Carole Radziwill is defending her past friendship with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell after her Real Housewives of New York City co-stars questioned their relationship and her name appearing in the Epstein files.
During the Bravo show’s sixth episode, Sai De Silva confronted Carole about the “weird” connection, prompting the former journalist to explain how she knew Ghislaine.
“We had a couple of mutual girlfriends, and when I would see Ghislaine, it would always be with these mutual girlfriends, but I didn’t know Jeffrey Epstein. I never met him. She never talked about him,” Carole responded.
The reality star explained that she met Ghislaine through social circles after the death of her husband, Anthony Radziwill.
Although they eventually lost touch, Carole said the friendship “wasn’t that deep.”
She also called Ghislaine a “social climber” who pursued relationships with wealthy, influential people or those with recognizable surnames.
Carole admitted she never suspected her involvement in sexual exploitation.
“People do not present themselves to everyone as they are, especially if they’re involved in some criminal, f–ked up behavior,” she said.
Ghislaine was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Following the episode, Carole addressed online accusations about her former friendship.
“It will never be true,” she wrote on Substack. “At this point, it’s just harassment from an army of haters, bots, and trolls.”