Carole Radziwill Signals Lingering Tension With Bethenny Frankel Ahead of RHONY Return

Carole Radziwill's Quiet Like Says Everything About Where Things Stand With Bethenny Frankel

A single tap on TikTok is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now. As Carole Radziwill prepares for her return to The Real Housewives of New York City — season 16 premieres on Bravo September 8 — she signaled where her head is at regarding former bestie-turned-nemesis Bethenny Frankel by publicly liking a video that dragged Frankel's newest business pivot. Eight years after that unforgettable reunion showdown, the frost between these two clearly hasn't thawed.

A Like Worth a Thousand Words

The video in question came from influencer and comedian Meredith Lynch, posted on August 15, who took aim at Frankel's recently launched Supermodel Café in the Hamptons. Lynch argued that Skinnygirl — Frankel's longtime brand — has lost cultural relevance, suggesting the market has moved past the "skinny-whatever" marketing era. She characterized the Supermodel concept as "easily transitional branding," noting that Frankel has filed trademarks for "Supermodel" across pizza, cheesecake and other products, implying a broader rebrand is underway. Radziwill didn't comment publicly, didn't post a story, didn't draft a subtweet. She simply liked the video. And in the Housewives universe, that's a statement.

The Long Game of Public Score-Settling

This is textbook narrative control without ever opening your mouth. If you're Carole Radziwill and you know every move gets scrutinized ahead of a reality TV comeback, then a low-effort like carries maximum deniability with just enough signal for those paying attention. It's the kind of move a seasoned media player makes — enough to keep the conversation going, not enough to generate a direct quote for anyone's press cycle.

The backdrop matters here. Frankel herself waded into Radziwill's territory earlier this year when the Epstein Files surfaced, publicly questioning Radziwill's social connections while claiming she had no interest in going after her former castmate. Radziwill has denied any involvement with Epstein or knowledge of his crimes. The dynamic is familiar to anyone who's watched Bravo feuds calcify: each side frames themselves as the one taking the high road while the other keeps swinging.

What to Watch When RHONY Returns

With season 16 on the horizon, the question isn't really whether these two will reconcile — ship, meet sailed — but whether the producers will lean into the history or let Radziwill's return tell a fresh story entirely. Frankel isn't currently part of the cast, so any tension will live off-screen, in likes and interviews and carefully timed commentary. That's the real chess match: who controls the narrative when you're not even in the same room anymore?

For now, Radziwill's strategy reads as quiet alignment — signaling whose side of the brand debate she finds credible without saying a word herself. It's restrained, it's deliberate, and honestly? It's the most Carole move imaginable.