Luann de Lesseps fired back at Carole Radziwill’s outlet cover with a fake one of her own.
The “Real Housewives of New York” alum, 59, posted a photoshopped the outlet front page to her Instagram page Friday afternoon that crowned her “still the Queen of New York.” The doctored image, which mimicked the same date as Radziwill’s actual cover, featured two photos of de Lesseps — one holding a martini, another performing onstage — under the headline “Countess Still Serving it Up: Luann de Lesseps parties, performs, and proves she’s still the Queen of New York.”
“Keep on SERVIN’ 👊🏻✨” de Lesseps wrote in her caption, using the post to plug her new cabaret tour.
The mock cover landed just as Radziwill, 61, was celebrating her genuine Post cover, which chronicled her history of parking violations near her SoHo apartment. The paper reported that the former ABC producer had racked up over 83 traffic violations across four years, accumulated $8,000 in tickets, and used ConEd cones to reserve street parking spots.
Radziwill appeared delighted by the unflattering coverage. “I’m on the cover of my hometown paper?!” she captioned an Instagram post showing her holding the issue, calling the moment a “fever dream.”
“I ♥️ the traffic cops. I ♥️ my city and I ♥️ the outlet,” she continued in her caption. “(Btw, I only overslept 17 times in 6 years? I deserve a 🗝️ to the city) Beep, beep, bitches. 🚗🚗”
Radziwill noted that she has “paid every dollar of those tickets” and supports the Department of Sanitation.
Andy Cohen, 56, was among those stunned by Radziwill’s unlikely moment in the spotlight. The Bravo executive posted a video to his Instagram Story Friday showing him clutching a copy of the paper at Casa Magazines.
“I had to go to Casa Magazines to see if it’s real. It’s real. I can’t believe it!” Cohen said in the clip.
“Of everything happening in the world, Radzi’s parking is the most important thing in New York City,” he laughed. “This is the most important thing.”
The dueling social media posts reignited attention on a rivalry that has simmered for nearly a decade. De Lesseps and Radziwill fell out during “RHONY” Season 7 when Radziwill began dating chef Adam Kenworthy, who had previously been in a relationship with de Lesseps’ niece, Nicole Nadeau. The tension has persisted in the years since, with both women trading barbs in interviews and online.
De Lesseps took a swipe at Radziwill’s return to “RHONY” as recently as August, suggesting the writer had made the right decision to come back because she wasn’t “busy” with other pursuits.
The parking cover marked a rare instance of Radziwill generating headlines since her departure from the Bravo franchise, while de Lesseps has maintained a steady presence through her touring cabaret act and recurring “RHONY” appearances.
The fake cover gambit represented de Lesseps’ latest attempt to assert her cultural foothold in a city both women have long claimed as their own, turning a moment of press attention for her rival into promotional material for her stage career.
De Lesseps’ upcoming cabaret dates include performances in Atlantic City.