Tragic Details About The Real Housewives Of New Jersey
They say that the higher the hair, the closer to heaven, but "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" are anything but holy — even if they've been known to rock a poof. Somebody should have told that to Teresa Giudice — because even with the 1500 bobby pins she used for her wedding updo she still couldn't distract from the fact that she's been the center of drama on the show. It's not just Giudice, however, that characterizes the Jersey Housewives as being one of the most contentious groups of the franchise. Season after season, the cast members of "RHONJ" get rowdier and more unhinged.
It's that type of behavior that has given the New Jersey ladies a bad girl reputation. That, and maybe the iconic table-flipping incident that made Giudice a household name. The cast members of the "RHONJ" haven't shied away from physical violence either — as they've been known to throw a glass or two and pull each other's hair. Giudice even infamously put her hands on Bravo ring leader Andy Cohen during the Season 2 reunion. With all the tension brewing around these Housewives, it's clear they have some skeletons in their closets. Whatever the controversy, the cast members of the "RHONJ" aren't exactly into letting bygones be bygones. The list of shocking details about the show is about as big as Guidice's wedding hair. Read it and weep, we're giving you all the tragic details about "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."
Teresa Giudice's prison sentence took its toll on her family
Teresa Giudice knows a thing or two about tragedy — especially when it comes in the form of a prison sentence. The mother of three was sentenced to prison in 2014 after she pleaded guilty to several fraud charges that included falsifying loan documents and bank fraud. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star was given a 15-month sentence, but she was released early in 2015 after serving 11 months. Giudice's former husband Joe was also charged in the 39-count indictment and given a 41-month sentence. The Italian native never had American citizenship, and after his release from prison in 2019 he was deported.
Being separated from her family for nearly a year took its toll on Teresa. "As a mom, you don't want to see your kids suffer," she told People in 2019. "But it affects the kids. And that's what breaks my heart. That's why I was kind of really resentful towards Joe and I'm like, 'Why'd you make this happen to our kids too?'" Teresa and Joe served their sentences back-to-back, which meant their daughters spent nearly four years with just a single parent in their home.
The prison sentences also took a toll on Teresa's marriage to Joe, which ended when their divorce was finalized in 2020. On Season 13 Episode 11 of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey," Teresa admitted that she resented her ex-husband after her mother passed away during his sentence. When they reunited after his release, she said, "I felt nothing," adding, "That's when I was like, 'It's over.'"
Louie Ruelas says he received death threats
Out of all the drama that Season 13 of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" brought, no question mark was bigger for fans than whether or not to trust Louie Ruelas. The businessman, who married Teresa Giudice in 2022, drew criticism from fans during Season 13 Episode 15 when he claimed he had connections to a private investigator, Bo Dietl, who had dirt on the Housewives.
While Deitl denied working for Ruelas in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, it did little to quell the opinions of the Jersey Housewives. During the Season 13 reunion, cast member Margaret Joseph said her son received a threatening call from Ruelas, claiming the phone number matched his. Housewife Rachel Fuda claimed Ruelas looked into her stepson's birth mother's whereabouts, saying, "There was information found about what prison she's in, [and] where she was."
Ruelas later went on "Watch What Happens Live" (per Page Six) to admit that he had lied about hiring Dietl while filming the show. "I was at the end of my rope. It was a long season. Frustrating you know, trying to get married." He added, "I regret it though." He did, however, admit to hiring private security while taping the Season 13 reunion. "Production just got a call from the security person downstairs who you hired, he's trying to come up," Andy Cohen said on the reunion. Ruelas admitted he hired the security guard after he claimed he and Teresa received death threats.
Jennifer Aydin's husband cheated on her when she was pregnant
While there are many tragic details involving the "Real Housewives of New Jersey," Jennifer Aydin discovering that her husband Bill cheated on her while pregnant couldn't have been easy to swallow. Housewife Margaret Josephs brought up the scandal during the premiere of Season 12 and Jennifer revealed how she found out. "I was pregnant, we had just moved to Jersey ... he was not around. He was working a lot," Jennifer revealed. "And he was really feeling himself. You know, he was making a lot of money," she said, adding she was privy to the information after finding strange charges on his card. "Then I saw a text message in his phone, and I confronted him with it. He admitted it," she said. Jennifer admitted she gave birth just ten days later, choosing to work on their marriage after the shock and anger wore off.
