Renee Graziano speaks openly about her battle with drug abuse.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six’s Virtual Reality Tea, the 56-year-old former Mob Wives explains that her addiction was not due to illegal substances, but rather to the men in her life, the power that came with fame and the ties to the mafia that dictated her lifestyle.
“Addiction is a dark world. I was never addicted to drugs. I was addicted to power, I was addicted to men, I was addicted to my world, my lifestyle,” she says. “Drugs were my comfort. That was what kept me alive.”
The reality star, who recently celebrated nine months of sobriety following a near-fatal fentanyl overdose in 2023, says she once felt drugs were a “solution” to the grief she felt over the death of her father, Anthony Graziano, in 2019 and the breakdown of her marriage to ex-husband Hector Pagan Jr., among other heartbreaking incidents.
“In a weird way… I think self-medicating kept me alive at times,” she admits. “Because I think if I really had to go through this without medication, I might not have made it. That’s the truth and I don’t even like to say it that way.”
Renee’s drug problems were addressed in later episodes of “Mob Wives,” which ran for six seasons on VH1 from 2011 to 2016.
Her sister Jennifer Graziano, the creator of the reality series, who also participated in the chat with “Virtual Reali-Tea,” says the situation was concerning but not surprising, as Renee had been using drugs on and off for years at that point.
“It was like that our whole lives… I was almost immune to it and numb at the time,” says 52-year-old Jennifer.
Renee is convinced that no one is responsible for her drug problems.
“I can’t blame anyone for my addiction. I can’t. I would love to. I think my ex-husband has a hand in it, I think my lifestyle has a hand in it,” she says. “But ultimately it’s my responsibility whether I use or not. I’m very clear about that.”
Renee says she made a conscious effort throughout to give viewers a glimpse into the darkest corners of her life — mostly to help boost “Mob Wives” and her sister’s off-TV career.
“My loyalty was never to myself, so if it meant my sister would advance in her career, that was more important to me than anything else,” she says.
“If I had been more loyal to myself, I wouldn’t have done the things I did, I wouldn’t have said the things I did, I wouldn’t have gotten as high as I did, I wouldn’t have attacked the people I verbally attacked.”
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No matter how outrageous her behavior was, Renee says she “never faked anything” on camera.
“Whatever I did, it really happened. I didn’t fake anything,” she says. “I didn’t hide anything. I should have hidden a lot more.”
Over time, Jennifer has come to appreciate Renee for living her life openly on “Mob Wives.”
“She let it all out and I agree that she did a lot for me,” she says.
The sisters will share more about their experiences in reality TV and beyond in two new podcasts launching September 18.
Renee’s project is titled “Crysis Queen” and is a deep dive into the trauma that turned her into triumph, while Jennifer’s “Straightened Out” gives “Mob Wives” fans a better understanding of the drama that unfolded during production.
“‘Crysis Queen’ is a safe place for people to talk about their trauma. I don’t want to downplay your trauma, I want it to be easier,” says Renee. “I want people to understand that they are not alone. I am still healing. It is an ongoing process.”
And Jennifer is ready to share the most memorable moments from “Mob Wives.”
“‘Straightened Out’ is a term used interchangeably with the mob. We use a play on words, but we straighten out the drama and tell the truth,” she teases. “We talk about other reality shows too. We dive into everything.”
