During the early years of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, Dina Manzo, and Caroline Manzo were as thick as thieves. The sisters presented a united front, but a significant feud broke them apart after a few seasons. Viewers were never given the real story but deduced that Teresa Giudice was just the catalyst for their bond-breaking. Dina eventually left the show, and Caroline never spoke of her sister again. The whole thing felt like a weird Halloween tale, but this drama was very real, as Lexi Ioannou is now speaking out.
Carolina Manzo backs Dina Manzo’s ex-husband
The matriarch of the Real Housewives of New Jersey was slammed after it was revealed she supported her brother-in-law after the 2017 home invasion. At the time, it was alleged he beat up Dina. The sister’s relationship was complicated. And Caroline infuriated fans after news broke that she had written a letter of support for Tommy Manzo. She also had read it out in court. Caroline stated her brother-in-law was “kind-hearted and caring.” In June 2024, Tommy was convicted after a two-week trial and sentenced to seven years behind bars. The DA’s press release noted that Tommy was sentenced to “84 months in prison for hiring, then assisting, a soldier in the Lucchese Crime Family to assault his ex-wife’s current husband.” The crime was violent. And the State of New Jersey was not going to overlook the obstruction of justice and racketeering crimes.
Caroline’s decision to support Tommy was unpopular, but her son, Albie Manzo, spoke out in his mother’s defense. While on his podcast, Dear Albie, the eldest son, noted, “This is why I respect my mother so much. She made a choice that she knew going in would be extraordinarily unpopular — that could’ve been easily twisted into something that it isn’t. But she made it anyway because she felt it was the right thing to do.”
Dina Manzo’s daughter is speaking her mind
However, not everyone respects Caroline’s decision to oppose her sister, especially Dina’s daughter, Lexi. The former RHONJ kid penned an open letter on her website, BohoChicken. The 23-year-old opened up Pandora’s box as she blasted her once beloved aunt. Lexi wrote, “The fallout from my mother’s marriage to Tommy is a complex tapestry of emotions and betrayals. I find myself at a perpetual loss to understand how the man who tormented my mother garnered the support of my own family.” According to Lexi, the 63-year-old was more than an aunt.
“She often rocked me to sleep as a child and stepped in as a second mother, welcoming us into her home during the uncertain period following my mother’s separation from my father,” added Lexi. “Yet, in a staggering betrayal, she would later choose the side of my mother’s abuser and go as far as writing a character letter in defense of Tommy. What could compel someone to form an alliance with a felon over their own blood?”
Lexi Ioannou is sending a message
In her open letter, Lexi also talked about how Tommy was “manipulative.” “For over a decade, I have kept silent in fear of poking Tommy Manzo, my stepfather of fifteen years—a proven to be dangerous man, who won the loyalty of my blood family.” Lexi painted a picture for readers, revealing, “To know Tommy was to love him. Yet beneath this veneer of charm lay a complexity of darker undercurrents, raising questions about the true intentions of his relationships and the reality behind the façade.” Lexi shared, “Behind closed doors, he was an unavailable husband, a notorious cheater, and a workaholic.”
She wrote, “I watched as he dangled the promise of a better future in front of my mother while stripping away her confidence, breaking her down, and using me as leverage in his manipulations.” Perhaps the saddest part of her letter was acknowledging that she no longer had a support system. “Other family members chose the path of silence—offering neither empathy nor acknowledgment, their complacency an acceptance to his crimes. I have been severed from a once-beloved village of aunts, uncles, and cousins, all because of these fractured alliances.” Lexi’s honesty was both articulate and extremely sad to see.
