A cast divided. While filming season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, things quickly took a turn when Teresa Giudice had another rift with Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga.
Viewers previously saw Teresa and her brother on different sides as they attempted to mend their sibling bond on screen. After getting to a better place with Joe and his wife, the situation regressed amid rumors of cheating allegations.
Us Weekly confirmed in August 2022 that speculation about Melissa and Joe’s marriage led to the feud. “One of the secrets was Melissa making out with this guy while she was on a press tour in the city,” a source exclusively told Us about the alleged gossip being spread about Melissa at the time. “This ‘rumor’ was something that Teresa had known about for over a year and had been pushing for it to come out. Finally, the finale was perfect timing.”
A second insider noted how “blindsided” Melissa felt by her sister-in-law’s behavior, saying, “Teresa may not forgive Joe after this and vice versa.”
That same month, Melissa and Joe opted out of attending Teresa’s wedding to Luis Ruelas.
“Obviously, we did not attend your sister’s wedding. We have a laundry list right of reasons in our heads [of] why and I will let all my listeners know this — obviously, there was something that went down at the finale of filming The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” the store owner revealed on her “On Display” podcast. “Those exact details, I obviously cannot say today. Anything that we have filmed is something that I am not able to talk about.”
Melissa later addressed dealing with the rumors about her and Joe. “There’s a lot of rumors that come out about me, and you know what? We just keep hitting ’em, swatting ’em like flies, [and] they just keep coming,” she told Us in August.
Two months later, the group offered a glimpse at their broken dynamic while attending BravoCon in New York City. The panel for the show was amended to include the first part with Jackie Goldschneider, Melissa, Joe, Margaret Josephs, Evan Goldschneider and Joe Benigno. Meanwhile, the second panel took place with Jennifer Aydin, Bill Aydin, Dolores Catania, Teresa, Frank Catania and Luis, in order to keep it civil among the cast members.
Teresa, for her part, pointed out she had nothing to do with the situation. “I didn’t do it. I’m not the boss,” she told fans at her panel.
The Celebrity Apprentice 5 alum’s friend Jennifer stood by her side, saying, “The separation didn’t come from us. The separation came from the network.”
She added: “[Melissa and Joe are] holding on for dear life, honey. They’re gonna say whatever they need to say to keep them on. We would have welcomed a panel all together because at the end of the day we’re all professional.”
Andy Cohen, however, confirmed that the panels were split into two parts because of the feud. “They’re really not in a good place, as you might have gathered,” he said during his Ask Andy panel. “We’re on the precipice for a really great season of New Jersey airing, so we’re in a really limbo-y place where if we bring them all out together, they’re in a different place than they were the last time we saw them all as a group.”
Shortly after the panel, Us confirmed there was an altercation between Jennifer and Joe in the hotel lobby. After going back and forth about their issues, Jennifer threw her drink at the Gorga Guide to Success author.
Scroll down for the most candid quotes from the RHONJ cast about the shocking feud:
