Caroline Manzo got candid about her relationship with her step-niece and new Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Cabral – and fans may be surprised by the update.
“Danielle Cabral is kind of like a half-ass relation,” Manzo, 61, said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live on Thursday, August 10. “I’m one of the reasons Danielle’s on [RHONJ]. Andy [Cohen] had a conversation with me about her when they were considering her, and she is my brother’s daughter. My niece. My brother and his wife divorced many years ago and his wife remarried. The gentleman she remarried had two kids, one of those being Danielle Cabral.”
Manzo shared that she and Cabral, 37, only saw each other at “family events and stuff,” but Manzo still assisted Cabral in going on the Bravo show. She has since stopped all communication with Manzo.
“She did originally [come to me] when they were considering her, she called both myself and my daughter, Lauren, and, you know, [asked], ‘‘What to expect?’ and I was brutally honest with her,” Manzo, who left RHONJ after season 5, explained. “I guess she got the gig and then strangely, she unfollowed all of us including my niece and everything and never thanked anybody. Nothing.”
Even though Cabral may have unfollowed her, Manzo claimed she doesn’t have any hard feelings toward Cabral.
“I’m glad she’s doing what she always wanted to do, and she always wanted to, you know, be in the public eye and stuff like that, so I’m glad she finally has the opportunity to do that … carry on,” Manzo shared.
Cabral joined the RHONJ cast in season 13, which premiered in February.
“I had no preconceived notions about anybody,” she told Us ahead of her debut. “I came in wanting to build friendships with everybody. I think that starts off on a good clean slate, right? I don’t come in like, ‘I know this about you. I know that.’ … Let’s get to know each other.”
During the season, Cabral found herself involved in some drama when she was told that Melissa Gorga cheated on husband Joe Gorga. During a May episode, Cabral revealed she was going to tell Melissa about the rumor but decided against it because of Teresa Giudice’s bridal shower.
“I don’t want to believe it,” Cabral explained to Us in May. “I’m not here to destroy anybody’s marriage. I don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to believe that Melissa and Joe have any issues, but I do believe this girl, Laura. I mean, she’s coming out and saying dates and times.”
Melissa and Joe, meanwhile, denied the rumor. Cabral is expected to return for season 14 of RHONJ, which reportedly begins filming this month.