The infidelity seemingly took a toll on Jennifer's daughter — who admitted she wanted to be a couple's therapist when she grows up. "I never spoke about this infidelity for this very exact reason," Jennifer said in a confessional after hearing about her daughter's change of heart. She told her castmate Rachel Fuda: "She never said that before," adding, "before she wanted to be on stage. She wanted to be a Broadway star — yeah, that's sad." Jennifer and Bill have been married since 2002 and share five children together.
Is fame to blame for the Gorga v. Giudice feud?
There's no greater Housewife feud than the one between Teresa Giudice, her brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa. Fans have watched the tumultuous relationship between the trio reach highs and lows for over a decade, ever since Melissa Gorga joined the cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" in Season 3. The tension started brewing shortly after when it was clear that Giudice and Melissa, like oil and water, were never going to mix. Not even Melissa's sprinkle cookies could mend their divide, because as true fans know — Giudice only accepts Pignoli cookies.
Giudice accused her sister-in-law of cheating on her brother in 2012, and again in 2022. In the Season 13 finale episode, Melissa claimed her sister-in-law and her husband Louie Ruelas invited Joe over to their house to discuss Melissa's alleged infidelity. Melissa denied that she cheated on her husband, saying: "[Teresa] said with multiple men. They like doubled down. It was like they wanted that man to leave the house and divorce me." Ultimately the rumor was the last straw, and Melissa and Joe decided to skip Teresa's 2022 nuptials to Ruelas.
On the Season 13 "RHONJ" reunion, Giudice called out the Gorgas yet again for allegedly fraternizing with a person responsible who helped land her in prison. "They were hanging out with him and they were speaking with him," she claimed. Melissa denied that she or Joe had anything to do with ratting out Giudice or her former husband Joe.
Teresa Giudice was hit with a tax lien
If there are two things that don't mix — it's Teresa Giudice and taxes. As per court documents obtained by The Sun, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," star is behind on her taxes. In 2023 the reality star was hit with a tax bill of over $17,000. Her attorney James J. Leonard Jr. gave a statement to Page Six, saying, "Ms. Giudice has been aware of her tax obligations for years and makes significant timely monthly payments towards her outstanding tax liabilities and will continue to do so until those liabilities do not exist."
Giudice owed over $14,000 to the government in 2020, and nearly $2,500 in 2021. Aside from her and Joe's infamous prison sentences for tax fraud, Giudice and her ex-husband have a long list of tax debts. According to the court documents (via The Sun), at one point the former couple owed over a million dollars in tax liens. In May 2022, Teresa paid over $300,000 in tax debts for the years 2011 and 2012. She also paid off her 2013 bankruptcy fraud case in full in February of 2022, as well as over $200,000 in fees in the case brought by Alliance Laundry System involving her and her husband.
While the reality star and her husband Louie Ruelas are living in a $3 million mansion, it was purchased under an LLC. Ruelas and Giudice purchased the mansion in 2021 under the business name "It Happened on Bay Boulevard LLC," of which they are both members.
Louie Ruelas was involved in several domestic violence disputes
Louie Ruelas has a bit of a checkered past. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star came under fire after former police reports surfaced involving his past. According to court documents obtained by Page Six, the businessman was charged with assault in 2018. The incident occurred after a fit of road rage led Ruelas to approach the window of another driver named Jesse Palmieri, who had stopped abruptly to avoid hitting a squirrel. A witness claimed that as Palmieri was rolling up his window, Ruelas struck him on the head. Ruelas, however, denies ever hitting the driver.
The reality star also has several domestic abuse allegations against him. According to police reports, per Page Six, he reportedly shoved his ex-wife Marisa DiMartino into a metal pole following a disagreement in 2012. Prior to that, he was also named in a police report by DiMartino over a verbal spat that caused her to leave the home. No charges were filed in either dispute. His ex-fiancée Vanessa Reiser also filed suit against him in 2020 (via Page Six) in which she claimed: "He demanded that I be available for sex whenever he wanted." That case was eventually settled outside of court.
