Jessel Taank is defending her callous questions about the late Carolyn Bessette.
During Tuesday night’s episode of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” Taank shockingly asked Carole Radziwill if Carolyn — who died in a plane crash alongside her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr., in 1999 — was a “bitch.”
“It’s only because, from fashion girl to fashion girl, we are a little bit bitchy and cold,” Taank, 46, exclusively told Page Six Radio Wednesday morning.
Taank — who works as a fashion publicist — admitted she “maybe shouldn’t have led with the ‘B-word,’” but joked that offending people is what she does “best.”
“I don’t know Carolyn Bessette personally, so I was just curious, did she have a demeanor where she was sort of cold and maybe a little bit of a fashion diva?” Taank said.
Carole, on the other hand, did know the Calvin Klein icon personally.
The former journalist was married to Anthony Radziwill — the cousin and best friend of Kennedy Jr. — from 1994 until he died of cancer just weeks after the plane crash that took the lives of Kennedy Jr., Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.
During the first “RHONY” brunch of Season 16, Carole — who returned to the show after an eight-year hiatus — appeared visibly uncomfortable with Taank’s line of questioning about her late family members.
Not only did Taank ask if Carolyn was a “bitch,” but she also wondered if there was a “curse” on the Kennedy family, pointing to the untimely and tragic deaths of multiple members.
Taank also asked Carole for her thoughts on “Carolyn Bessette summer,” the minimalistic style trend inspired by the fashion guru’s signature clothing palette of whites, blacks and neutral tones.
Carole, however, said she wasn’t a fan of the trend.
“I understand where Carole’s coming from,” Taank told us in retrospect. “Obviously, her best friend, who is no longer with us, in her eyes, was reduced to a trend. But in my eyes, I was like, ‘No, we’re celebrating her.’”
“She had incredible, impeccable style.”
Although Taank was the most vocal with her questions for Carole, she said “everyone was a little bit curious” about the writer’s friendship with Carolyn — especially following the release of Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story,” which documented the latter’s relationship with Kennedy Jr.
“Carole really lived that experience with them; and for us, we’re just seeing what we’re seeing on the TV show,” she said, noting that their curiosity was “all in innocence” and they “didn’t know” they were going to “upset” Carole, who ultimately left the brunch.
Taank said the group stopped asking so many questions as the season progressed.
“I think it did resurface a lot of emotion [for Carole], so we were cognizant of that after that,” she explained.
“The Real Housewives of New York City” airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, with new episodes available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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