Carole Radziwill Cast in ‘RHONY’ Season 16 as ‘Friend’, Filming Begins
Carole Radziwill – who starred on ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ from seasons 5 to 10 – will rejoin the cast in the role of ‘friend’ for the Bravo series’ 16th season. Filming begins this week in New York City.
Radziwill, an author and journalist, distinguished herself during her years on “RHONY” with her dry humor, and has lately appeared in public and on social media with Erin Lichy, who has been starring on the reality series since its Season 14 reboot. Lichy, Sai De Silva and Jessel Taank are the only three cast members from the ‘RHONY’ reboot who will continue the show: Brynn Whitfield and Ubah Hassan, who were central figures in the controversial final episodes of season 15, have left, and Racquel Chevremont will not be returning either. Designer Jenna Lyons announced last November that she wouldn’t be returning either, along with Rebecca Minkoff, who was a “friend” during season 15 and never really interacted with the cast.
On Monday, DeuxMoi posted about the return of Lichy, De Silva and Taaank, and that filming will begin this week. The gossip site also posted that the new additions to the cast are Daisy Toye (who works with Martha Stewart); Hailey Glassman (whose name you may recognize from the tabloids when she dated Jon Gosselin shortly after the Gosselins split); and celebrity trainer Erika Hammond. The DeuxMoi source also leaked that Lori Gordon, the former showrunner of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” will take over as director of “RHONY.” (Both shows are produced by Shed Media for Bravo, so that would make sense.)
Bravo representatives declined to comment on the DeuxMoi report.
Radziwill left “RHONY” after a difficult season in which she and then-Bravo star (now anti-Bravo activist) Bethenny Frankel had a heated feud. Announcing her departure in July 2018, Radziwill said in a statement: “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 stable temperament.”
Her divorce from Bravo had certainly seemed permanent until recently. During a season 10 reunion episode, Radziwill, while arguing with Frankel, accused Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen of being afraid of Frankel. producing an all-timer of a moment. “You’re so full of bullshit, Andy,” Radziwill told Cohen. “Are you kidding? Are you afraid of her too?” Cohen sarcastically replied, “Yes, I’m afraid of her.”
In the years that followed, Cohen and Radziwill exchanged comments on social media and in interviews. Cohen even went so far as to accuse Radziwill of being a critical anonymous source quoted in a New York Magazine Profile about him, saying the show had become cast members who were “doing opposition research and making up false storylines and leaking stories about each other and trying to get each other fired.” Cohen said on his SiriusXM show “Radio Andy” that it was “not even a question” that the source was Radziwill, prompting her to say “there’s always a little guy waiting to be offended” about a “truthful observation.”
You get the idea: Bravo, Cohen and Radziwill seemed to be done forever. But miraculously, in the fall of 2024, Cohen said he and Radziwill had hooked up, and in August 2025, Cohen brought her onto his late-night talk show “Watch What Happens Live” to surprise his guests Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Her performance proved extremely popular, and from there Radziwill was welcomed back to the Bravosphere, where she appeared at BravoCon in Las Vegas in November 2025. When Radziwill spoke to this reporter during a casual conversation in the press room, he seemed surprised to be there, but said the fans had always been so welcoming that she was having a good time.
Notably, Radziwill will not appear on the E! series “The Golden Life,” which will reunite old “RHONY” castmates in Palm Beach, Florida, and will begin filming this spring. (Except Jill Zarin.)
