Getty Images Joe Gorga's dad once gave him surprising advice.
Joe Gorga’s relationship with his sister Teresa Giudice has been up and down for years. Although they were very close growing up, there always seems to be some drama bubbling up between them nowadays — and that seems to be exacerbated by being on a reality show together.
Since Giudice and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga co-star on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” it has been quite the rollercoaster. There have been some epic fights within the family, and their relationship has been a major storyline on the show for years.
Although things aren’t fabulous between Joe and his sister, they seem to be doing okay for the time being. At least, that’s what Melissa said during an interview with OK! magazine.
“We’re still family. We still wish the best for each other, but we just don’t wanna go to lunch. It’s never perfect. It might be one day, but it’s not right now,” she told the outlet.
Joe joined Melissa on an episode of her “On Display” podcast in which they chatted with Melissa’s sisters and her mom — and Giudice came up.
Here’s what you need to know:
Joe Expressed the Importance of Family
Joe and his sister’s parents were featured on several episodes of RHONJ before they died. Joe’s dad, Giacinto Gorga, would frequently get upset that his kids would argue.
However, on the July 1, 2022, episode of the “On Display” podcast, Joe revealed something surprising that his dad once said about his relationship with his sister.
“Listen, you could have billions of dollars in the world — you could have everything — but if you don’t have family, you have nothing,” Joe said before sharing his dad’s advice.
Melissa’s sister said she couldn’t recall the last time she fought with her siblings. Melissa’s mom said she’s so close to her sister-in-law and she never really fought with her siblings, which is what brought Joe’s turmoil with Giudice to the surface.
Joe Shared a Time Years Ago When His Dad Told Him it Was Okay not to Speak to His Sister
Joe remembered a time in which his dad basically gave him his blessing to stop talking to Giudice.
“There was a time that, many moons ago, 10 years ago, we were fighting a lot in the family with Joe Giudice and Teresa and all that,” Joe recalled.
“There was a time that my father did say, he sat me down, and goes, ‘listen. If you don’t get along with your sister and you guys don’t want to talk, you don’t have to,'” Joe said. All of the women immediately responded with, “what?” One of Melissa’s sisters asked, “he said that to you?”
“I go, ‘what'”? Joe added. The women chimed in and said it’s because his dad had siblings that he didn’t talk to. “I don’t accept that,” Joe told his dad at the time.
“That’s how he grew up,” one of Melissa’s sisters said. Joe said that “years later” his dad “changed his tune.”
“It was terrible because when a parent tells you that? It makes it, it’s like ‘I’m okay. Let’s not talk,'” Joe said. He went on to praise Melissa’s mom for the way she handles family drama.
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