in full for her role in the series.
Following Caroline’s claims against her, Brandi has slammed the allegations as “absurd” and “false.”
“While filming, Brandi followed what the producers asked of her, and there was no sexual assault,” her rep told Page Six earlier this year. “She is innocent of these absurd accusations that have weighed on her mental and physical health for far too long without a word of support from Peacock, Shed or Bravo.”