Heavy/Getty Jackie Goldschneider
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Jackie Goldschneider is naming names. The “Weight of Beautiful” author and RHONJ “Friend of the Housewives” appeared on Page Six’s “Virtual Realit-Tea” podcast and opened up about things brewing behind the scenes ahead of filming for season 14 that led to her eventual rift with former friend and co-star Margaret Josephs.
“I think Margaret didn’t want me and Jenn Fessler — and Jenn Fessler has already talked about this, she’s touched on this — but I think Margaret wanted, if [Teresa Giudice’s husband] Louie [Ruelas] was coming back to the show she didn’t want me and Jenn Fessler to come back to the show,” Goldschneider explained in a May 31 clip from the podcast appearance. She wanted to leave, and she wanted all of us to leave together, and Jenn Fessler said ‘Okay I will do that for you,’ and I said ‘I will not do that for you. I love you but I’m not leaving my job because you don’t like somebody,’ and I think that started everything.”
Jackie Goldschneider Says Fans Missed a Conversation She Had With Teresa Giudice
Regarding Josephs asking her to quit the show, Goldschneider clarified that it was these tensions that began the distance in their relationship, rather than the growing friendship between Goldschneider and Giudice.
“There were already tensions from things that happened before the season even started filming. And I think when people don’t know that, they think that I just came in and had an agenda and that’s not at all the case,” she shared. “My friendship with Margaret started to hit a rough patch well before filming started, and things happened that already set the stage for us to [fall out]. You know, Margaret expected a level of loyalty that I think was above and beyond to be asked of me and I think that it began the breakdown of our friendship.”
Goldschneider went on to explain that she didn’t really begin growing closer to Giudice until filming for season 14 began. “What you didn’t see on camera was Teresa and I did speak at Jenn Fessler’s party [in the season 14 premiere]. It was more like small talk but I think we both left Jenn Fessler’s birthday party being like ‘Huh? That was pleasant. That was nice.'”
Jenn Fessler Shared Her Side of the Story
Fessler shared her perspective on Josephs asking her and Goldschneider to walk away from RHONJ in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. During the interview, Fessler explained why she told Josephs, “You do remember that when this all first went down and you said to me ‘I’m not going to do this again, I’m never going to see those people again.’ And I did say to you, ‘Then I’m not going to see those people again, either.’ I meant it,” in the premiere episode of season 14.
“What I meant by that was, if you’re not going to go back and do the show agian, then I’m not going to go back and do the show again. Margaret, as you know, went back and did the show again, and so here I am. I didn’t say I would never be around Louie, or talk to Louie and Teresa again,” Fessler explained.
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