Margaret Josephs hinted she and Real Housewives of New Jersey costar Jackie Goldschneider aren’t on the best terms at the moment.
“I do love Jackie and her book just came out. It’s powerful. I’m grateful she says so many amazing things about me in the book, and we are bonded and we have a bond,” Josephs, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, September 25, while promoting her drink company Soirée. “For whatever reason, it is not the same right now, but I’m sure it will be.”
Goldschneider, 46, released her memoir, The Weight of Beautiful, earlier this month. In the book, she recalled her battle with an eating disorder for nearly two decades. Josephs, for her part, shared that she read through it and was “moved” by her friend’s “raw” and “inspiring” story.
While Josephs didn’t share what caused the tension between her and Goldschneider, the businesswoman is optimistic the pair will get their friendship back on track. She also noted that she remains close with Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania and Jen Fessler.
After coming off a dramatic reunion special last season, Josephs was happy to take her hiatus and focus her energy on her beverage brand Soirée, which makes all-natural sparkling mocktails that contain 45 calories per drink.
“I always chose not to drink, so I was like, I have to create something [so] that everybody feels part of the party and that people could party together,” she explained to Us while noting she’s “the mocktail queen” while her cofounder Lexi Barbuto is “the cocktail queen.”
Soirée’s has four flavors available: the Coco Colada, the Teajito, the Marge-A-Rita — which is named after Josephs’ mother — and the Cool Breeze. For Josephs, her go-to is the Cool Breeze which contains cucumber, mint, lychee and elderflower.
“It took us 18 months in development. We had focus groups, we had bartenders, we had teenagers, we had old men. We had everybody,” Josephs tells Us. “We ran the gamut of doing it and we’re picky broads.”
Soirée has become a staple on the set of RHONJ and the housewives aren’t the only ones reaching for a can of the refreshing beverage, Josephs teased that some of the husbands, like Joe Gorga and John Fuda, love the drink just as much as — and maybe even more than — their wives.
“Everybody needs to drink a Soirée. It’s super refreshing,” she shared.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
