Margaret Josephs and Rachel Fuda are coming to Danielle Cabral’s defense after the latter’s headline-making physical altercation with Jennifer Aydin finally aired on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
“The truth is Jennifer really pushed her much harder than I ever thought and really was the aggressor in that situation,” Josephs, 57, exclusively told Page Six Thursday at DJ Eliad Cohen’s Mezcalum NYC Pride kickoff at Dimes in the Gansevoort Hotel in Manhattan.
“And Danielle had a knee-jerk reaction, which I think nobody would have,” she added. “When I saw it play back, I was like, ‘Wow.’”
The June 23 episode of “RHONJ” saw Cabral, 38, and Aydin, 47, get into it following a heated argument over a photo shoot with the Boujie Kidz founder’s hairstylist at a Tulum-themed bash hosted by Teresa Giudice.
Aydin accused Cabral of speaking poorly about her glam team member, while Cabral insisted she was only giving Aydin a heads-up that payment wasn’t likely should she choose to participate in a shoot for the stylist’s hair extension business.
Cabral called Aydin “dirty,” prompting the “New Jersey” vet to shove her counterpart. In retaliation, Cabral threw her drink on Aydin, even slamming her plastic cup against the latter’s face.
“Danielle was in my space like that the year before,” Josephs, who didn’t get along with Cabral in Season 13 before growing close over the past year, pointed out to Page Six. “I didn’t push her like that. That did not happen between myself and Danielle.”
Fuda, 33 — who, like Josephs, did not attend the cast event — told us that she doesn’t blame Cabral for her reaction.
“Danielle did what anyone in this group would do. If someone shoved you with such force, you’re cracked in the head,” she said.
The Bravolebrity said she wasn’t shocked by Aydin’s behavior when watching the scene as it aligns with what she perceives to be an “antagonist” persona.
“Based on Jennifer Aydin’s track record of aggression and lack of boundaries, what I heard and what I saw were really the same thing. That’s my expectation for Jen,” Fuda explained.
“She likes to be the antagonist. She likes to push people’s buttons. She knows how to push them and see how far she can literally push them.”
As Page Six reported last September, Aydin and Cabral engaged in an explosive confrontation during production that resulted in both parties being temporarily suspended from filming.
All these months later, both Josephs and Fuda — who each remain tight with Cabral — are happy to let the drama live in the past and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community this Pride Month.
“I’m queen of supporting Pride. I love it. It’s such an important month to support the LGBTQ+ community. I’ve always been doing that for years,” Josephs said of why she came out to support the event, co-hosted by Cohen, 36, and “Real Housewives of New York City” star Erin Lichy, co-founder of Mezcalum.
“Pride’s about celebration and we’re here to do that. We’re here to celebrate Erin, who’s such a beautiful [ally to] the community.”
Fuda was equally thrilled to put her passion for Pride on display.
“This event tonight just represents so much unity and love that we’re missing in our community and I think it just represents what we should be celebrating every day — just the love, looking past differences and accepting people for who they are,” she told Page Six.
“If you have this platform and you don’t use it for positive things, then what’s the point? There has to be more than the toxicity.”
Party attendees — also including “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Meredith Marks, “The McBee Dynasty” star Galyna Saltkovska, entrepreneur Lexi Barbuto and content creator Donald “Prima Donald” Adler — enjoyed mezcal cocktails made with Lichy’s Mezcalum. Meanwhile, Cohen debuted his new single “Touch Me.”
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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