Melissa Gorga Dave Kotinsky/Bravo
Not going anywhere! Melissa Gorga isn’t planning to leave The Real Housewives of New Jersey anytime soon, despite the ongoing drama with sister-in-law Teresa Giudice.
“I have no intentions on leaving,” Gorga, 44, said during a recent episode of her “On Display with Melissa Gorga” podcast amid rumors that production on season 14 of RHONJ has been put on pause due to the Gorgas’ feud with Giudice, 50. ”I never run away when the going gets tough. That’s not my personality.”
Melissa — who has been married to Giudice’s brother, Joe Gorga, for 19 years — added: “Our family has been through ups and downs for so many years on this show. I have never left before and I have no intentions on leaving now.”
While the Gorgas have notably been at odds with Giudice over the decades, the family’s biggest blowout yet occurred over the Standing Strong author’s alleged claims that Joe, 43, cheated on Melissa — and the Gorgas’ subsequent decision not to attend Giudice’s August 2022 wedding to her now-husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas.
On the season 13 finale of RHONJ, which aired on Tuesday, May 16, Melissa called Giudice a “f—ked-up sister-in-law” for allegedly spreading “the baseless rumor,” claiming that the Celebrity Apprentice alum “feeds on us getting a divorce.”
Joe, for his part, said in a confessional that Teresa’s eldest daughter, Gia Giudice, “calls me up and she’s like, ‘You know, I heard what happened. We just think that you can do better. Mommy thinks so, we all do.’” (In addition to Gia, 22, Teresa shares daughters Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 13, with ex-husband Joe Giudice.)
As the drama played out in real-time — and the Gorgas decided to not attend Teresa and Ruelas’ wedding — Bravo cameras were there to capture it all in the upcoming RHONJ special Teresa Gets Married.
Melissa Gorga; Teresa Giudice Andrew Eccles/Bravo(2)
“If these f—king people put one more message on Instagram, I swear to God, I’m going to f—king bury them so bad,” Ruelas, 48, says about Teresa’s brother and sister-in-law in the trailer for their wedding special, which dropped on Tuesday, May 16.
Gia, for her part, laments that she and her immediate family are done with her aunt and uncle for good. “It’s over — for everybody, including me and my sisters,” she declares.
As RHONJ season 14 production rumors continue to swirl, Andy Cohen revealed in his new book, Daddy Diaries, that the feud between the two families was the reason the BravoCon 2022 panel had to be split in two — because Teresa called him and said she would never speak to her brother and sister-in-law again. Melissa, for her part, allegedly sent the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host, 54, a 2,000-word text at the fan convention over a fight they had with costar Jennifer Aydin.
Teresa Gets Married airs on Bravo Tuesday, May 23, at 8 p.m. ET.
