Getty Jacqueline Laurita and Teresa Giudice.
“Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice decided to reconnect with her former castmate Jacqueline Laurita in February 2023. As fans are aware, the pair had a contentious relationship following RHONJ season 7, which premiered in 2016. Giudice and Laurita shared pictures taken during their reconciliation in Las Vegas, Nevada, with their Instagram followers.
Laurita’s daughter Ashlee Holmes-Malleo shared her thoughts about her mother’s reunion with Giudice during a March 2023 interview with Page Six. The mother of one revealed that she expressed concern to Laurita when she discovered she had met with Giudice to have lunch. The makeup artist suggested she believed the RHONJ star wanted to meet with Laurita as the Bravo alum recently opened up about her issues with her brother Joe Gorga’s wife, Melissa Gorga.
“I told my mom initially, I was like ‘You know, I wish you guys well.’ But you know, I do think it’s a little — you know, the timing like my mom had said something in the press somewhere about Melissa and suddenly, you know, she hears from Teresa,” said the 32-year-old.
Holmes-Malleo stated that Laurita assured her that Giudice’s desire to reconnect was genuine. She also explained the “Skinny Italian” author reached out to Laurita, who lives in Las Vegas because she was traveling to the area to see a Bruno Mars concert. Holmes-Malleo then asserted Giudice was not attempting “to recruit” her mother to go back on RHONJ amid her feud with her brother, Joe Gorga, and his wife, Melissa.
“She knows that my mom isn’t coming back,” explained the mother of one.
Holmes-Malleo claimed that Giudice and Laurita did not discuss Melissa during their lunch. She also revealed that the RHONJ star has maintained a relationship with her mother since spending time together in Las Vegas.
“Ever since [their meet-up], I’ve been on the phone with my mom, and she’ll be like, ‘Oh, hold on, Teresa’s calling. Let me call you right back,’” Holmes-Malleo said.
Ashlee Holmes-Malleo Noted That She Commented on Her Mother’s Instagram Post
While speaking to Page Six, Holmes-Malleo revealed she discovered her mother reconnected with Giudice after she posted photos from their lunch on Instagram. The makeup artist noted she insincerely commented “congrats” on the post. She explained that she needed time to process the information before she approved of her mother’s decision to be friends with Giudice again.
“I wasn’t as accepting of it in the beginning, I think when she posted it in the beginning I was like ‘congrats’… I was like ‘I’m going to let this calm down’ and then I called her and I was like ‘so you and Teresa. What?’ And then she told me everything,” explained the 32-year-old.
Laurita spoke about her daughter’s reaction on Instagram on the February 23 episode of the “Two Ts In A Pod” podcast, hosted by Bravo personalities Tamra Judge and Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave.
“Ashlee was like to me, she was like, ‘you guys have been through a lot of s***’ and she’s like ‘and you guys made up, she’s like ‘just be careful.’ She’s like ‘good for you,’” said the 52-year-old.
During the “Two Ts In A Pod” episode, Laurita revealed that Giudice was not interested in talking about their past issues during their Las Vegas lunch. She also noted that she believes she will be able to have a good relationship with Giudice now that she is no longer her RHONJ co-star.
“Now that I’m away from it and I have no involvement in it, it’s easier to maintain a friendship after that, because we were friends for seven years before the show even started,” Laurita said.
Teresa Giudice Spoke About Her Reconciliation With Jacqueline Laurita
During a March 2023 interview on Access Hollywood’s “Housewives Nightcap,” Giudice discussed her reconciliation with Laurita. She noted that her husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas’ youngest son, Nicholas, and Laurita’s son, Nicholas, have been diagnosed with autism. The mother of four explained that she wanted to speak to her former castmate about having similar experiences.
“I had been thinking about her and I did say this, we both have sons now — she has Nicholas and my stepson is Nicholas and they both have autism so I’ve been thinking about her a lot,” said the reality television personality.
The RHONJ star also noted she appreciated that Laurita “put something out there defending” her on social media amid her feud with Melissa.