In a world filled with political turmoil and courtroom drama, 81-year-old E. Jean Carroll is doing something quite unexpected — she’s literally bouncing through it all.
Sitting in her cozy log cabin deep in the woods of upstate New York, Carroll joins a Zoom call not from a traditional chair, but from an exercise ball.
She sways, spins, and leans dramatically as she tells her story, full of energy and humor.
“Yup, I’m on it all day!” she says gleefully, tilting toward the camera. “It’s too fun to stop.”
From Journalist to Trump’s Fiercest Legal Challenger
Carroll, once a quirky journalist and advice columnist, has become a surprising feminist force.
Her latest book, Not My Type, offers a wild, meandering ride through her two courtroom showdowns with Donald Trump.
The title itself is a jab — those were Trump’s infamous words when he was asked about her 1996 sexual assault allegations.
Though she ultimately won both cases — earning $5 million in 2023 and an additional $83 million in 2024 — Trump still hasn’t paid a dime.
And now, to Carroll’s disbelief, he’s back in the White House.
Laughing in the Face of Trauma
Despite the seriousness of her legal battles, Carroll finds herself cracking up more often than crying.
“Women have laughed at horrible things forever,” she explains.
“It’s how we survive.” She even describes the courtroom scenes as hysterical.
She recalls watching Trump enter the courtroom, saying, “He looked like a retired gigolo dipped in saffron.”
Her laughter is constant, but not dismissive — it’s her coping mechanism.
Life in the Woods with Pets and Arrows
Carroll lives alone now, surrounded by books, black-and-white family photos, and her trio of whimsically named pets: two dogs, Miss Havisham and Guffington Von Fluke, and a cat called Vagina T Fireball.
Her home is more fortress than cabin — she practices archery across a ravine and keeps a shotgun named Aphrodite nearby.
Above her fireplace, painted in bold letters, is her personal motto: Always amused, never angry.
Embracing the Chaos, Even When It Gets Cringey
Her over-the-top reaction after winning the second case — including joking on live TV about buying penthouses and wardrobes for MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow — raised eyebrows. But Carroll has no regrets.
“Why not celebrate joy?” she says. “There aren’t many moments like that in life. Grab them!”
She swears the money means little to her. “I’m giving it all to causes Trump hates — women’s rights, education, health care,” she grins.
“That’s how I’ll spend his money.”
Still Waiting for Her Check
Trump is now appealing the court’s decisions, arguing he has presidential immunity — a claim Carroll finds laughable.
She recently returned to court with her longtime attorney Roberta Kaplan, trying to get Trump to pay what he owes.
Carroll is fiercely loyal to Kaplan, despite her own controversies.
Sticking by Her Lawyer Through Thick and Thin
Kaplan resigned from the Time’s Up board after it was revealed she reviewed an unpublished op-ed that aimed to discredit one of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s accusers.
Carroll brushes this off. “Robbie’s brilliant. Of course Cuomo would want her opinion. That doesn’t make her corrupt.”
Even when Kaplan left her law firm following accusations of mistreating colleagues, Carroll didn’t blink.
“You’ve got to work with powerful people to make progress,” she insists. “Sometimes that means uncomfortable alliances.”
Surprised by Her Own Trauma
Although Carroll laughs off much of her experience, she admits that a psychiatrist hired for her case found deep emotional scars. It was a revelation.
“I was shocked,” she confesses. “I’d never seen a therapist.
I thought I knew everything. Turns out, I didn’t.”
Her Book Is No Joke — And It’s Climbing the Charts
While her tone may be humorous, Carroll is dead serious about Not My Type.
The book is already a hit, sitting high on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.
“Every woman needs to read it,” she declares. “It shows that even an old, 81-year-old woman can beat Donald Trump. Twice.”
She describes how she had to undergo a complete makeover just to appear believable in court.
“At 81, I had to look… f***able. Otherwise, the jury wouldn’t buy it.”
Still Targeted, Still Unbothered
Carroll knows she’s a target for Trump’s supporters.
But she’s used to being hated. “There’s nothing new about it,” she shrugs.
Her book arrives at a moment when the cultural tide seems uncertain.
Time’s Up has folded. #MeToo icons like Bill Cosby have seen convictions overturned. And powerful men like Sean “Diddy” Combs have avoided major penalties.
Still, Carroll remains optimistic, perched cheerfully on her bouncy ball.
“The world never runs out of bad guys,” she says matter-of-factly. “Sometimes we move forward, sometimes backward. But we keep going.”
And with a flick of her hand — balloons and confetti explode across the Zoom screen — Carroll bursts into laughter once again.