Press & broadcasting / Literature
E. Jean Carroll
born 1943 · journalist, advice columnist, author
Detroit-born journalist whose Ask E. Jean column ran in Elle for 26 years and who later won major civil verdicts against Donald Trump.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 82- Birth name
- Elizabeth Jean Carroll
- Also known as
- Ask E. Jean
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Carroll was born in Detroit in 1943 and grew up mainly in Fort Wayne, Indiana, so her link to the city is her birth. After Indiana University she became a magazine writer known for gonzo-style features in Esquire, Outside and Playboy and briefly wrote for Saturday Night Live. From 1993 to 2019 her Ask E. Jean advice column in Elle became one of the longest-running in American publishing, and she hosted a companion television show. In her 2019 book What Do We Need Men For? she accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s; in two civil trials federal juries found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded her a total of $88.3 million.
Highlights
- Ask E. Jean column in Elle, 1993–2019
- Writer for Esquire, Outside and Saturday Night Live
- Won civil verdicts totaling $88.3 million against Donald Trump (2023–2024)
- Memoir Not My Type (2025)