The Big Picture

• Teresa's feud with her brother and sister-in-law is central in RHONJ.
• The Gorga temper fuels family discord on the reality show.
• Season 14 may bring clarity to Teresa's relationship with Luis and the ongoing drama.

A family feud that has dragged out on reality TV for more than a decade is fascinating, if nothing else. When Teresa Giudice first landed on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, she allegedly had no idea what she would be facing in the years to come. Federal charges of mortgage fraud were brought into her life by her now ex-husband's business practices. Little could Teresa know that going through that litigation process and ultimately serving almost a year in prison was just the beginning, as further drama would plague her tenure on the series. When her brother, Joe Gorga, and his wife, Melissa Gorga, joined the show in the third season, it was allegedly behind Teresa's back and despite her wishes.

Teresa has always said that the Gorgas joined the show behind her back, to bring her down. Her brother, for his part, has always claimed that they did it to be closer to his sister and the family, and to hold Teresa to the truth. Joe has alleged that fame got to his sister's head and changed her level of honesty within the family. In December 2022, Teresa appeared on Reality With The King, a podcast hosted by Carlos King, executive producer on the first two seasons of Real Housewives of New Jersey. He seemed to confirm Teresa's side of the story, saying that the Gorgas had been contacting him through social media to get themselves cast on the show and Teresa found out from producers rather than her family.

Does a sister have a right to deny her brother an opportunity to appear on "her" reality show? Is her brother wrong to want to be able to tell his side of the story? The family dynamics that play out on Real Housewives of New Jersey is what sets it apart from all the other Housewives series. Reunion host and Housewives producer Andy Cohen has repeatedly said that the series has "always been about family." The claim to bring the one consistent family on the franchise since its inception belongs to the woman who, with Season 14, will now be the longest running Housewife currently filming her series. Teresa's feud with her brother and her sister-in-law has been the central story in the series since the couple first joined in Season 3.

Teresa Has Never Forgiven the Gorgas For Joining 'RHONJ'

Teresa and Joe's family issues, and their tempers, have their origins long before the Housewives ever filmed. Castmate Caroline Manzo confirmed at the Season 4 reunion that Teresa had been speaking poorly about the Gorgas for years before them joining the reality series. In Season 3, Teresa's cousin Kathy Wakile observed that Gorgas have "that switch" when referring to their temper. Teresa observed about her brother that he "holds things in and then explodes," without pausing to reflect on her similarity with her sibling. A strong case can actually be made for Joe Gorga being to blame for the family discord on Real Housewives of New Jersey. He involved himself in his sister's world in reality TV, arguably bringing the family discord to light in the first place. While frequently losing his temper along the way.

But to blame only Joe is to oversimplify the matter. And Joe isn't a Housewife, as his sister heatedly reminded him at the Season 12 reunion. Teresa has so consistently blamed Melissa for the issues between her and Joe, that to leave Melissa out of the equation is also a misstep. But Melissa's role within the Gorga family feud is often that of collateral damage, with Teresa using her as a reason to hurt her brother, and her husband using her as an excuse to berate his sister. The Gorgas seem caught in a pattern of triangulation and deflection when it comes to having a relationship with Teresa.

Melissa is not innocent, by any stretch. Melissa's reactions to Teresa are occasionally those of an exasperated kid-sister. Even her tagline when entering the series alluded to her bratty nature, stating she "tends to be very spoiled," and asking "so what?" at the end. Melissa has two older sisters, grew up with them, and presumably fought with them, as sisters do. Then she would have made up with them, as families do. Unfortunately, Melissa and Teresa have never been able to move past the distrust that has built between them. Teresa distrusts Melissa, assuming that she interferes in the relationship between Teresa and her brother. Melissa distrusts Teresa, for belittling her and her husband at any opportunity that arises. There is something to blame for the discord in the family, but Melissa is a victim of it more than the cause.

The Gorga Temper Is To Blame For the Family Discord on 'RHONJ'

Teresa may still be Giudice by name, but she is Gorga by blood. The distinction is important to her, as she reminded Melissa that she was not a true Gorga by calling her "Gorga by injection" during Season 8. As a Gorga by blood, Teresa was raised in the same home as her brother. The siblings have developed a similar temperament, a short fuse once pushed past their comfort zone, especially when they feel insulted. They can both hold an extensive grudge. And they both feel the need to be vindicated as "right" in an argument. That is, to control the narrative of their shared reality TV series amid their permanently fractured relationship.

