Melissa Gorga has reacted with suspicion to her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice suggesting that the two of them may reconcile.
Teresa, whose brother Joe Gorga is married to Melissa, had a volcanic falling-out with the couple and severed ties with them two years ago.
The feud has remained so bitter that last year, season 14 of their reality show The Real Housewives of New Jersey had to forgo a traditional reunion and film the two factions of the cast in separate rooms, with Teresa in one and Melissa in the other.
After a hiatus, the Bravo series is reportedly undergoing a revamp, and Teresa has found herself denying claims that her co-stars were ‘test-filming’ without her.
Days later, Teresa, 53, was asked about the potential for a rapprochement and said: ‘Never say never,’ a sentiment echoed by her daughter Gia, 24.
However Melissa has swatted aside Teresa’s ‘strange’ comment, insinuating it may be connected to the show being rejiggered, at the Page Six Virtual Reali-Tea Awards.
Melissa Gorga has reacted with suspicion to her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice suggesting that the two of them may reconcile; Melissa pictured with her husband Joe Gorga, Teresa’s brother
After a hiatus, the Bravo series is reportedly undergoing a revamp, and Teresa (pictured) has found herself denying claims that her co-stars were ‘test-filming’ without her
‘The truth is, for the last year, the door has been closed,’ said Melissa, 46, noting that her sister-in-law had ‘said out loud on multiple platforms, podcasts, whatever it might be, that the door is closed. So, the truth is, I’m just confused why it might be opening or cracking a little bit.’
Hinting that Teresa’s comments might be linked to the changes to their reality show, Melissa continued: ‘Neither of us have had any contact in probably two years at this point, so that’s just so strange to come out with that out of nowhere.’
Teresa and Joe explosively cut ties with each other at the end of the season 13 reunion of The Real Housewives of New Jersey in 2023, after a lengthy and brutal on-air fight that host Andy Cohen struggled to mediate with mounting exasperation.
Melissa and Joe had made waves by skipping Teresa’s wedding to her second husband Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas – a decision Joe defended on the reunion, saying Luis had tried to persuade him that Melissa had cheated on him.
Even Gia became entangled in the increasingly labyrinthine feud, with Joe accusing her of having said he ‘could do better’ than Melissa.
Teresa phoned Gia into the reunion, where Gia insisted she would ‘never’ make the remarks attributed to her, adding: ‘It’s sad, Zio Joe, that you’re trying to call me a liar.’
By the close of the 2023 reunion, Joe and Teresa were comprehensively on the outs, and the wall of ice remained between them through season 14 last year.
After the season 14 reunion had to be reimagined to keep two segments of the cast apart – with Teresa and Melissa in separate rooms – the show was placed on pause and it has since emerged that a revamp is allegedly in the works.
Days later, Teresa (right), 53, was asked about the potential for a rapprochement and said: ‘Never say never,’ a sentiment echoed by her daughter Gia (left), 24
Teresa and Joe cut ties with each other at the end of the season 13 reunion of The Real Housewives of New Jersey in 2023; Joe and Melissa are pictured on the reunion
Melissa and Joe had made waves by skipping Teresa’s wedding to her second husband Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas – a decision Joe defended on the reunion, where Teresa and Luis are pictured
At the start of this month, a rumor flew that three returning Housewives including Melissa – but not Teresa – were test-filming with ‘potential’ new hires.
‘They want to see how the new girls work on camera with some veteran cast members from the show,’ a source told Us Weekly.
Teresa strenuously disputed the claim last week, arguing that ‘if they were actually filming there would be actual pictures out there. Correct? Right, you know that would be a fact. It’s just people putting out stories there,’ via Entertainment Tonight.
Shortly thereafter, she and Gia gave an interview in which they floated the possibility of mending fences with Melissa and Joe in future.
The pair were asked if the family could ‘coexist’ again, to which Teresa replied: ‘Never say never,’ and Gia then concurred: ‘I think everyone can coexist. Just put your big-girl panties on and be mature,’ via Jeff Lewis Live.
Teresa added that she had no desire to instigate ‘a clusterf***’ by dredging up her past conflicts with Joe and Melissa. ‘You just have to let it go and move on.’
