Carole Radziwill Breaks Her Silence On Rejoining 'Real Housewives' Amid Fan Backlash

Carole Radziwill has broken her silence on returning to "The Real Housewives of New York City" amid Ghislaine Maxwell connections.

Bravo gave one of its biggest updates on "The Real Housewives of New York City" on March 2 by announcing that Carole Radziwill was set to return to the show. Only a short time later, they confirmed the full cast, including returners Sai De Silva, Erin Lichy, and Jessel Taank. Now, one day later, the former "RHONY" star has broken her silence on her Bravo return.

Carole Radziwill Says Bravo Fans Manifested Her 'RHONY' Return

 

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Bravo announced Radziwill's return on its official social media channels. They posted a collage of four photos of the former "RHONY" from over the years, captioning the post, "In the marathon of life, loyalty is everything. And because of Bravo fans’ loyalty, Carole Radziwill is returning to #RHONY as a friend-of for Season 16!!!" So far, the post has received over 41,000 "likes" on Instagram.

Bravo Also Announced The Rest Of The Season 16 Cast

 

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While fans were still reeling from the news of Radziwill, the Bravo social media channels revealed the full cast for season 16 of "The Real Housewives of New York City." The network said in the caption, "We’ll be there in a New York minute. Meet the official cast of #RHONY Season 16! Start spreading the news...cameras begin rolling THIS WEEK."

In addition to De Silva, Lichy, and Taank, newbies Hailey Glassman, Erika Hammond, and Daisy Toye will be full-time housewives on the show.

Regarding the newbies, Glassman is a PR professional who previously dated Jon Gosselin from "Jon & Kate Plus 8." Hammon is a former wrestler and the founder of Rumble Boxing. Finally, Toye is a well-known makeup artist who has worked with the likes of Martha Stewart.

Fans Are Mixed About Radziwill's Return

Make no mistake, the Bravo community at large is excited to see Radziwill return to "The Real Housewives of New York City." In fact, some fans admitted that she is their favorite "RHONY" star. However, a significant portion of the fandom isn't too sure. This is mainly because, according to The Independent, she is mentioned in the Epstein Files. This is not as much about a connection to Jeffrey Epstein himself, but rather to Ghislaine Maxwell.

One person noted her being cast as a friend of the show, saying, "Friend of Ghislaine Maxwell." Someone else said, "The same Carole Radziwill that was besties with Ghislaine Maxwell." Another Instagram user said, "A friend of Ghislaine Maxwell? Who asked for her to return?"

A different "RHONY" fan commented, "Oh, we’re letting Carole Epstein on the show? Good thing I wasn’t gonna watch anyway." In support, someone else wrote, "WE'VE PRAYED FOR DAYS LIKE THIS." Finally, someone else joked, "May this decision be the spark that leads to true global peace."

The Former 'RHONY' Star Previously Discussed Her Connection To Maxwell

It has been known that Maxwell photographed the cover for Radziwill's 2004 memoir, "What Remains." Recently, in September 2025, the former "RHONY" star responded to a fan on X who asked why this had been the case instead of using a different photographer.

Radziwill stated, "I knew her socially, she had a real camera (it was 2004, no one carried cameras). Anyway, I'd had a pro photo shoot, but the pics were bad. I asked her if she'd take the picture & she said sure. In hindsight, was it odd she had a camera? I guess, but who knew?! Subscribe to my Substack!"

It should be noted that Radziwill is reportedly found in other sections of the Epstein Files, including her information being found in his address book.

Bethenny Frankel Defended Her Former Co-Star

Radziwill appeared on four seasons of "The Real Housewives of New York City" alongside Bethenny Frankel. Amid the resurfacing of the connection to Maxwell, Frankel defended her former co-star despite past issues. Per US Weekly, she said, "What I do know is that Carole has been friendly with many notable women."

She went on, "I do know that Carole has taken many opportunities to swipe at me, dig at me, speak negatively about me in a post-[RHONY] world, meaning when the show is going, it’s fair game. But, in a post-show world, she has certainly gone for it, and I’m not going to do the same."

She added, "It’s not my business."