Melissa Gorga is ready to move forward with her relationship with her sister-in-law and longtime “Real Housewives of New Jersey” nemesis Teresa Giudice, but she wants to do it privately this time.
While promoting the next episode of “Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition” on Bravo, the Envy boutique owner told Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” that she hopes a reconciliation with husband Joe Gorga’s sister, Judith, doesn’t happen while the cameras are rolling.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Melissa said, explaining that their relationship has always been defined by reality TV. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about private matters so far, so we’re going to keep this part private for now.”
Melissa added that she wants any progress to be “real and authentic,” saying, “We’ve never had that opportunity.”
The Let’s Sprinkle by MG founder’s comments come after Judith recently told Virtual Reali-Tea that she is ready to reconcile with her brother and sister-in-law after years of public feuding. Earlier this month, Joe confirmed in an interview on The Eds podcast that he and Teresa have resumed communicating via text.
Prior to this development, Teresa and Gorgas’ relationship had deteriorated over multiple “RHONJ” seasons. The tensions reached a crescendo by the end of season 14, which ended in summer 2024, and ultimately led to a falling out among the cast and an extended hiatus from the current show as producers decide what to do next.
Melissa insists she never wanted things to get this bad. “This is definitely not a line I drew in the sand,” she says. “The truth is, I’m always going to be part of the team family. There’s no way I wouldn’t want that for Joe.”
Still, the mother-of-three admits the idea of reconciling after such a long history can sometimes feel “shocking.” “I thought I’d never get there…I don’t understand why this is happening,” Melissa says. “But it happens.”
As for whether she and Judith might share the screen again when filming on “RHONJ” resumes, Melissa emphasizes that that’s a decision only Bravo can make.
She claims her motivation for mending fences has nothing to do with television and everything to do with her children. “I’m doing this for more important reasons,” said Melissa, who lives with Antonia, 20, Gino, 18, and Joey and Joe, 15.
“I’m going to move on and try things, but I want to show my kids that this is not the way to live. This is not normal.”
Melissa hopes that her children, who are close to their sisters and other relatives, will eventually develop the same kind of bond that Giudice’s daughters, Gia, 24, Gabriella, 21, Milania, 19, and Audriana, 16, have.
“This has to be fixed,” she says, emphasizing the importance of family connections. “God forbid anything ever happen. Everyone needs to be able to talk to each other.”
The Bravo star also stressed that real progress requires everyone involved to “take responsibility,” including herself. “At some point, we’ve all said something out of anger,” she admits. “Let’s see what happens.”
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So far, fans have been able to see Melissa’s brighter side on ‘Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition,’ which provided her with a rare chance to step outside of the ‘Housewives’ bubble and step into the household of a family that is very different from her own.
She called the experience “refreshing” and said it allowed her to see her loved ones “in a different light.”
“Not only did I end up living in a strange house with strangers, but my kids had another woman in the house telling them what to do,” Melissa recalls with a laugh. “It was a really great experience. I feel like I grew from it and learned a lot. And I loved the family I spent it with. It was perfect.”
“Wife Swap: Real Housewives” airs Tuesdays at 9pm ET on Bravo.
