Our Review

                     Movie: ASK E. JEAN

                           Rating: NR

                          Length: 1:31

               Release Date: May 22, 2026

Jeanne: It takes a lot of balls to go after a sitting president of the United States and sue him for defamation, but that’s exactly what E. Jean Carroll did, first in 2019, then again in 2022. The president in question was Donald J. Trump, who denied E. Jean’s allegations of sexual assault. Director and producer, Ivy Meeropol’s documentary, ASK E. JEAN, explores Carroll’s fascinating life and how she is the only woman to beat Trump in court --- not once, but twice.

The rape, according to Carroll, occurred in the very upscale department store, Bergdorf Goodman, sometime  in late 1995 or early 1996. At the time, E. Jean, who already had a storied career as a journalist, was the highly popular advice columnist for Elle Magazine. She had run into Trump in Bergdorf’s and together they took the escalator up to the lingerie department.

Trump tried to convince her to try on a piece of clothing, to which she suggested that he try it on. The friendly banter led them to a dressing room where, according to E. Jean, Trump pushed her up against a wall, fondled her vagina, then raped her.

She managed to get away and exit the store, but she never pressed charges at the time for the same reason many women don’t --- she felt guilty. She believed it was her fault. But she did call her friend and fellow journalist, Lisa Birnbach, to tell her about the rape. 

After writing an article published in New York Magazine in June of 2019 in which she stated that Donald Trump had assaulted her, he openly called E. Jean a liar and even had the temerity to claim that she was “not my type”. So Carroll sued the president for defamation with renowned trial lawyer Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan representing her. They won and Trump was ordered to pay E. Jean five million dollars.

However, Trump, unable to let the matter go, posted a lengthy diatribe on Truth Social in October 2022 denigrating E. Jean again. So, she and Kaplan filed a second suit, which they also won, bringing the total Trump was ordered to pay Carroll to a justly whopping $88.3 million. Trump, of course, is still appealing, and E. Jean hasn’t seen a dime.

Meeropol’s film does an exemplary job of telling E. Jean’s story, while exposing many of the heinous crimes committed and brought to light during the MeToo movement. It’s unbelievably difficult to imagine what Carroll has been subjected to by her critics, especially the president, but she has persevered --- and won. ASK E. JEAN is a testament to Carroll’s courage and forbearance when dealing with a rabid denier of sexual assault.

If you have women in your life who have been victims of sexual abuse --- or you are one yourself --- watching ASK E. JEAN may be the catharsis you need. If not, take your friends --- and especially your daughters --- to see this extraordinary documentary about a truly extraordinary woman.

Opinion: See It Now!

David: ASK E. JEAN tells the true story of the only woman to beat Donald Trump in court, and she did it twice. The first trial resulted in E. Jean Carroll being awarded a settlement of $5 million for the sexual assault by Trump in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman flagship store in New York City in 1996.  The second trial ended with a settlement of $83.3 million when she sued Trump, who said she lied about it all, for defamation of character. He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut, as usual.

Now that’s all public knowledge, although presumably many people don’t know the exact figures. What’s more important about ASK E. JEAN is the depth writer/director Ivy Meeropol goes to reveal the character, intelligence and appeal of E. Jean.

The film is essentially a combination biography and documentary about E. Jean. We see her as a young daughter whom, she says as an adult, developed extreme self-confidence from her mother. Her upbringing led her to a career in journalism, including a three year stint at Elle Magazine as its advice columnist, which also led to TV appearances as an authority on the male-female relationship. But her sexual assault suit against Trump in 2022 led Elle Magazine to not renew her contract. He was, after all, a former president of the United States at that time.

Despite Trump’s public declaration that “she’s not my type” as he tried to refute the rape charge, E. Jean was certainly quite beautiful in her younger years and still is, as an octogenarian in 2026. In fact, to ensure that juries saw her still as an attractive woman, she hired her old make-up stylist to return to her hair style of much younger days --- to great effect.

She was not going to sit still when Trump impugned her character, leading to the huge second settlement. Of course, she hasn’t seen a nickel yet while Trump challenges the unanimous decisions of two juries. This intriguing film was featured in 2025 in no less than 23 film festivals.

Also critical to Carroll’s battles against Trump are the appearances in ASK E. JEAN of her attorney Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan --- described by one savant as the kind of “lawyer that you don’t want to see opposing you” --- and her close friend Carol Martin who reported on and anchored the news in NYC for 30 years. And another ally in the film is Lisa Birnbach whom E. Jean contacted after the assault in Bergdorf Goodman. This is a prime example of masterful storytelling and editing.

Opinion: See It Now!