Why Did Carole Radziwill Leave ‘RHONY’? Her Exit & Return, Explained

She’s back! Carole Radziwill makes her highly-anticipated return to The Real Housewives of New York City on the September 15 episode, eight years after she previously exited the show.

Radziwill starred on RHONY from Seasons 5 to 10 (2012 to 2018). The show was completely rebooted with a brand-new cast for Season 14 in 2023, but in 2025, Andy Cohen invited Radziwill back to join the new group. She is the first former cast member to return in the rebooted version.

The comeback comes amid Radziwill making headlines for being mentioned in the Epstein Files (she’s insisted she does not know Jeffrey Epstein), as well as her connection to the Kennedy family through her late husband, Anthony Radziwill (John F. Kennedy Jr.‘s cousin), which was recently in the spotlight due to Ryan Murphy‘s Love Story series about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Per previously released clips, she will address both on the Bravo series.

Below, scroll down for more about Radziwill’s RHONY exit and her decision to return.

Why did Carole Radziwill leave RHONY?

Radziwill confirmed her RHONY exit in July 2018 while Season 10 was still airing. She explained that her decision came amid a desire to return to her roots as a journalist (she worked for ABC News from 1986 to 2002).

“After six seasons on Bravo’s RHONYC, I have decided to return to what I do best —  journalism and producing,” Radziwill said at the time. “I am sure this does not come as a surprise to any of the viewers, all of whom have been supportive, encouraging, and kind. My original curiosity about reality television has waned over the years and I am focusing on TV and writing projects that better suit my more steady temperament.”

She concluded, “I have worked with amazing producers, made great friends, and I’m thrilled to leave frenemies behind. I will remember this entire experience with delight, humor, and a veracious accuracy. Next.”

Why is Carole Radziwill back on RHONY?

Radziwill re-entered the Bravoverse with an appearance on Watch What Happens Live in August 2025. She then attended BravoCon three months later.

Eugene Gologursky/Bravo

It was after BravoCon that Cohen sent Radziwill a “cryptic” message asking her to talk over coffee. She told Bravo Insider she had a hunch that he was going to ask her to return and that she went into the meeting thinking she would politely decline.

However, after they parted ways, she said she was “50/50,” and that it was ultimately fan support that pulled her back in. She cited a specific moment with a woman in the ICU who told her she had brightened their day.

“Just something about that moment, not to be super corny or basic, but there was magic in it,” Radziwill admitted. “And I just thought, you know, people love that show. It’s these micro transactions that happen every day that really, over the long haul, change your life. You’re gonna bring them joy. It was one of the turning points.”

It helped that Radziwill is close with Erin Lichy, who has been on the show since Season 14.

What happened between Andy Cohen and Carole Radziwill?

After the Season 10 RHONY reunion in 2018, Radziwill and Cohen, who were friends even before she became an RHONY cast member, had a falling out. The reunion centered on a feud between Radziwill and Bethenny Frankel, and Radziwill called Cohen “full of s**t” for seemingly siding with Frankel during the controversy.

“It was very clear to me — and then later on, I think, the audience — that he was supporting Bethenny in this way that I’ve never seen him at any other reunion do that,” Radziwill said on Jenny McCarthy‘s radio show the following year.

Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Cohen stood by his actions, telling Bravo in 2019, “All I was doing was pointing out, ‘Yeah, you have both been talking s**t about each other.’ I wasn’t saying anyone was talking more s**t or not.” He called Radziwill’s actions “very Trumpian.”

The two called each other out publicly various times in subsequent years, but in November 2024, Cohen revealed that he and his former friend and reconnected. Of their reunion, Radziwill told People, “We both came to understand that our disagreements had everything to do with the high-pressure nature of the show and very little to do with our friendship, which preceded it. “Andy and I are very much on the same page now, and I’m happy about that.”

He later told Us Weekly that Radziwill texted him first before they got together. “We were conversing publicly a little bit, and she texted me privately, and then we just started texting,” he shared. “Then we ran into each other.” The run-in came “like 10 days later” at the Polo Bar. It was the first time they saw each other in person since the 2018 RHONY reunion.

Related

Get to Know 'RHONY' Newbie Hailey Glassman

Radziwill reiterated this anecdote on her Instagram Story after her 2025 WWHL appearance. “True story… we hadn’t spoken or even bumped into each other in nearly 7 years!” she explained. “After another public argument, we quietly settled our differences over text messages. Then, one week later, we bumped into each other at The Polo Bar! The universe had said, enough!”

The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 16, Tuesdays, 8/7c, Bravo