Caroline Manzo Opens up About Friendship With Dolores Catania

Getty Caroline Manzo.

Former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Caroline Manzo has a long history with cast member Dolores Catania!

During a recent interview with OK! Magazine, Manzo opened up about her friendship with Catania and even admitted that she tried to get the star to join her for the first season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Manzo and Catania have been friends for many years, way before the first season of the show aired in 2009.

“I wanted Dolores from Season 1,” Manzo said about Catania joining the cast. “She was offered Season 1 but she turned it down. I was a big soldier for her to try and get on [the show].”

Manzo continued about Catania, “When she got back on, she knew exactly what the equation was. She was in a couple of episodes in the past. She understood the job and she understood the journey.”

Manzo was a cast member of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” during seasons 1 through 5.

Dolores Catania Said That Manzo Was Like a ‘Big Sister’ to Her

While speaking with E! News in September 2022, Catania spoke more about her friendship with Manzo and likened her to a big sister. At the time, Catania was promoting her and Manzo’s appearance on E!’s “Celebrity Beef,” where the two RHONJ stars competed for the title of “best Italian cook” on the new series.

“Caroline was always like a big sister to me,” Catania told the outlet. “and although it’s been hard that her and Teresa [Giudice] have had a real beef, we have an understanding—none of us would tell anybody who to be friends with. They always know I support the friends but not the beef.”

Although Catania and Giudice are close friends, the same cannot be said for Manzo and Giudice. The two were quite close during their first few seasons, but things began to unravel between them once Giudice’s brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Melissa Gorga, came on the show. Manzo and Giudice are not on good terms today.

Caroline Manzo Revealed That She Left the Show Because She Wasn’t Happy

While speaking with Us Weekly at BravoCon 2022, Manzo spoke about a potential return to “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and revealed why she left the show in the first place.

“For me, there’s a lot of variables,” Manzo explained at the time. “I left the show because I wasn’t happy. I’m not going back if I’m gonna continue to not be happy. I miss this fun, good, happy supporting [people].”

Manzo continued, “I don’t need to worry about what knife is in my back and at what hour. But that comes with the territory.”

However, according to People, during an April 2019 episode of her podcast with her sons, “Dear Albie,” Manzo revealed that she was asked back for season 10 of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Ultimately, Manzo turned down the “insulting” offer, since it wasn’t for a full-time role.

“It’s very insulting,’ she said on Dear Albie, according to People. “It just makes me angry that you picked up and call me like I’m a fool. Ten years I’m playing this game, there’s no fool. You are talking to no fool. … I’m nobody’s ‘Friend.’ I’m not ‘Friend of’. I’m not ‘Housewife, maybe.’ I’m Housewife!”

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