Forever family. Joe and Melissa Gorga’s three kids have grown up on The Real Housewives of New Jersey and fans have loved keeping up with them over the years.
The couple, who tied the knot in August 2004, share three children, daughter Antonia, and sons Gino and Joey. In addition to their bustling family life being featured on RHONJ, the proud parents often share photos and videos of their brood, from school days to sporting events to birthdays and more.
Although taking care of three kids is quite the task, Melissa thought about trying for baby No. 4, sharing on a May 2020 episode of the show that she was considering freezing her eggs.
“I think we were really deep into, like, leaning towards yes for a minute … [but] the time has passed,” the Envy store owner revealed to Us Weekly exclusively in July 2020. “I feel like we’re in a spot where I’m like, ‘OK, let me just, like, be happy with what I have.’ I have three healthy children.”
The “I Just Wanna” singer added at the time that she threw herself “hard” into motherhood thus far and was comfortable shifting her focus toward other aspirations as the children have grown into young adults.
“I feel like, you know what, I’ve done that. I accomplished that. I have three healthy kids. Thank God,” she explained. “It’s like, now I’m at [a] time where I can actually work and be successful and have my own thing. So it’s like … I think I’m good.”
Speaking of those “young adults,” the Bravo personality also revealed to Us at the time that parenting teenagers can be difficult at times.
“She’s just that age,” the New Jersey native shared with Us about her oldest, Antonia, who was entering sophomore year of high school at the time. “She’s vicious. It’s so much harder parenting a teenager.”
She added: “Everything I say is wrong and she’s always, like, growling at me. I’m always like, ‘You good? Is your face OK?’ It’s a dirty look.”
When it comes to raising the high schooler and her younger brothers with Joe, Melissa noted that she considered herself to be the “tougher parent.” Her children, however, tend to be “more scared” of the Gorga Guide to Success author.
“I’m the one that’s like, ‘Move it. Brush your teeth. Let’s go,’” the influencer shared. “If Joe gets mad, it’s on … but I’m definitely the one that laid down the law. It’s fine. Good cop, bad cop. I’m always the bad cop.”
While Melissa may take on the “bad cop” role from time to time, she was the more lenient one when it came to Antonia’s dating life.
“He just doesn’t get it,” the TV star told Us in February 2021. “He just looks at us all cross-eyed, like, every time we talk about anything with Antonia and a boy. The fact that she’s a sophomore. Hello? This is when it happens and the sex talk happens. It’s just a real-life thing. He gasped for air, he can’t even say the word. It’s so ridiculous.”
Scroll down to see photos of the Gorga family over the years:
