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Teresa Giudice opened up about reuniting with her brother, Joe Gorga, and his wife, Melissa Gorga, on The Real Housewives of New Jersey following a lengthy filming break.
“It’s baby steps and we’re not sure if we’re going to film together or not. Bravo hasn’t said anything. But, if we do … there’s a running joke that I don’t watch my show but this time I’m going to definitely watch it,” Giudice, 53, said on the Thursday, April 9, episode of the “Couple Things” podcast.
Teresa went on, “Hopefully, we’ll both have each other’s backs. That’s all I want. I love that. I want to show America what my family was really about, how I was raised. My brother and I always had each other’s backs.”
The RHONJ star admitted that the franchise was placed on a two-year break by Bravo “because of how toxic” her relationship with the Gorgas became. The network shelved the show after the cast couldn’t even agree to film a season 14 reunion together in 2024.
However, Bravo confirmed in March that Teresa, Melissa, 47, and Dolores Catania will all return for The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 15. A full cast has yet to be announced but production is expected to start this spring. (RHONJ alumni Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider have all confirmed their exits ahead of season 15.)
This unexpected turnaround for RHONJ followed Teresa and the Gorgas sharing at BravoCon 2025 last November that they’d reconciled off-camera.
“I saw my husband’s relief [over the reconciliation], and for me, that’s the most important thing. It’s the siblings, and it’s the kids, and this trickles down,” Melissa told Us Weekly exclusively at BravoCon 2025. “To see the relief in Joe’s eyes and in his face, to me, I’m like, ‘I’m game. Let’s go. Let’s do this.’”
She added, “We can’t really hash it out too deep, because we’ll just keep circling back. It’s better to just say, ‘Listen, we’ve all made some mistakes here, and it’s time to move forward.’”
While some fans were skeptical, Teresa assured Us that her decision to make peace with the Gorgas was completely genuine.
Teresa Giudice in November 2025. Gabe Ginsberg/Bravo
“Ask my brother, I’m the type that holds grudges. I’m very old school,” the RHONJ OG told Us at BravoCon 2025. “For me to do this, it’s real. He said he was waiting for me because he knew how upset I was about things.”
Teresa slammed critics of the family reunion, saying anyone would have a “mean heart” and a “mean soul” to doubt her.
“Everybody should want family to be together. I want to show America what a real Italian family looks like,” she added. “My ex’s family? They are all together, united. That’s what I always wanted. I want to show America that we could be united, and I want to show our children that too. It’s really important.”
The drama between Teresa and the Gorgas has been an underlying theme of RHONJ dating back to Melissa officially joining the cast in season 3. Over the years, the Giudices and the Gorgas clashed at a family christening and Teresa denied starting rumors that Melissa was a stripper before she met Joe, 52, among various squabbles.
The two sides have reconciled in the past but have always fallen out again over time.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Bravo. Old episodes are available to stream via Peacock.