When asked by Andy Cohen about the accusations during the Season 13 reunion, Ruelas admitted he was in toxic relationships. "Two incidents have come up recently, and those were arguments with my wife over my children when we were getting divorced," he said. Ruelas also denied Reiser's claims that he had a sex addiction.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Teresa Giudice says she feels like orphan
Teresa Giudice suffered a traumatic loss after losing both of her parents. The reality star opened up about feeling alone on Season 11 of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." "I miss my dad so much. I feel like an orphan now. I feel like I'm all alone, but I'm happy he's with my mom," Giudice said in a confessional interview. Her father, Giacinto Gorga, died in 2020 from COPD and heart problems. "We made him as happy as he could, but I know he wanted to go be with my mom, you know?" Giudice admitted on the show. The death of her father came a few years after the reality star lost her mother. Antonia Gorga died in 2017 at the age of 66 after experiencing pneumonia. Guidice was incredibly close to her parents, who were often featured in family gatherings on the show.
In a clip from Season 13, Melissa Gorga gets emotional reminiscing about her Gorga family origins. After choking up after drawing a family picture of the Gorgas, Guidice interrupts her. "It's, like, the way we started," Guidice said in her confessional. "We were so happy. We were a happy, beautiful family." No telling what the late Giacinto and Antonia Gorga would think about the enormous rift between their daughter and son as it stands today. "It's just sad to me that this was a family, and to draw them from the beginning struck me like, 'Wow, look where we are right now,'" Gorga said in her confessional.
RHONJ Guest star Johnny Karagiorgis died of a heart attack
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" guest star Johnny Karagiorgis died unexpectedly in 2016 after experiencing a heart attack. The father of two was featured during Season 5 of the show, and was known to fans by his nickname, "The Greek." He co-owned the New Jersey restaurant Rutt's Hut, and his wife Penny Drossos' hair salon Medusa's Hair Loft was frequented by cast members Kim DePaola and Teresa Giudice.
Drossos took to Facebook (per Us Weekly) to share the news. "My heart is broken my world is shattered. John Karagiorgis had a massive heart attack yesterday evening and has left us," her post read. "Thank you all for your texts messages and support but please understand I'm still in shock n denial that this has happen. Please understand I need sometime to grieve with my kids at this time," she wrote at the time.
The former reality star left the franchise after a brawl broke out while filming in 2013. The incident involved Karagiorgis getting slapped in the back of the head by former Housewife Jacqueline Laurita. Her husband Chris, nephew Albie Manzo, and Poison Gorga also jumped in on the physical altercation. The controversy started after Jacqueline claimed Karagiorgis made fun of her son with autism, which he denied. The charges were later dismissed.
Margaret Josephs lost her ex-husband unexpectedly
Margaret Josephs announced the unfortunate news that her first husband died unexpectedly in 2022. As per Page Six, Jan suffered a heart attack and died at 74 years old. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star took to Instagram to share her condolences. "Today would have been Jan's 75th birthday, he passed away unexpectedly last week and a piece of us died with him. We are heartbroken. The night before he left us we shared a beautiful conversation of how blessed we are, our children all successful and happy, and that we could only brag to each other. We spoke every day, he was my family," Margaret wrote.
The reality star was married to Jan for 17 years before they divorced in 2013. Jan was 20 years her senior, and she became a stepmom to his three children after they tied the knot in 1994. She went on to welcome a son with her former husband, Spencer, who is not featured on the "RHONJ." Jan and Margaret remained friends following their split, even though she admitted to People that she ended her marriage to pursue a relationship with her current husband, Joe Benigno. While she may be on good terms with Jan, she revealed that the decision took its toll on her three children. "They're holding a grudge. And it doesn't make it any easier. But I know in my heart we'll find a way back to one another. I'd die over them," she told People in 2021.
Two men were found dead in Kim DePaola's car
It's not often — if ever — that a Housewife is tied to a double homicide. Kim DePaola found herself in a sticky situation in 2017 when a car registered in her name was found with two victims of homicide inside, as per TMZ. While the former cast member of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" owned the car, it was her son Chris who used it frequently. After Chris was driven to the airport, sources revealed he told his friend to leave the vehicle at his house, but it later ended up at the murder scene.
Police were called to the scene of the crime after hearing shots, but arrived to find the victims were shot and found inside the badly burned car. Clarence Williams and Gerry Thomas were later arrested for the crimes after police were able to identify the victims as Aaron Anderson and Antonio Vega. Family members told TMZ it was a revenge murder against Anderson, and Vega happened to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
DePaola took to Instagram following the incident. "I am humbled by the outpour of love and support during this very difficult time," she wrote in her post. "My son and I are both safe. Our deepest condolences go out to the victims' families of this truly horrific tragedy."