RHONY star Carole Radziwill opens up about being named in Epstein files ahead of season premiere
Carole Radziwill showed she isn’t afraid to talk about her name’s appearance in the Epstein files as she gears up to return to The Real Housewives of New York City this month.
On Tuesday, Radziwill addressed her presence in the files during a QA session with her fellow RHONY castmates that was hosted by Andy Cohen.
‘Me and many, many, many more people found our names in these files, and it’s not something I shy away from because I think really it’s important to talk about it,’ the 63-year-old socialite said in a video of the conversation posted by Vulture. ‘It’s important to be transparent.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Radziwill and RHONY’s network Bravo for comment but has not yet received a response.
Radziwill broke her silence about being named in the Epstein files back in March, when she denied knowing the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in 2019 at 66 while in custody awaiting trial.
However, she admitted to once being friends with Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, though Radziwill said she last saw Maxwell at an event in 2009.
On Tuesday, returning Real Houswives of New York City cast member Carole Radziwill (pictured in February 2025 in NYC) opened up about her name being in the Epstein files
Radziwill admitted in March to being friends with Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, but denied known Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019; Epstein and Maxwell pictured in 2005
In her RHONY panel on Tuesday, Radziwill claimed to be oblivious to Epstein’s sex trafficking or his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
‘Obviously, I didn’t know anything, as no one 20 years ago would have known anything, but it’s hard also,’ Radziwill said.
She also reiterated her shock at learning of Maxwell’s crimes, after she was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021.
‘It’s hard to think that someone you knew that long ago — and even called a friend at some point — was a horrible, horrible person doing horrible things,’ Radziwill continued. ‘That had all aired, at first I was really nervous. But I just think it’s an opportunity to talk about it.’
She added: ‘There’s real victims and survivors that were brave enough to really stand up to these very, very powerful people. So, you know, not to be a downer, though.’
Radziwill is making her long-awaited return to RHONY for season 16 after previously appearing as a housewife from seasons five through 10.
She was at first reported to be rejoining the series as a friend of the housewives, but she was later upgraded to the main cast of the rebooted version of the long-running Bravo reality series.
In March, Radziwill spoke out about her former friendship with Maxwell and said that the two had only ever known each other socially.
‘Me and many, many, many more people found our names in these files, and it’s not something I shy away from because I think really it’s important to talk about it,’ 63-year-old socialite said in a video of the conversation posted by Vulture . ‘It’s important to be transparent’; pictured in 2024 in NYC
‘Obviously, I didn’t know anything, as no one 20 years ago would have known anything, but it’s hard also,’ Radziwill said of Epstein’s crimes; Epstein and Maxwell are pictured in a photo released by the US Department of Justice
‘It’s hard to think that someone you knew that long ago — and even called a friend at some point — was a horrible, horrible person doing horrible things,’ said Radziwill, who’s pictured with Maxwell in 2007. ‘That had all aired, at first I was really nervous. But I just think it’s an opportunity to talk about it’
She also claimed to have never witnessed any of Maxwell and Epstein’s crimes and wasn’t aware of the allegations against them during the period when she and Maxwell were friendly.
While speaking to the New York Times, Radziwill said that she and Maxwell were friends ‘in the early 2000s’ for ‘five or six years.’
Radziwill said that nothing about Maxwell’s demeanor made her or her friends think anything was amiss with her.
‘The thing about her that made it easy for me to spend any time with her at all was that she was very intelligent, she was educated,’ Radziwill said. ‘If you lined up 10 women, and you asked, like, pick the woman who would be involved in an international sex trafficking ring, it would not be her.’
Maxwell went on to photograph the author photo for Radziwill’s best-selling 2005 memoir What Remains.
The housewife did admit to seeing Epstein at a party at Maxwell’s home, but she said that Maxwell never mentioned Epstein or spoke of him.
‘I never knew Jeffrey Epstein,’ Radziwill stated.
Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to entice and transport minors for illegal sex acts, and she was sentenced the following year to 20 years in a federal prison.
Radziwill was publicly heckled on the street over her ties to the Epstein files in the trailer for The Real Housewives of New York City’s 16th season in July
In the RHONY trailer, Radziwill was heckled on the street over her name being mentioned in the Epstein files while filming a scene with castmate Erin Lichy
In the next scene, Sai De Silva questioned Radziwill over her ties to Epstein and asked the What Remains author if she ever visited the infamous ‘Epstein island’
After his 2008 conviction, Epstein was hit with charges for sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex in 2019. He died by suicide while in jail awaiting trial.
Radziwill faced a tense interrogation by one of her castmates over her name appearing in the Epstein files in an explosive trailer for The Real Housewives of New York City that was released in July.
In the RHONY trailer, Radziwill was heckled on the street over her name being mentioned in the Epstein files while filming a scene with castmate Erin Lichy.
Someone could be heard off-camera exclaiming, ‘The Epstein files! She’s the one from the Epstein files!’
Radziwill muttered, ‘Who is that?’ as she looked around, while Lichy stood by with her mouth agape in total shock.
In the next scene, Sai De Silva questioned Radziwill over her ties to Epstein and asked the What Remains author if she ever visited the infamous ‘Epstein island.’
‘So you never went to this island?’ De Silva asked, to which Radziwill quickly responded, ‘No!’ before asking, ‘You think I’m part of an international sex-trafficking ring?’
The Daily Mail previously reached out to Radziwill for comment.
‘So you never went to this island?’ De Silva asked, to which Radziwill quickly responded, ‘No!’ before asking, ‘You think I’m part of an international sex-trafficking ring?’
Radziwill is back on The Real Housewives of New York City after quitting the show at the end of season 10 back in 2018
Radziwill has previously acknowledged her ties to Maxwell, saying she was misled by the British socialite, who photographed the cover of her best-selling 2005 memoir What Remains
Maxwell was convicted on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy in 2021 and was sentenced in June of 2022
Radziwill was one of a number of public figures whose names were included in materials released by the federal government, which drew from lists of contacts, emails and social engagements. Inclusion on the lists did not imply any wrongdoing.
A press release from Bravo teases Radziwill’s storyline this season, saying: ‘Never one to hold back, Carole settles into this group of familiar faces and new connections on her own terms.
It continues: ‘But while focused on what lies ahead, an emotionally charged chapter from her past lands back in the headlines and forces her to confront something she thought she had left behind.’
Radziwill joins De Silva, Lichy and returning Housewife Jessel Taank, along with newcomers Hailey Glassman, Erika Hammond and Daisy Toye.
Toye is famous for being Martha Stewart’s makeup artist, with Stewart herself even making a cameo on the Bravo reality show this upcoming season.
The Real Housewives of New York City premieres on Tuesday, September 8 on Bravo.