From Page Six · · 1m 50s
Carole's breaking point with Jessel's Carolyn Bessette questions
A Real Housewives brunch turns tense when a castmate presses Carole about her late friend with tactless questions.
In brief
A Real Housewives brunch turns tense when a castmate presses Carole about her late friend with tactless questions. Asking insensitive questions about someone's grief, even unintentionally, can damage relationships and require later apologies. Originally reported by Page Six.
Jessel asks the wrong question
At a Real Housewives brunch, Jessel Taank asked Carole Radziwill if her late friend Carolyn Bessette was "a bitch," referencing a new Hulu series about Bessette's life and relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr.
“Just ask the question: Was she a bitch?”
Carole's connection to Bessette
Carole was married to Anthony Radziwill, who was John F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin and best friend. She knew Bessette personally and described her as "very fun" and "a girl's girl."
The Carolyn Bessette summer trend
Taank brought up a fashion trend where people dress minimally in blacks, whites, and neutrals to channel Bessette's iconic style. Carole said she didn't love the trend, and Taank accused her of participating in it anyway.
Asking about the Kennedy curse
Taank then asked the group if they think the Kennedy family is "cursed," bringing up President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination and other family tragedies. The other ladies signaled they'd had enough.
Carole reaches her limit
In her confessional, Carole said she wanted to "strangle" Taank for not understanding that she was still grieving her best friend. She left the brunch early, and castmate Erin Lichy criticized Taank for not "reading the room."
“I want to strangle her.”
Jessel apologizes on air
After the episode aired, Taank appeared on Watch What Happens Live and said she "genuinely felt really bad" for the insensitive questions. She explained she was trying to celebrate Bessette's fashion legacy, not disrespect her memory.
“I genuinely felt really bad for discussing the sensitive topic with Radziwill.”
The tragedy that shaped it all
Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash in July 1999, along with Bessette's sister Lauren. Kennedy Jr. was piloting a Piper Saratoga headed to Martha's Vineyard when the crash occurred.
Here's the gist
Asking insensitive questions about someone's grief, even unintentionally, can damage relationships and require later apologies.
