Renee Graziano (born July 12, 1969) is an American reality television personality and author. She is known for being the daughter of

Anthony Graziano Anthony A. Graziano (November 12, 1940 – May 25, 2019) was an American mobster and consigliere in the Bonanno crime family. Bonanno crime family Captain In 1990, Graziano pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion. He had failed to pay $100,000 ...

, a former

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

of the

Bonanno crime family The Bonanno crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City. The family was known as the Maranzano crime family until its founder Sal ...

and her roles in two reality television shows, ''

Mob Wives ''Mob Wives'' is an American reality television series that premiered on VH1 on April 17, 2011. The show focuses on the lives of several women residing in the New York City borough of Staten Island, whose family members and husbands have been ar ...

'' and ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...

''. In 2016, Renee came in third on ''

Celebrity Big Brother 18 ''Celebrity Big Brother 18'' was the eighteenth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother'', hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 28 July 2016, just two days after the conclus ...

''.

Family

Graziano lives in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, New York City. Her former husband, Hector Pagan, Jr., was a mobster who became a

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

informant, and gave evidence against her father,

. They have one son, AJ.

Career

Graziano has appeared as a prominent figure in all six seasons of ''

'', between 2011 and 2016. The show was conceived, and is executive-produced, by Graziano's sister,

Jenn Jenn is a feminine given name, frequently a shortened form (hypocorism) of Jennifer. It may refer to: Authors * Jenn Alandy Trahan, an American short story writer * Jenn Ashworth (born 1982), an English writer * Jenn Bennett (born 1978), an Ame ...

. In 2016, she appeared in ''

'' where she reached the finale, placing third, with 14.66% of the total vote. She was the last-standing female and last remaining American in the house. In January 2017, Graziano and her partner, Joey Gambino, were featured on the ninth season of ''

Marriage Boot Camp ''Marriage Boot Camp'' (also known as ''Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas'', ''Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars'', ''Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars - Family Edition'' and ''Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition'') is an American reality televisio ...

''. In December 2022, she starred in the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

movie ''Fuhgeddabout Christmas'' alongside

Justina Valentine Justina Valentine is an American television host, rapper and singer from Passaic County, New Jersey, best known for her singles "Candy Land" featuring rapper Fetty Wap, "All The Way" and "Unbelievable". She is also known as a cast member on the ...

Vinny Guadagnino Vincent J. Guadagnino ( , ; born November 11, 1987) is an American reality television personality, best known for being a cast member on MTV's ''Jersey Shore''. Early life and education Guadagnino was born and raised in Emerson Hill, Staten Isla ...

, and

Teresa Giudice Teresa Giudice ( , ; ; born May 18, 1972) is an American television personality best known for being in '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey''. Besides appearing on the show, Giudice wrote multiple ''New York Times'' bestseller cookbooks and wa ...

. In late 2024, Graziano began hosting her own

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

and

YouTube channel YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San B ...

called ''The CRYsis Queen Podcast'', featuring various celebrity guest interviews and discussions on a range of topics. The channel's official description states: "Renee Graziano's CRYsis Queen is a thunderous declaration of the truth beneath the flashbulbs and fame. Media and industry headline stories that are whispered about in the shadows will be given a stage. Renee and her guests are doing more than sharing their stories—they will be digging deep and revealing the often painful humanity that unites us all. CRYsis Queen is more than a podcast; it's a raw, pulsating heart, beating out rhythms of resilience, defiance, and undeniable truth." Graziano has released two books: a semi-

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

novel, ''Playing With Fire'', and a

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

, ''How to Use a Meat Cleaver: Secrets and Recipes from a Mob Family's Kitchen'' (2014).

DUI Arrest

Graziano was arrested on charges of operating a motor vehicle while impaired after she crashed her car into a parked car in Staten Island, New York on January 4, 2022. Graziano was driving a 2020 Nissan Murano when she allegedly lost control and collided with an unoccupied 2020 Jeep Wrangler at the intersection of Arden Avenue and Arthur Kill Road.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graziano, Renee 1969 births Living people Writers from Staten Island Novelists from New York City American cookbook writers American women novelists Bonanno crime family 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers Participants in American reality television series