Real Housewife Gets Candid About Her Rocky Marriage

RHONJ cast

Bravo The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast members pose with Andy Cohen.

Melissa Gorga opened up about her marriage to  Joe Gorga. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star spoke out two months after the 11th season of the Bravo reality show showcased her marital drama with her husband of nearly 17 years.

On the finale of the show, Melissa addressed her husband’s issues with her recent role as a businesswoman and owner of the New Jersey-based boutique, Envy.

“I don’t want to die unhappy,” Melissa said, per Page Six. “I wanna feel fulfilled. Not just as a mom. And I’ve never seen Joe fight so hard against something that I want. So I am feeling really scared about our relationship because I’ve never felt this exhaustion and feeling of giving up.”


Melissa Gave an Update on Her Relationship In a New Interview

Melissa and Joe Gorga

YouTube/BravoMelissa and Joe Gorga

In a new interview with Us Weekly, Melissa said her marriage is in a “much better” place a year after filming those difficult scenes with her husband.

“Joe is not big on change and he likes things to stay the same,” she said. “But for me, I’m all about change right now.”

She added that while it didn’t seem like it on the show, Joe does support her role as a designer and businesswoman but takes issue with how much she is away from home.

“It was becoming strenuous for us because he just doesn’t want it. And I’m not willing to give it up,” she said of the drama that played out last season.

Melissa also admitted that she was ”embarrassed” by some of the arguments she and Joe had on camera last season, but added, “This is what happens. It is what it is. There’s ups and downs. Nothing’s perfect. I know a lot of people always wanted to believe that we were, [but] we are not, we have arguments. We love each other hard, but we also butt heads.”

She added that the couple has learned to compromise. While she told Joe to “stop picking” on every move she makes, she is also being pickier about whether or not she has to leave her family so much for business, especially overnight trips.


The ‘RHONJ’ Couple Revealed They Grew Apart Last Year

Melissa and Joe Gorga

YouTube/BravoMelissa and Joe Gorga

The Bravo couple, who married in 2004 and share three children together, spawned split rumors over the past year after Joe revealed that he and his wife had grown apart. Melissa fired back to say she kissed her “spoiled” husband’s “a**“ for years, per People.

In another scene highlighted in the “RHONJ” Season 11 trailer, Joe told his wife, Go be whatever you want to be in life. We’re done.”

At the time the episodes aired, Melissa told Page Six the couple went through a “rough” year-and-a-half patch that started just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the drama “Real Housewives” viewers witnessed, Melissa  told Us Weekly that she and Joe will always fight for their marriage.

“I’ve been with him since I was 24 years old,” she said. “So I’ve changed and I feel like this is a scary part of marriage. Either you’re going to grow together or you’re going to grow apart. And I think we’re fighting really hard to grow together.”

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