Jeff Lewis admits he was trolling his bosses at Bravo with a doctored Instagram photo that’s got him in hot water.
The Flipping Out star posted an image to his feed on Monday showing him standing in what appeared to be the network’s offices in front of an official portrait of himself, which he edited to look as if it was defaced with a big X over his face and phrases like “Contract EXPIRED!” and “Your 15 minutes are up” scrawled across it.
RELATED: Jeff Lewis Reads Scathing Texts from Boss Andy Cohen on Radio: ‘You’re Pissing Everyone Off’
He later clarified that while he maintains his contract with Bravo was not renewed, that does not mean Flipping Out is definitely cancelled. Bravo confirmed to PEOPLE that “nothing official has been determined” regarding Flipping Out. They had no comment on the status of Lewis’s contract.
“We were joking,” Lewis said of the Instagram post during a segment on his SiriusXM radio show, Jeff Lewis Live, on Tuesday. “[My partner] Gage and I just had fun with it,” he said. “We joked as if the Bravo employees had defaced it.”
At least one of his bosses, Bravo exec Andy Cohen, on whose XM channel Lewis’s radio show airs, seemingly didn’t find it funny — and called out Lewis on his apparent pot stirring.
According to Lewis, Cohen reached out to him via text message following the post, asking what his goal was. Instead of keeping their conversation private, Lewis read what he claims was their exchange verbatim while on the air.
In one message, Lewis blatantly threatened to take his talents to another network, a move he admitted was intended to agitate his bosses.
According to Lewis, Cohen wrote, “[The network] usually picks up shows after they finish their season. But maybe you want to let competitors know you are open for business, which you are definitely doing.”
Lewis says he admitted that he was “letting competitors know I’m a free agent.”
“I’ll be at WE in no time,” he added, before noting that he really does “like everybody at Bravo.”
Reps for Bravo did not return a request for comment from Cohen.
WATCH THIS: Flipping Out Star Jeff Lewis Shows Off His Gorgeous Home
Lewis admits the timing of his contract expiration wasn’t ideal.
RELATED: Jeff Lewis Asks Supporters to Sign Fan-Created Petition Calling for Bravo to Renew His Contract
Over the past few months, Lewis has been at the center of two major scandals. The first was a lawsuit brought by the surrogate, who carried Lewis and Edward’s now nearly two-year-old daughter, Monroe. The filing named Lewis, Edward, Bravo, and Flipping Out’s production company, Authentic Entertainment, claiming that, among other issues, they filmed her giving birth without her consent.
Then, in September, PEOPLE exclusively reported that Lewis had parted ways with his longtime friend and coworker Jenni Pulos following an explosive fight that was said to have been caught on camera and will air during the current 11th season of Flipping Out. Following their fight, Lewis claims that Pulos filed two complaints against him for “abuse and victimization” and later, for wrongful termination.
Flipping Out airs Tuesdays (10 p.m. ET) on Bravo. Jeff Lewis Live airs Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (11 a.m. ET) on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy (Ch. 102).
Source: Read Full Article