“Housewives” star Renee Graziano said she nearly died after unknowingly using fentanyl and had to learn how to walk again.
Graziano spoke about the incident that left him with near-fatal injuries in an emotional interview with Bunny XO on the Dumb Blonde podcast. She explained that in 2023, when she asked a friend of hers for drugs, she received a defective product laced with fentanyl. “I died in a restaurant in Florida, I was dead,” Graziano said in a teaser video clip for Wednesday's podcast. TMZ. “I was intubated for three days,” she said, fighting back her tears. “None of my family came.”
Ms. Graziano explained that she experienced a series of difficult life experiences shortly before her father's tragic death and near-fatal overdose. She said she reached an absolute low and contacted a friend of hers to get medication.
“I just love it, I lost a motherfucker, someone gave me a bag of fentanyl on September 18th, which is what I needed.” [cocaine],” she said.
The reality TV star recalled that one of her friends connected her with a drug dealer and said, “I'll vouch for him,” so she felt there was no need to worry.
Television personality Renee Graziano attends Escape to Total Rewards at Gotham Hall on March 1, 2012 in New York City. Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment
Graziano started taking medication and things quickly improved.
The situation quickly became serious, as she had no idea there was fentanyl in the bag.
She went on to say she was coding at a restaurant and was rushed to the hospital, but it's still unclear who she called for help when she needed it most.
Television personality Renee Graziano appears at Intouch Weekly's “ICONS & IDOLS Party” held at FINALE Nightclub on August 25, 2013 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Intouch Weekly
Graziano became visibly emotional during the podcast as he described the harrowing ordeal.
“And I spent nine days there learning how to walk again,” she said, recalling her recovery period in the hospital.
As for the incident itself, Graziano admitted that he had no recollection of what happened. She doesn't know if she took just one line of her medication or more. Details regarding the actual incident have been erased from her memory.
Mob Wives' Lenny Graziano competes in the Monster Energy Supercross World Championship race at MetLife Stadium on April 26, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images for Feld Entertainment
“I don't remember anything,” she said on the podcast.
“Three days just disappeared from my mind. I have no idea what happened. I don't remember anything.”
Renee Graziano OK to attend! Magazine's “So Sexy” NY Party held at Marquee on May 28, 2014 in New York City.Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images
She went on to say, “They said I wasn't going to make it.” (Related: Jelly Roll gives emotional testimony to Congress on fentanyl scourge)
This ordeal made her realize she had to get clean and has since given up drugs completely. Graziano entered treatment in November, just months after overdosing. According to TMZ, she has since been clean and sober.
