Three Red Flags Lauren Manzo & Vito Scalia's Marriage Wouldn't Last
Another "Real Housewives of New Jersey" love story has ended. This time, it's Lauren Manzo Scalia heading to the divorce court following the end of her 8-year marriage to Vito Scalia. "By now, you've seen the news that's broken. I just want you guys to know we're all good," Lauren announced in a video posted to Instagram. "This has been done for a very long time. The last part of the process was filing. We are on the same page; this is something we've done together, we love and respect each other, and we continue to move forward as a family."
Rumors that the couple's marriage was over have been swirling for years. The speculation started in 2018 after Lauren stopped posting photos of Vito, who used to be a regular fixture on her Instagram feed, along with their daughter, Marchesa Anna Scalia. Vito vehemently denied that there was trouble in paradise, though, telling Page Six that the rumors were "absolutely not true." In case anybody was left in doubt, he followed up with a Facebook post insisting, "We are perfect!!!!!!"
Fast forward to September 5, and Vito was filing for divorce. The U.S. Sun obtained a copy of the documents. They list "irreconcilable differences" as the cause of the split and state that the couple has been experiencing problems for "a period of at least six months." However, as "Manzo'd with Children" fans know, the writing has been on the wall for a long time.
Facing reality
Numerous brokenhearted reality stars have learned that what happens on Bravo stays on Bravo. Reality TV has been the curse of many a marriage, so letting your love play out in front of the cameras is never the best start to any relationship. The cameras were rolling throughout the fledging days of Lauren Manzo and Vito Scalia's romance. They captured all the couple's stresses and headaches as they planned their wedding, and they were front and center, documenting every moment when the couple walked down the aisle in 2015.
Lauren's mom, Caroline Manzo, is a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" OG, so the Bravo cameras were part and parcel of the family's life from when the show premiered in 2009. It looked like the Manzos were stepping back from reality TV when they quit "RHONJ" after five seasons. "When we started filming Housewives so long ago, [my husband Al] made me promise him one thing. He said, 'Just be yourself and have fun with it,'" Caroline explained in a Bravo blog post.
"I've always prided myself on giving you the truth of who I really am, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Over the past few years, my outlook on the show has changed from something I couldn't wait to show my future grandchildren to something I hope my future grandchildren never see." However, the family was back in the spotlight again by 2014 thanks to "Manzo'd with Children," which shared even more of their private life.
Communication issues
Lauren Manzo and Vito Scalia were bickering like an old married couple before the ink was barely dry on their marriage license. Their communication issues played out for the "Manzo'd with Children" cameras, ensuring that every excruciating moment was captured for posterity and watched by millions. "You really annoy me a lot," Lauren told a nonchalant Vito during Season 3.
"The bickering thing with Lauren and Vito is part of communication with them," Caroline Manzo explained. "They haven't learned to quite communicate properly, so they kind of like snap at each other. They're only married less than a year, so it's part of the learning curve, I imagine, to get along without killing each other." Most people advise learning to get along before tying the knot. And it's a red flag when your mom's concerned about you committing homicide if don't learn how to talk to your husband. Still, the couple continued to bicker as they each insisted they worked harder than the other.
Caroline stepped in and played peacemaker, suggesting they swap jobs for a day. "It shouldn't be that difficult because he bones butts and tosses salad," Lauren shaded. "It will be good for them," a hopeful Caroline insisted to the cameras. "Because how can you appreciate somebody, what they're feeling, what they've gone through, if you haven't been there yourself." With that reasoning, you could only be grateful that your partner works in a deli and not emptying septic tanks.
Family feud
Becoming part of your partner's family is challenging enough, but it's downright daunting when it's the Manzos you're marrying into. Per Bravo, Vito Scalia knew Albie Manzo for years before hooking up with Lauren Manzo, as the two shared a room at college. Still, he couldn't have known what fate had in store for him.
Life with the Manzos is hectic, to say the least. Punch-ups and feuds are commonplace within the vast extended family; adding the Giudices into the mix is explosive. As E! News reported, even a brief Dominican vacation can end with a massive punch-up, police interrogations, and a forfeited passport. It all kicked off after Teresa Giudice started spraying the crowd with champagne. "Albie and Chris are arguing with the guy dropping the N-word; I've got the guys calling me homophobic slurs, then the Joes are dealing with another dude. It was like, these different scenes all around," a Manzo family friend shared.
And that's just a taste of the drama. Per Us Weekly, Caroline Manzo is embroiled in a bitter feud with her step-niece, Danielle Cabral. It got so heated that Cabral blocked Caroline on social media. Then, there's the Dina Manzo hitman drama. People reports that Dina's ex-husband, Thomas Manzo, was arrested for allegedly trying to hire a mob hitman to kill her and her new husband, David Cantin. He's also been accused of allegedly planning a home invasion on their house. It's safe to say that joining the Manzos isn't for the faint of heart.