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The Real Housewives of Rhode Island has made its much-anticipated debut on Bravo, and the drama is already in full swing. Taking center stage is Kelsey Swanson, whose intriguing romance with a significantly older man is stirring quite the buzz.
As Swanson approaches her 30th birthday, she reveals she first crossed paths with her mysterious beau at the tender age of 19 aboard a boat. Today, she embraces the role of a “lady of leisure,” residing in her boyfriend’s sprawling 16,000-square-foot mansion, which boasts four kitchens and a staggering 79 televisions. While she keeps his identity under wraps, Swanson hints that he hails from one of Rhode Island’s elite families and was instrumental in her crowning as Miss Rhode Island in 2017.
Their relationship defies conventional norms. Swanson explains that during the initial months of the year, while her boyfriend resides in Miami, he maintains another relationship in Florida. As she nears her 30s, Swanson contemplates if this arrangement aligns with her growing desire for a more traditional commitment.
So, who is the enigmatic man Swanson has been involved with for nearly a decade? Although The Real Housewives of Rhode Island keeps his identity under wraps, speculation abounds. Want to know more? Read on.
Who is Kelsey Swanson’s boyfriend?
The answer remains elusive. Swanson refrains from disclosing her boyfriend’s name on the show, and his image is always obscured in photos. However, some sleuthing has uncovered potential clues. According to Distractify and the Instagram gossip hub Deux Moi, Swanson is rumored to be in a long-standing open relationship with the son of a renowned judge, famous for his courtroom antics and his penchant for being on camera. A Rhode Island lifestyle source also appears to support this theory.
After a quick Google search, we found that Judge Frank Caprio—who died in August 2025 at the age of 88—was a prominent judge in Rhode Island who starred in Caught in Providence. The show, which ran from 2018 to 2020, filmed real people as they stood before Judge Caprio in the Providence Municipal Court and pled their real-life case. Side note, Swanson appeared on a 2019 episode of Caught in Providence to assist the judge in a case.
Judge Caprio does have four sons, but, thanks to some comments on the aforementioned post, we think we’ve narrowed things down to David Caprio, a 58-year-old businessman and politician who served as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1999 to 2010. David has a good-sized Instagram following (about 23.7K followers at the time of this writing), some of which include … wait for it … The Real Housewives of Rhode Island stars. Not only are he and Swanson following each other, but Jo-Ellen Tiberi and Liz McGraw also follow him. If you remember, Tiberi and Swanson have known each other for over two decades, so it would make sense for him to follow her back. Plus, McGraw shared in the show that she grew up with Swanson’s boyfriend, presumably David, who is around the same age as her.
Still not convinced? Well, David is also a real estate investor with interests in numerous places, including Florida, and before Judge Caprio passed away last year, he was being treated at the Miami Cancer Institute. David’s profile picture is also a photo of him and his dad in Miami. MIAMI?! OTHER GIRLFRIEND?! Seems like we might’ve found our guy.
Bravo was unable to comment on his identity when DECIDER reached out for confirmation. Therefore, until there’s some solid confirmation from either party, we suggest taking this evidence with a grain of salt.
How to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island:
Those looking to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island will need access to Bravo and/or Peacock. If you have a cable subscription, you can access the network on the BravoTV website, or stream the show live on platforms like Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV when it airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes also become available the next day on Peacock.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $16.99/month.
You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $109.99 with ads or $169.99 without ads.
Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.