E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist and journalist, may have bested one of the most powerful men in the world—twice—but as she tells it, the cost was profound.
Carroll famously accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman decades ago. When Trump denied the allegations, called her a liar, and dismissed her as “not his type,” Carroll sued for defamation. She won. Twice. Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation, and Carroll was awarded $83 million in damages.
But the legal victories, while monumental, only tell part of the story.
In a candid and wide-ranging interview on Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes, Carroll opened up about what it meant to take on Trump—not just in court, but in public. From the moment her allegation became public, Carroll became a target, not just of Trump himself, but of his followers. “When you go up against Trump, you go up against a whole nation of Trumpers,” she said.
That backlash has reshaped her life. Once a solitary writer living in the mountains, Carroll now relies on round-the-clock security, surveillance cameras, and even guard dogs. She had to surrender her father’s revolver to local police after political pressure mounted over her gun permit. Hours later, she bought a shotgun—something she never imagined doing.
Carroll insists she doesn’t live in fear. “If I sat and cared if they’re going to shoot me, well, how my life would be—it would be stupid,” she said plainly. Still, the burden is real. “It changes everything. Life-altering.”
Her resolve to speak out, however, never wavered. “When I came forward, I was willing to pay the price. I’m a little shocked at how big the price is—but I’m glad I did it,” she said.
Despite the silence surrounding the trial—Fox News largely ignored it, and national coverage was inconsistent—Carroll’s story resonated. She recalled the moment the verdict was announced: an off-Broadway cast erupted in cheers; her close friend Carol Martin had to pull off the road and sit on a bench in case she fainted from relief. These were flashes of catharsis in an otherwise punishing process.
Carroll is proud of what she and her attorney, Robbie Kaplan, accomplished. “We’re the only two people to beat the most powerful man on Earth—twice,” she said.
But she no longer gives advice to women about whether to come forward. “If it’s a single mother with children, no—I’d tell her not to,” Carroll admitted. “You need the world’s smartest attorney. You need resources. Where does a woman in Fort Wayne go?”
At 81, Carroll says she fought because she had less to lose—and a lifetime of independence behind her. Her message isn’t simple optimism, but hard-earned wisdom: holding a powerful man accountable is possible, but the toll is high. For Carroll, the win was real—but so was the war to get there.
