Carole Radziwill is back on “The Real Housewives of New York City,” but she says filming season 16 felt very different from the show she originally joined years ago.
Carole first became a Housewife in season 5 and remained with RHONY through season 10. This time, she did not walk into a group of strangers.
While speaking at a Sept. 1 panel in the Hamptons, Carole opened up about returning to the franchise and why the experience felt different this time around.
Why Carole Radziwill’s RHONY Return Felt Different
Carole said she had no existing relationships with the cast when she first joined RHONY.
“One difference is when I started in Season 5 in, I don’t know, 2011, I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know anybody,” she admitted to Bravo.
Season 16 was another story.
“I knew Erin [Lichy] for a few years, and I met almost all of them in the New York social scene, so that was different,” Carole explained.
Those familiar faces include returning Housewives Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva and Jessel Taank, along with newcomers Hailey Glassman, Erika Hammond and Daisy Toye.
Carole Says the New RHONY Cast ‘Brought the Funny Back’
Carole also sounded confident that viewers will connect with the season 16 group.
“I think the audience is happy to see an OG back, and I think they’ll come for me, but they’ll stay for the cast,” she said.
“Because they’re really dynamic, they’re really funny,” Carole continued. “I feel like we brought the funny back, and I think you all are gonna love it. And I loved it, and I loved working with them. I loved others more than some others, but this is the nature of the show and the nature of life. So I think you all will be happily surprised.”
Carole previously described season 16 as “a new era,” and her own storyline will include more than reconnecting with the franchise. Bravo’s cast bio says she will navigate new relationships and personal growth while an emotionally charged chapter from her past unexpectedly puts her back in the headlines.
Viewers will see how her return unfolds when “The Real Housewives of New York City” season 16 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream the following day on Peacock.
