Jennifer Aydin was instrumental in spreading infidelity rumors about the Gorgas on this season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” according to Margaret Josephs.
The Drink Soirée by Margaret co-founder, 55, shares her take on the drama in an upcoming episode of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast.
“I wish Teresa [Giudice] would have prevented it,” the reality star says, noting that she isn’t sure if Giudice, 50, is behind the gossip about brother Joe Gorga and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. “I don’t know.”
However, Josephs asserts that Aydin, 45, is guilty of sharing hurtful hearsay about the couple across the Garden State. “I know Jennifer sure as hell did,” she tells us.
As seen in the trailer for “RHONJ” Season 13, Aydin claimed at least once that Melissa, 43, had been unfaithful to Joe, 47, during a conversation with series newbie Danielle Cabral.
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“He saw Melissa in the backseat and she was making out with another guy,” Aydin alleges.
Giudice and the Gorgas fell out in August 2022, resulting in Joe and Melissa choosing not to attend Giudice’s wedding to Luis “Louis” Ruelas at the last minute. Their decision to skip the ceremony came after an explosive fight broke out while filming the Season 13 finale of the Bravo show.
Tensions flared after Giudice mentioned the rumors about Melissa cheating on Joe with longtime friend Nick Barrotta. Despite the discord, a source previously told Page Six the Gorgas — who have been married since 2004 and share three children — “laughed off” the claims.
“Sometimes when things are too toxic and you try over and over and over again and it just keeps coming back around to the same thing, even if it’s family, you have to let it go,” Melissa said on her “On Display” podcast shortly after.
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Josephs, for her part, has made efforts in the past to broker peace between Giudice and the Gorgas — dissimilarly to Aydin.
“I don’t know if [Aydin] feels that she can’t be nice to [the Gorgas] because she’s friends with Teresa,” the “Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget” author tells us.
“But I think Teresa would appreciate Jennifer trying to get them back together like I did, as opposed to separating them.”
Josephs notably made amends with Giudice while filming Season 13 — and even attended her lavish nuptials — after feuding particularly hard with her the season prior. She remains close with the Gorgas but is uncertain if she can facilitate a future reconciliation among the divided parties.
“It’s like fixing peace in the Middle East,” she says. “I don’t know.”
Rebuilding a relationship with Giudice as the “RHONJ” OG’s bond with the Gorgas dismantled was no easy task, Josephs says.
“You want the truth? It was emotional. It upset me. It broke my heart because I know that it was painful for Melissa. It was hurtful, it was sad,” she explains. “I know Joe was sad as the season was happening. And I know Teresa, at the time, was sad.”
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Josephs elaborates, “It was very hard to watch with family and I tried endless times to try and make amends [between] them … But it’s a long time, the waters run deep.”
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” Season 13 premieres Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.