K Bensimon elly Killoren from modeling to
to tv stardom
by noel duan photographed by jeffrey zhang
A
sk her to describe herself in one word, and Kelly Killoren Bensimon (GS ’98) would probably say, “crazy.” As one of the current stars of Bravo’s hit reality show, “The Real Housewives of New York,” Bensimon is known for the catfight antics, excessive drama, and melodramatic dialogue on the show—but she is not ashamed of it. Instead, she capitalizes on the publicity and creates a brand out of her own name. Indeed, she is outspoken, occasionally loud, and very opinionated, but she is also something uncommon in the land of Tinseltown: blunt and honest. Her Manhattan apartment, with two rooms filled with dolls (for her two daughters) and an immaculate kitchen, looks like the perfect habitation for a perfect “Housewife”—but Bensimon is not afraid to admit her weaknesses as a mother. “I don’t [balance my time between work and family]. [laughs] I’m crazy all the time. I’m the most guiltridden person. I never have enough time to be with my kids. I never pick them up enough, I never get to be there enough for them,” she says. According to Bensimon, her daughters would rather have her work a normal 9 to 5 job instead of the constant photoshoots, episode tapings, and publicity events that she must attend. While she is a television star nowadays, Bensimon was once a Columbia student studying creative writing and literature. She originally attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, but was forced to leave school in order to pursue her modeling career. “It was a lot for me. I was taking the 4:26 a.m. train. […] Handling the two…I mean, I wasn’t handling the two. I was exhausted, I wasn’t doing well either,” she admits. Her father urged her to continue pursuing