Bravo Is Deliberately ‘Playing With Fire’ By Playing Up Carole Radziwill’s Alleged Connections to Jeffrey Epstein, Insider Says

<p id=”par-1_28″>Bravo is making a desperate play to save the flagging <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/these-original-rhony-stars-are-headed-to-a-new-network.html/”><em>Real Housewives of New York City</em></a><em> </em>franchise. But the move could backfire in a major way, some say. </p>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-bravo-stirs-up-controversy-with-carole-radziwill-s-return”>Bravo stirs up controversy with Carole Radziwill’s return </h2>

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<iframe title=”SNEAK PEEK: Your First Look At The Real Housewives of NYC Season 16 | RHONY Trailer (S16) | Bravo” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/O1bXb9u7tO0?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-2_59″>In 2023, after a lackluster season 13, the network introduced an entirely new cast for <em>RHONY. </em>But the rebooted show <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/despite-reports-the-real-houewives-of-new-york-city-has-not-been-canceled-these-installments-have-though.html/”>hasn’t been well-received</a> by many Bravo fans, who haven’t warmed t​​o the new cast. So, for season 16, producers are switching things up again, this time by introducing former cast member Carole Radziwill to the current group of Housewives. </p>

<p id=”par-3_45″>But there’s a problem. While Radziwill’s casting appeals to those nostalgic for the old <em>RHONY, </em>it raises some uncomfortable issues because of her former association with Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker who helped gr​​oom and recruit girls f​​or financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  </p>

<p id=”par-4_40″>Radziwill was friends with Maxwell f​or several years in the early 2000s, and Maxwell even took the author photo for Radziwill’s 2007 memoir, <em>What Remains. </em>But the Bravo star says she knew nothing of Maxwell’s crimes and never met Epstein.<em> </em></p>

<p id=”par-5_26″>“Imagine knowing someone… and then they turn out to be, like, a monster,” she said in an interview with <a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/style/carole-radziwill-rhony-love-story-epstein-files.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The New York Times</a> earlier this year.</p>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-bravo-is-taking-a-big-risk-tv-veteran-says”>Bravo is taking a big risk, TV veteran says </h2>

<p id=”par-6_34″>Some Bravo fans have questioned Radziwill’s casting and vowed not to watch the new season of <em>RHONY</em>, which premieres September 8. But Bravo execs apparently believe the controversy will reignite interest in the show. </p>

<p id=”par-7_44″>“Nobody accidentally drags Jeffrey Epstein into the promotion of a Housewives show,” a Bravo insider told Rob Shuter’s <a href=”https://robshuter.substack.com/p/exclusive-andy-cohen-plays-with-epstein” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Naughty But Nice</em></a> substack. “They didn’t have to bring Carole back, revisit these connections or make this part of the conversation. They chose every single step.”</p>

<p id=”par-8_14″>One expert says that Bravo’s move may not play out the way it hopes. </p>

<p id=”par-9_32″>“This is playing with fire,” a veteran TV source said. “These were horrific crimes with real victims. Turning even the outer edges of that story into reality-TV intrigue could blow up spectacularly.”</p>

<p id=”par-10_18″>Meanwhile, producer Andy Cohen has promised that Radziwill will not shy away from tough questions about her past.</p>

<p id=”par-11_34″>“[T]hey’re missing out,” Cohen said in a post on <a href=”https://www.threads.com/@bravoandy/post/Db1lziJjVGo” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Threads</a> in response to the people threatening to boycott <em>RHONY</em> Season 16. “And [Radziwill] answers everything you’d want to know about it on the show.”</p>

<p id=”par-12_26″><em>The Real Housewives of New York City </em>Season 16 premieres Tuesday, September 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock. </p>

<p id=”par-13_11″><em>For more​​ news and exclusive interviews, follow </em><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/showbizcheatsheet/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram</em></a><em>. </em></p>