Bravo
'Real Housewives of New Jersey' legend Teresa Giudice opens up about her apology to John Fuda, whether or not she's spoken to Dina Manzo since her husband's conviction, and her take after watching the show back for the first time ever!
For the first time ever in the history of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, OG star Teresa Giudice is not just a fixture on the show -- and the center of most of the drama -- but she's also a viewer. The reality legend broke down her take on the latest Watch What Happens Live.
Talking with host Andy Cohen and Fire Island star Joel Kim Booster, Giudice dropped the reveal that she's actually watching the show when asked about her newfound friendship with Jackie Goldschneider. She also dished on her aborted reunion plans, House of Villains, Dina Manzo and more!
Of the latter, it was a pretty brief exchange, with Andy asking if she'd spoken to Dina since her ex-husband's conviction. "I texted her and she hearted it," Teresa said in an answer so short, Andy waited a beat to be sure that was it.
"Okay," he then said, "And what was your reaction?" This response was just as terse, with Teresa replying, "You know. Justice was served."
As for her relationship with Jackie, the audience was 82 percent certain their new friendship wouldn't last, while Joel seemed a little dubious himself. "I think what happens with a lot of these people around Teresa is they are using her for clout and I don't trust-- I want real friends for you, Teresa," he said. "I want friends that will stick by you."
It was in response to this that Teresa revealed she was watching the show back for the first time ever. In doing so, she shared, "I really see that Jackie's making her own decisions. It's not because I told her-- I didn't tell her to do anything. Jennifer [Aydin] didn't tell her to do anything. Like, I see that Margaret [Josephs] was getting on her last nerve and she's seeing right through her."
This segment also explored whether or not her apology to John Fuda was sincere, with Joel again seeming dubious (and 81% of online voters voting "No").
"I think that they came in not necessarily wanting to hear an apology, maybe, but I also don't know that you really wanted to be friends with them, either," said Booster.
Teresa insisted the apology "was" sincere, "but I wanted an apology first, 'cause they're the ones that started all this."
Joel argued that while it might have been "unfair" for Teresa to bring up Fuda's criminal past, it was equally unfair for her own criminal past to be brought up. But Teresa interjected to tell him it wasn't even about all that.
"He accused my husband [Luis Ruelas] of reaching out to his ex that was in jail and why would he do that? So they threw the first punch, so I'm gonna finish the fight," she told Joel. "Trust me."
She then interrupted Andy beginning the next question to add, "It's too bad we weren't having a reunion, because I was going to bring an envelope and I was going to take something out of the envelope."
She didn't expand on what was in the envelope, but did say she almost brought it with her that night, but wanted more of the cast there. Andy said that maybe they could have her back on before the season runs out. You can bet neither he nor Bravo fans are going to soon forget about that envelope ... or its mysterious contents!
Later in the show, Joel said that after meeting Teresa in person and seeing her on Ultimate Girls Trip, "I would like to see you in an environment where you're not on the defensive."
"Thank you, he said it," Teresa said. "They're always coming after me."
Speaking of RHUGT, though Teresa insisted that still wasn't fully the "real" her, if only because her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga -- with whom she's been embroiled in a years-long feud -- was there. "I still couldn't talk, I still kept my mouth shut," she said.
We're not sure if her upcoming stint on House of Villains will be quite that, but Teresa suggested the E! series might just feature the "real Teresa" in a way fans haven't seen yet.
"At first I didn't want to do the show because I was like, 'I'm not a villain.' But I'm so excited that I did it," she said. "I can't wait for everyone to see it, 'cause I think they're gonna see, you know, kinda-- everyone's saying the real Teresa."
"I know everyone thinks that you see the real Teresa on Housewives, but I can't wait for you guys to see House of Villains. I can't wait." She then dropped a huge possible spoiler as to her fate on the show, adding, "I have to see it myself to see how it plays out."
Finally, after 15 years together on WWHL and all things Bravo, Andy and Teresa took a moment to reflect on their ups and downs and even further downs across all those years.
"You and I went through it for, like, a chunk of time where you really felt like I was after you," Andy said, with Teresa admitting she thought he was "always asking me the hardest questions."
"I know you did, but you were always under fire," he said, echoing Joel's earlier sentiment.
"And I didn't get it. Hello, this is my first time on TV, you know? So this was all new to me," Teresa said.
Calling it a "come to Jesus" moment, Andy said that the two finally got to the bottom of it all "before you went away." He said that in that moment, "I feel like that is when we kind of figured it all out. It took us a minute."
Fans have the chance to figure out if this is the "real" Teresa Giudice every Sunday on Bravo's The Real Housewives of New Jersey. For Season 2 of House of Villains, coming this fall to E!, Teresa has the chance to get "real" alongside stars like Tiffany "New York" Pollard, Richard Hatch, Jessie "Mr. Pec-tacular" Godderz, Safaree Samuels and so many more.