Joe may not be a Housewife, but he is central to the discord in his family. Teresa often blames Melissa for this, saying she should control her husband. But after watching the family feud for over a decade, it seems clear at this point that Melissa is collateral damage in the competitive relationship between the siblings. Teresa can't handle it when Joe says anything she disagrees with, and insists that he "stick with his blood" by siding with her. When he feels the need to defend his wife against the vitriol that is often aimed at her by his sister, Teresa uses that as an excuse to further degrade her brother. For choosing his wife over his "family." A cycle of the siblings blowing up at one another, only to try to come back together and eventually blow up again, seems to have started long before the series, as deep-rooted as it is.

The Gorga family temper, that Joe and Teresa both share, is clearly to blame for the siblings' inability to stick together in a meaningful way. Teresa refuses to let go of her resentment towards her brother and his wife, throwing them under the bus at every opportunity. Joe can't help but rise to the occasion at each slight, insisting on defending himself and his wife by setting the narrative straight. The Gorgas aren't the only ones who have accused Teresa of being "fake" on the series, but this accusation of being fake seems to be something that her brother cannot stand. Joe claims that he lost his cool at the infamous christening in Season 3 because Teresa was playing fake nice on camera. Close friend Dolores Catania claims that when Teresa is at fault in any situation, there is really no way to get her to admit to it, saying it is a "waste of time" because she gets "too angry" and "too emotional."

What Season 14 of 'RHONJ' Will Clarify

In Season 13, Teresa's new love interest entered the series as they were planning their wedding. Joe had initially embraced Luis Ruelas as a "brother-in-law." However, he began to have his doubts about his new brother's character almost immediately. A shady business deal surrounding pizza ovens threw further gas on the fire, and then Luis played a role in accusing Melissa of cheating by telling Joe a rumor he had heard about his wife. The distrust only built from there. After Luis claimed to have a secret file on each of the cast from his private investigator, Joe and Melissa weren't the only ones questioning Luis's character by the time the cast went to the reunion. Margaret Josephs referred to him as "scammy," John Fuda called him a "con man" and a "snake," while Joe referred to him as a "disaster."

Season 14 should provide clarity on where Teresa's relationship stands with her now husband, Luis. His business deals seem to have posed a problem for the couple in more ways than the paused toaster line with Joe. An earlier released sneak peek for Season 14 suggests that all is not blissful in Teresa's love bubble these days. Newbie cast member Danielle Cabral notes that Teresa is "distraught" because there is "not a lot of calm" in the house, while Margaret quips "Luis pissed all her money away." Recent developments seem to confirm Luis is struggling financially, as he recently filed for bankruptcy amid a $113,000 lawsuit. It seems that Joe is somewhat vindicated in his distrust towards his brother-in-law, although he and Melissa refusing to attend the wedding certainly contributed to further family discord.

Melissa and Teresa have sworn not to involve themselves with one another this season. Andy has said a Housewives series with two camps divided like this is "not sustainable" on his Radio Andy talk show. When Teresa suggested in the Season 13 reunion that Melissa would be removed from the show for Season 14, Andy cocked his head and muttered "Good luck with that." His soft spot for both the Gorgas and Teresa is on record, and he seems invested in reuniting the family for the sake of "closure." Despite the sisters-in-law maintaining a distance from one another, so there won't be another season about the Gorga family feud as promised, a recent preview released by Bravo seems to hint that the season will have more than enough drama to spare. In the most recent Season 14 preview, footage of a sit-down hosted by Dolores at Rails Steak House shows a meeting gone horribly wrong. Fighting breaks out among the Housewives, with Rachel Fuda kicking things off by yelling at Teresa to keep her husband's name out of her mouth. Things escalate between the women, and Melissa shouts "white trash" at someone sitting at Teresa's side of the table, possibly Teresa herself.

Teresa's resentment towards her sister-in-law is not one-sided. Melissa certainly played her part in the feud. But the Gorga temper, with its explosive anger and long-standing grudges, is to blame for the constant eruption of discord within the family. And since her brother Joe is not a Housewife, and therefore not a main cast member in the series, as the matriarch of the family, Teresa, with her temper and her refusal to let go of the Gorga grudge, is as much at fault when it comes to the family division. Teresa's open hatred towards Melissa, her insistence on throwing shade at her younger brother whenever the opportunity arises, and her need to stay in control of the narrative in the Real Housewives of New Jersey, actually puts her right at the center of the family discord, whether it will surface in Season 14 or not.

Watch Season 14 of Real Housewives of New Jersey Sundays on Bravo. Past seasons can be streamed on Peacock.

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