Radziwill originally left the reality series in 2018 amid twin feuds with castmate Bethenny Frankel and Bravo boss Andy Cohen.

Carole Radziwill returns to divisive RHONY reboot nearly a decade after dramatic exit

Radziwill originally left the reality series in 2018 amid twin feuds with castmate Bethenny Frankel and Bravo boss Andy Cohen.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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March 2, 2026 8:17 p.m. ET

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Carole Radziwill at the 'Morning Show' season 4 premiere in New York. Credit:

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

- Carole Radziwill is returning to *The Real Housewives of New York City* in a recurring capacity after leaving on a dramatic note in 2018.

- Radziwill was engaged in feuds with castmate Bethenny Frankel and Bravo boss Andy Cohen when she departed after season 10, but has since reconciled with Cohen.

- She will join returning *RHONY* reboot stars Sai De Silva, Erin Lichy, and Jessel Taank, as well as newcomers Erika Hammond, Daisy Toye, and Hailey Glassman.

Carole Radziwill is having a Housewives homecoming.

The best-selling memoirist, former international correspondent, and Kennedy family member via marriage is jumping back into the *Real Housewives of New York City* fray as a friend-of for the upcoming season 16. *Variety* first reported the news Monday, which *RHONY* network Bravo subsequently confirmed with an Instagram post celebrating the return of fan-favorite "Radzi."

Referencing Radziwill's penchant for long-distance running, the network wrote, "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!"

Radziwill returns at an inauspicious time in the long lifespan of the reality institution.

*RHONY* made stars of many of its cast members, like Bethenny Frankel, Dorinda Medley, Luann De Lesseps, and Radziwill, who appeared in the core cast from season 5 to season 10. But by season 13, the network decided that the series was in a tough enough spot to merit a reboot, which entirely wiped the cast and replaced them with six brand-new faces.

The rebooted *RHONY* has struggled to find footing with viewers and has suffered major ratings losses. Meanwhile, E! announced that original cast members de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, and Jill Zarin would join season 2 addition Kelly Bensimon and season 3 addition Sonja Morgan on a new reality series called *The Golden Life*.

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Just days after the series announcement, however, Zarin was fired from the project for making racist comments about Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance. The network then tapped Medley, who joined the *RHONY* core cast in season 7, to replace Zarin.

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Radziwill has had her own rocky road toward rejoining *RHONY*, a possibility some fans never even considered given the acrimonious terms on which she departed from the show.

Frankel and Radziwill became fast friends when the Skinnygirl founder staged her own return in season 7. A few short years saw that relationship turn from sweet to sour, however, with Radziwill's last season on the show dominated by bitter fights with Frankel.

The feud spilled beyond the bounds of their relationship, affecting Radziwill's relationship with Bravo boss Andy Cohen as well. Radziwill called Cohen "full of s‑‑‑," and he compared her to Donald Trump that first year after she left *RHONY*. They didn't make up until 2025, when Cohen noted that years after Radziwill "asked me to never speak to her again," they "came to a very positive place" after a chance meeting.

The cast of 'RHONY' season 5.

Michael Rosenthal/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Bravo's *RHONY* reboot initially starred Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, and Brynn Whitfield. Two seasons of shakeups have resulted in a season 16 cast with only De Silva, Lichy, and Taank returning.

They will be joined by Radziwill, but only in a friend-of (or recurring) capacity. Bravo also announced Monday that three new faces are set to join the season 16 core cast: celebrity fitness coach Erika Hammond, Martha Stewart aide Daisy Toye, and Hailey Glassman, who previously dated *Jon & Kate Plus 8* star Jon Gosselin.

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Source: “EW Reality”