Entertainment

6 Major Ways Carole From 'RHONY' Has Changed From Her First Episode To Now

by Marenah Dobin
Heidi Gutman/Bravo

There are many larger than life personalities on Real Housewives of New York City, so it's pretty difficult to stand out in the crowd. Initially Carole Radziwill did just that by going the opposite route and entertaining in a low-key manner. That's all in the past though. Carole has changed a lot since her first RHONY episode.

In the past, Carole never gave the fans any wild, meme-worthy freak-outs, but she definitely played a key role in the show. She provided some subtle comic relief, and she's a writer so all of her one-liners are pretty on point. For a while, a lot of those lines were muttered under her breath or during her on-camera interviews. But now, she's telling her foes how she feels right to their faces.

More than ever, Carole is all about standing up for herself on the show — especially when she's in a tough conversation with her former best friend Bethenny Frankel. Carole is bringing her A game this season. It's a far cry from the Carole who viewers first met when she became a cast member on Real Housewives of New York City back in Season 5. Five seasons later, Carole has evolved so much.

1She Is At Odds With Bethenny

Carole and Bethenny formed a close friendship on and off of the show. They sat next to each other during the end of the season reunions. They were always on the same side of every argument. They were each other's biggest defenders. They were even accused of being too clingy and even considered as mean girls by some co-stars.

These days they are so far from that. Bethenny didn't invite Carole to a charity event or her mission trip to Puerto Rico, which surprised Carole and their other co-stars. Carole got upset with Bethenny for asking Carole's on-again-off-again man Adam Kenworthy to photograph her disaster relief trip behind her back. They've been shading each other during on-camera interviews, in social media posts, and face to face on the show. They did hug it out during the latest episode, but it's clear that things have really shifted for them.

2Her Dynamic With Adam Changed

Carole's relationship with Adam came out of nowhere. She met him in Luann de Lesseps' kitchen and started hanging out with him after he dated Luann's niece, which did not sit well with Luann for years. After that initial hiccup, they had a very solid relationship. Then things got messy. They broke up, started hooking up as friends, and now their status on the show is very unclear.

3She Runs Now

For years, Carole has been very vocal about her disdain for exercise. But on the current season, one of Carole's main storylines (minus fighting with Bethenny) was running the New York City marathon. She trained for the marathon, ran the marathon, celebrated the marathon with a party, and argued with her friends for not supporting her. Will this be the first of many marathons for Carole or was this a one and done event for the Real Housewife?

4She Discusses Her Political Beliefs On The Show

During Season 9 of Real Housewives of New York City, Carole did not hold back sharing her political beliefs. She campaigned for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Presidential Election. She held (what she intended to be) a victory party on the night of the election. She attended the Women's March in Washington D.C. and it was documented for the show. Sure, Real Housewives of New York City is a fun show, but Carole has no problem bringing important issues to the table, as well.

5She's Close With Tinsley

Tinsley Mortimer joined the show in Season 9 as a friend of Sonja Morgan's. That friendship quickly went south (and then got better again?), but Carole and Tinsley immediately hit it off. They became super close, and Carole even set Tinsley up with her current boyfriend Scott Kluth during a blind date that was filmed for the show. On Season 10, Bethenny takes issue with her former close friend being best buds with Tinsley these days, which must be tough for her, but it makes great TV for the fans.

6She's Openly Talking Smack

Carole has always been clever. That cannot be denied. But, she was never a Real Housewife who got off on controversy. Carole will never be the cast member who starts drama, but now she is someone who has no problem joining the drama if it means defending herself.

Carole is not afraid to loudly share her opinions. She is standing up for what she believes in, and she's doing this during the show, on Twitter, and in interviews. Keep it coming!