Leah McSweeney Opens Up About Her "Most Challenging Experience" on RHONY

Now in her second season of The Real Housewives of New York City, Leah McSweeney is a pro when it comes to navigating this Big Apple social circle. However, her sophomore season, the current RHONY Season 13, has been even more trying in some ways.

Leah recently opened up about the difficulty of not only filming this season of RHONY but also watching it all back in a post on Instagram on May 25. "It’s been very hard watching these episodes and reliving losing my grandma," Leah captioned a post, which featured a photo of herself with Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan during the ladies' Breakfast with Tiffany's-themed dinner featured in the May 25 episode. "This was by far the most challenging experience with the show thus far." 

The beginning of this season has followed Leah's journey as she and her family deal with her grandmother Marie's declining health. Leah also shared in her Instagram post how she still wanted to film at that time "because the show must go on," but she noted that she was still "feeling so out of sorts."

Leah ended her message by expressing gratitude to her fellow New York Housewives for their support this season. "Thank you for being there for me [Eboni K. Williams, Sonja, Luann de Lesseps, Ramona]," Leah wrote. "We still managed to have laughs and some fights."

Eboni and Luann sent their love right back to Leah in the comments section of the post.

Leah's grandmother, Marie, passed away in October 2020. The RHONY cast member posted a touching tribute to her late loved one on Instagram that month. 

"I still can’t wrap my head around the concept of you being gone. I may never be able to. My Queen. You understood me in a way that most of the adults in my life never could," Leah wrote. "You were an open book of wisdom who didn’t hold back when sharing your experiences and feelings. You helped me reconcile and understand the most deeply baffling issues I grappled with from addiction to relationships to motherhood. You were an anchor for the entire family no matter how rough the sea. You loved each of your 14 grandkids unconditionally the way only a grandmother could."

"Knowing you were proud of me is my greatest accomplishment thus far. You respected me as a business woman even when I felt like I had failed. But you helped me feel accomplished and you were the one who would call me and tell me the things I needed to hear," Leah continued in the post. "The end of life conversations we had are going to live in my soul forever. I know you would want us to not be sad but it’s impossible not to be. I feel so grateful you got to see me as a mother, be a great grandma to Kiki [Leah's daughter] and lived to see me get sober again. I promise to keep making you proud and to not be so hard on Bunny [Leah's mother]. Thank you for being the matriarch to our family. We will celebrate you forever but make no mistake there is a gaping hole that will be impossible to fill in every one of our hearts. I miss you so much grandma."

Leah previously reflected on this season of RHONY in a post on Instagram on May 3 in advance of the Season 13 premiere. "Last season it was really hard to be excited when the show aired because the world as we knew it was over. So I’m kind of feeling like it’s my first season all over again!" she wrote. "I don’t want to give too much away but wow we filmed during a challenging year. So much had changed in the world as well as for me personally."

She also shared how much she will miss having her grandmother Marie by her side this season. "I’m really proud of what we did. And at the same time so sad Grandma Marie isn’t here to send me her weekly texts analyzing the episodes," Leah shared. "She was my rock and there is a planet sized hole in my life without her. I wasn’t sure how I’d stay abstinent from booze but whenever I felt like drinking I got strength just thinking about her."

Leah showed love to her RHONY castmates and thanked them "for making me laugh so much during a year that would’ve otherwise been lame."

Want more RHONY? New episodes air every Tuesday at 9/8c or catch up on the Bravo app.