The Feud That Ended 'RHONJ' As Viewers Know It (2024)

Viewers have seen the Gorgas and the Giudices go at each other's throats for many years on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and after Season 13 of the reality series, it seemed it had finally reached the breaking point of them not talking to each other. One of the things that viewers enjoyed from time to time was to see how they would get back on track, only to fall out again. It made for good television for several seasons, but it's since gotten old.

The news that The Real Housewives of New Jersey will not have a reunion this season, and the rumors of a reboot make viewers ask who is more at fault: the Gorgas or the Giudices? With the constant back and forth, it's hard to pinpoint precisely when things started to go south for them, but it doesn't help that they have many of their friends encouraging them to keep this going. The cast not finding a middle ground to have a civil conversation makes it hard to watch and enjoy the show.

Brother and sister Joe Gorga and Teresa Giudice are at the head of the feud. They have had many issues since their first time together on camera in season three. It has been alluded to for many years that the Gorgas entered the show behind Teresa's back to go expose their familial drama she would have preferred to keep private. With the family members refusing to interact with one another on camera, even Andy Cohen says a change is needed.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

TV-14

Reality TV

See Also

Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas' Relationship TimelineTeresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas Celebrate One Year of Marriage! A Look Back at Their Over-the-Top WeddingWho Is Teresa Giudice's Husband, Luis Ruelas? Everything You Want To Know - Nicki SwiftTeresa Giudice Is 'Done Defending' Her Husband, Luis Ruelas

Another installment of Bravo's "The Real Housewives" reality show. In this series, they focus on housewives living in New Jersey.

Release Date

May 12, 2009

Cast

Teresa Giudice , Melissa Gorga , Joe Gorga , Dolores Catania , Gia Giudice , Milania Giudice , Jacqueline Laurita , Margaret Josephs

Main Genre

Reality TV

Seasons

14

How the Gorga/Giudice Beef Started

Teresa Giudice became the show's breakout star. With just two seasons under her belt, she had already created many different iconic moments on the show, with one of them being the iconic table flip. From that moment, Bravo knew they had hit the jackpot with Teresa. But some people's perception of her changed once her family members entered the fold. As someone who claimed they were all about family, it was shocking to see the stark divide, and seemingly jealous nature, she had toward her brother and sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, as it played out in Season 3.

Giudice has remained adamant that she had no idea her family members, which also included cousins Kathy Wakile and Rosie Pierri, were joining the show. Giudicee says she felt blindsided by how they came in and feared it would be a way for them to try to take her down, which they denied. It wasn't until recently when ex-RHONJ producer Carlos King confirmed that Teresa did not know Melissa would be on the show. "She [was] freaking out, 'What should I do? … I don't know, Carlos, this is wild. That's my family. I don't want to fight with my family,'" he claims she told him on an episode of his Reality With the King podcast.

For years, Giudice mentioned rumors of Melissa cheating, being a former stripper, and being a golddigger. The Gorga's shot back with their own account of Giudice's failing marriage with her then-husband, Joe Giudice. The Giudices were eventually found guilty of bank fraud and sentenced to separate prison sentences, which resulted in Joe's deportation to Italy.

The Giudice/Gorga Feud Took a Pause But Returned

Ironically, the Giudice's prison sentences helped the Gorgas become closer to them. Upon Teresa's release, viewers enjoyed watching the sister-in-laws team up against their other co-stars. It was a welcomed distraction.

Simultaneously, Joe and Teresa's mother had passed away, and their father was not in good health. The feud kicked back up briefly after Teresa moved her father in and blamed Joe for not spending enough time with him. They managed to work through their issues, at least on a surface level, and things remained stable between the three of them.

It All Got Worse

According to Teresa, Margaret Josephs created a divide between them when she got into a heated argument with RHONJ alumnus Danielle Staub. It was exciting for viewers to bring in a veteran like Danielle to bring in new drama, but no one expected her newfound friendship with Teresa to unfold in later years. With this new friendship, Melissa felt pushed to the side and became close to Margaret. With Margaret's constant push for loyalties, it was clear who Melissa preferred to align herself with, creating the biggest rift between all the New Jersey women. The fight that broke out between Margaret and Danielle became the key to when the rift between the whole cast started.

Some believe Margaret began manipulating Melissa into thinking that Teresa was the root of all drama. As a friend, Teresa believed Margaret should have found ways to unite the family and not make the issues even more significant than they were.

Now, there are current issues between Teresa and Rachel Fuda. And with Melissa and Fuda forming a bond amid their estrangement, it's less than likely the sisters-in-law will ever repair their fractured relationship.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey is released every Sunday and the next day on Peaco*ck.

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