It’s no surprise that sisters-in-law Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice of Real Housewives of New Jersey are having issues. They have a long history of feuding.
Melissa and her husband Joe jumped into season 3 with a bang. On their very first episode, Joe called his sister “garbage” and brawled with her then-husband Joe Giudice.
Since then, there have been good times and bad between the in-laws. Teresa believed that Melissa was trying to separate her from her brother. She has accused her sister-in-law of being a “gold digger,” and the two even had an issue over sprinkle cookies.
They called a truce when both Teresa and Joe Giudice were sentenced to prison. They appeared to have mended their relationship and seemed close for a while.
Melissa Gorga was not included in Teresa Giudice’s wedding
It has been known for a while that Melissa was not included in Teresa’s wedding to Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas and that the Gorgas family did not attend at all. What happened leading up to that decision is now being played out in the current season of RHONJ.
In March 2022, Teresa appeared on Watch What Happens Live, and told host Andy Cohen that Melissa would not be a member of her bridal party. When Andy asked if Melissa knew this information, the OG housewife replied, “Don’t make a big deal. I mean, come on.”
Melissa said on her On Display podcast that she “did find out on TV” that she would not be a bridesmaid. She later said on WWHL that she and her sister-in-law were not on speaking terms and that while filming the season 12 reunion, the two made a pact to stop pretending they were friends and like one another.
Days before Teresa’s wedding, the Gorgas decided not to attend. Both Melissa and Joe called their decision “devastating,” but “something went down” at the season 13 finale.
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How did Melissa Gorga feel about not being included in Teresa’s wedding?
Melissa told Andy Cohen on WWHL that she didn’t “expect to” be put in the wedding but felt it was “a little strange when she was putting other sister-in-laws in the wedding.” She went on to say that Teresa “really drew the line in the sand” and that she was “showing our kids that we’re really not a family if you can’t even fake it for a wedding.”
She felt that Teresa was making a “statement” by leaving her out, especially when she had new sisters-in-law as bridesmaids and left out the one she’s had for 20 years.
Another topic that was touched on during her segment on WWHL was that the Gorgas had pulled away from other family members, including cousins Kathy Wakile and Rosie Pierri, because Teresa wanted them to.
Melissa now regrets it. “He did that for her when she got out of prison,” Melissa said of her husband. She finished by saying, “We love Kathy and Rosie.”
Is there hope for reconciliation between Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice?
Melissa was a recent guest on Sherri, where she spoke about her relationship with her sister-in-law and said she was “extremely sad” not to attend her nuptials.
“I think that was honestly the best thing for my family at that time,” she explained. “There’s sometimes when you have to say, ‘Enough is enough,’ and I feel like everyone will see why through the show … But it’s sad, it’s a very sad situation.”
“Sometimes when things are super toxic, it’s hard to keep fighting that fight, and if you’re fighting it alone and it’s one-sided,” she told the host about their relationship. When Sherri asked if she wanted to make up, she responded, “I don’t know.”
