Carole Radziwill is addressing her name appearing in the unsealed Jeffrey Epstein files as "The Real Housewives of New York City" prepares for its 16th season. Radziwill stated that she believes in transparency and is not shying away from the topic.
"Me and many, many, many, many more people found their names in these files, and it’s not something I shy away from because I think, really, it’s important to talk about it. It’s important to be transparent," Radziwill said at a press event at Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons. She added that she "didn’t know anything, as no one, you know, 20 years ago would have known anything."
Radziwill, who is returning to "RHONY" after an eight-year hiatus, also spoke about her former friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted for her role in facilitating Epstein's sexual abuse of young girls. "It’s hard to think that someone you knew that long ago, even called a friend at some point, was a horrible, horrible person doing horrible things," Radziwill said of Maxwell.
In the trailer for the upcoming "RHONY" season, Radziwill is questioned by co-star Sai Da Silva about whether she had ever visited Epstein's private island. Radziwill responded with a denial and asked Da Silva, "You think I’m part of an international sex trafficking ring?" Another scene in the trailer features someone on the street shouting at Radziwill, "She’s the one from the Epstein files!"
Radziwill previously told The New York Times in March that she "never knew Jeffrey Epstein." However, she acknowledged being friends with Maxwell for "five or six years" in the early 2000s, clarifying that their relationship ended long before Maxwell's crimes came to light. "Imagine knowing someone… and then they turn out to be, like, a monster," Radziwill commented.
Maxwell was credited as the photographer for the author photo in Radziwill's 2005 memoir, "What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love." Radziwill described Maxwell as intelligent and educated, noting that she did not seem like someone capable of egregious behavior. "If you lined up 10 women, and you asked, like, pick the woman who would be involved in an international sex trafficking ring, it would not be her," Radziwill stated.
"RHONY" Season 16 is scheduled to premiere on Sept. 8 on Bravo. Radziwill views her return to the show as an "opportunity to talk" about the files and the issues surrounding the victims and survivors involved.