Carole Radziwill’s return to The Real Housewives of New York City came at the height of renewed interest in the life — and untimely death — of her close friend Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.
News broke in March that Carole, 63, was officially returning to the Bravo franchise after previously starring on seasons 5 through 10. One month earlier, Ryan Murphy’s Love Story premiered on FX, chronicling Carolyn’s relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr.
The controversial series starred Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly as the central couple, whose whirlwind romance stole hearts around the country. Carolyn and JFK Jr. were both in their 30s when they died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 1999.
Carole — who was married to JFK Jr.’s late cousin Anthony Radziwill — has been outspoken about not wanting to engage with the FX show. When RHONY season 16 debuted in September, however, it was all any of her costars could ask her about.
Scroll down to see everything Carole has said about Carolyn and Love Story on RHONY so far:
Sensitive Subject
While at brunch during episode 2, newbie Daisy Koye told Carole she was “dying” to talk about Love Story. Costar Jessel Taank chimed in, “Just ask the question: Was [Carolyn] a bitch?” — which didn’t sit well with the other women.
Daisy clarified that she was more curious whether Carolyn would “vibe” with their friend group.
“She’s a girl’s girl, like, before there was a thing called girl’s girls,” Carole said. “I don’t know what she’s like on [Love Story], because I haven’t watched the show.”
Carole added, “I watched about four minutes of it the other night with my best friend, ‘cause she’s like, ‘Well, let’s just try to watch it together.’ And it’s too much.”
‘Carolyn Bessette Summer’
Jessel’s brunch commentary continued to raise eyebrows when she asked Carole what she thought about the “Carolyn Bessette Summer” trend of minimalist fashion.
“Yeah, I don’t love that,” Carole admitted. “I don’t think you should do that.”
Later in the season, Carole said she “didn’t even know” how to respond to Jessel’s “rude, thoughtless [and] insensitive” comments.
“Everyone’s American Love Story is my American Horror Story,” Carole claimed.
Trigger Warning
While sitting down with Daisy in episode 3, Carole admitted she felt “triggered” by Love Story.
“It’s difficult for me, obviously, because it brings back some of the most painful times of my life,” she said. “I feel a little bit assaulted by all of it. And not just the show, ‘cause I’m not watching it. But everything around it.”
In a confessional, Carole elaborated further. “I wrote about that part of my life [in my book What Remains]. I wrote about my friendship with Carolyn. I don’t really talk about it; I kind of hold it close,” she told the cameras. “This endless chatter about it, I don’t feel like it honors the friendship.”
Not a Photo Op
Carole also told Daisy that she recently went to see a friend who lives on the same block where Carolyn’s apartment was. “The other night, I was there, and there were, like, three girls in front [of the building] taking selfies,” she recalled. “I said, ‘This is f***ing ghoulish, like, what are you doing?”
Clearing the Air
Carole confronted Jessel to “clear the air” when the group gathered for Daisy’s seder in episode 4.
“I’m struggling with the Love Story series, obviously,” she explained. “Carolyn was a real person, and my best friend and cousin, and it was a very painful summer. … Carolyn was not an aesthetic and the ‘Carolyn Bessette Summer,’ you know, that’s not good.”
Jessel noted that she “obviously didn’t know” Carolyn in real life, causing Carole to argue that “nobody” did as well as her family.
“I’m not offended,” she continued. “When I think of her, I don’t think about her clothes, I don’t think about [her] aesthetic. It never even occurred to me that she had one. … It’s just something that I don’t want to have to think about.”
Carole told Jessel that the comment made her seem like more of a “dingbat” than a mean girl. “I feel like I have a little resentment, and I don’t want the resentment to grow into something else,” she added.
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