EXCLUSIVE: 'Real Housewives of New York' Is 'Hit by Ratings Disaster'
'Real Housewives of New York' is allegedly facing a ratings disaster, raising concerns over its future.
Oct. 20 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City is fighting for its life after another ratings disaster – and Carole Radziwill's return failed to deliver the bump the network desperately desired, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
'RHONY' Ratings Plunge Amid Carole Radziwill's Return
'The Real Housewives of New York City' suffered historically low premiere ratings despite Carole Radziwill's return.
RHONY's season 16 premiere episode attracted just 371,000 traditional TV viewers, marking a historically low live debut for the franchise – and even with the addition of streaming viewers, it drew a total of only 1.8million.
Sources told RadarOnline.com that executives hoped bringing back an old-school Housewife would restore some of the reality show's former magic, but Radziwill's presence has been overshadowed by scrutiny of her past friendship with creep Jeffrey Epstein's now-jailed madam Ghislaine Maxwell.
Carole Radziwill's Return Fails to Rescue 'RHONY' Ratings
Carole Radziwill said she knew Ghislaine Maxwell only 'socially' and denied knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's activities.
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Radziwill has said she only knew Maxwell "socially" and denied being privy to s-- trafficker Epstein's dirty dealings.
"Carole was supposed to save the show," said an insider. "With numbers like that, how does it survive?"
