Leah McSweeney

Leah Christine McSweeney, born August 27, 1982, is an American television personality, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. She is best known as the founder of the women's streetwear brand Married to the Mob, which she established in 2004, and for appearing as a main cast member on the reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City from 2020 to 2021.

McSweeney was born in Manhattan, New York, to Bryan and Bernadette "Bunny" McSweeney and was raised in an Irish-Italian family. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic all-girls school on the Upper East Side. After being expelled at age 15, her family relocated to Newtown, Connecticut. In 2002, McSweeney was injured in a physical altercation with the New York Police Department, leading to a $75,000 settlement.

Using her settlement money alongside her then-boyfriend, streetwear designer Rob Cristofaro, McSweeney launched Married to the Mob (MTTM) in 2004. The feminine streetwear brand developed several high-profile brand collaborations with Kangol, Kaws, MCM, French boutique Colette, Reebok, and Nike. MTTM also partnered with artists Fafi, Krink, and Jessy "Nite Rider" Kennedy, and released collections featuring models such as Chanel West Coast, Kid Sister, Lil Debbie, and the Clermont twins.

McSweeney began her media career with a 2010 appearance on Bravo's The Millionaire Matchmaker, which led to cameos on programs like VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York. In 2015, she became a recurring personality on Shade 45's Lip Service. In 2016, she co-launched the podcast Improper Etiquette with Laura Stylez of Hot 97, offering advice, lifestyle perspectives, and celebrity interviews. In March 2023, she launched YouTube podcast The Leah McSweeney Show, interviewing figures such as Teddy Quinlivan, Kelly Cutrone, Kat Timpf, and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, whom she endorsed.

In November 2019, McSweeney was announced as a new cast member for season 12 of The Real Housewives of New York City after being referred by Bethenny Frankel. Earning $3,000 per episode during her first season, she negotiated her salary to $7,800 per episode for season 13. In March 2023, she starred in the third season of Peacock's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip for $250,000. She later filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan against NBCUniversal, Bravo, Andy Cohen, and associated production companies, alleging a hostile work environment and retaliation. Cohen denied the allegations, and District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled in March 2026 that the case would proceed to court.

As a writer, McSweeney has contributed to Hypebeast, written an advice column for Penthouse, and co-wrote a December 2018 Tablet magazine investigation into the Women's March organization. A controversial June 2018 Penthouse op-ed by McSweeney regarding toxic femininity and the #MeToo movement drew widespread public reaction. In April 2022, she published her memoir, Chaos Theory. In her personal life, McSweeney gave birth to her daughter, Kier Marie, with Cristofaro in 2007, and converted to Judaism in March 2022.