Teresa Giudice is the sole remaining original cast member of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
The table-flipping reality star has been on “RHONJ” since 2009 and is a core personality in the show.
But if she remains on the series after a planned cast overhaul, her co-star promises to depart the show.
Giudice, 52, who grew up in Paterson, is seen living with her family in Montville in the popular Bravo series.
The objecting co-star?
Her sister-in-law.
Melissa Gorga, 45, grew up in Toms River and has lived with her family in Franklin Lakes on the show.
“It is what it is,” she told “Housewives” alums Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave (daughter of John Mellencamp, former cast member from ”The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) and Tamra Judge (currently on ”The Real Housewives of Orange County”) of “The Two Ts in a Pod” podcast.
“It’s unhealthy and it’s OK,” Gorga said. “I wish everyone nothing but the best.”
“Her and I are two extremely different characters, so to speak, on the show,” Gorga said.
She speculated on the future of her reality TV career because Bravo is planning to overhaul “RHONJ” ahead of the 15th season.
While Gorga and Giudice have had their share of bad blood over the series, she said that if the network continues with Giudice, it would be a “darker” version of the show.
Melissa Gorga joined the cast of "RHONJ" in 2011.Theo Wargo | Wire
“I do wanna be on ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey,’ I do not wanna be on that toxic sh--,” Gorga said.
She said she is prepared for the possibility of Bravo not asking her back to do season 15, and prefers an exit to being on the show with her sister-in-law.
“I’ve had a 14-year run,” Gorga said. “You can’t do it forever ... it’s a good time to say ‘it’s time.’”
Giudice has said she doesn’t plan to leave “RHONJ.”
“I’m not leaving, I started the show,” she told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, answering rumors in a July appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
“When Bravo wants me to leave, that’s when I’ll leave,” she said.
However, Giudice has talked about wanting to leave New Jersey for better weather. She previously said she planned to move after her youngest daughter, Audriana, goes to college.
“I need to either be in California or Florida,” she said on her podcast in 2023.
Giudice’s whole pop culture identity is bound up in the Jersey reality show, but that could raise the prospect of a slot on one of the California shows like “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” or “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” which was the first show in the Bravo franchise, having debuted in 2006.
