Heavy/Getty/NBCUniversal Gia Giudice.
Melissa and Joe Gorga had an awkward response when asked about their niece, Gia Giudice, during a panel at BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas.
During the “In a Jersey State of Mind” panel attended by Heavy, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” couple dodged a fan question about rumors that Teresa Giudice’s daughter Gia, 22, will get more air time on the Bravo reality show next season, and could potentially become a Real Housewife in the future.
After the Gorgas were asked about Gia’s Real Housewives’ potential, they were at a loss for words.
“I didn’t hear this yet,” Melissa replied. “I don’t know how I feel about that, I don’t know.”
“It’s news to me so I don’t know,” Joe chimed in.
“We didn’t hear that yet,” Melissa reiterated. “You have to be married first, right?” she added of the Housewives title.
Amid awkward laughter from the audience, the panel host said, “That’s a weird answer.”
The Gorgas have been estranged from Teresa and her daughters ever since they skipped Teresa’s August 2022 wedding to Louie Ruelas.
Andy Cohen Said Gia Giudice Has What it Takes to be a Future Real Housewives Star
It was actually Bravo host Andy Cohen who brought up Gia’s contributions to the Real Housewives franchise. While speaking at the “Ask Andy” panel at the Bravo fan fest, the “Watch What Happens Live” host noted that the 2023 college graduate has what it takes to be a Housewives star.
“Listen, you’re gonna be seeing a lot more Gia this year,” Andy told the crowd, according to People magazine.
He also made a reference to Gia’s collaboration with the fashion company Shein, and a campaign she did with her mom and sisters for SheinXGiudiceGirls.
“I love Gia,” Cohen said. “I love Teresa’s campaign with the girls [and I] texted her after the ad. This is so incredible given that Teresa’s first episode was her taking pics of them and wanting them to perform. Here they are in an ad, I thought that was really cool.”
In the very first RHONJ episode, “Thicker than Water,” Teresa’s young daughters Gia, Gabriella, and Milania posed for photos. “Do fabulous!” Teresa instructed her girls in the 2009 episode. “Strike a pose. Model, model!”
The RHONJ star then took 8-year-old Gia to dance class and said she was looking at acting and modeling agencies in New York City for her. “She’s just a natural,” Teresa said of her eldest daughter. “I’m just so proud of her and she totally has what it takes to make it.”
On Mother’s Day 2023, Gia graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Criminal Justice. She told BravoTV.com she planned to go to law school next.
In addition to Gia, Teresa shares Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana with her ex-husband Joe Giudice.
Gia Giudice Started Getting More Screentime During RHONJ Season 12
Gia Giudice has been a standout on RHONJ from the beginning – who can forget her now-viral performance of “Wakin’ Up in the Morning” in season 3. But as she grew up, she became more vocal on the show. In season 12, a then 20-year-old Gia called out her Uncle Joe Gorga for the way he talked about her father, Joe Giudice. She also told her godfather that she was “done” with him talking to her in a disrespectful manner.
She later slammed her estranged uncle for posting a video of him hugging her father during a trip to the Bahamas. “This is honestly comical knowing you were with him for not even 5 minutes and we’re able to have somebody take a video of the interaction,” Gia wrote on Instagram. ”Meanwhile all you have done is talked so poorly about my father. you are such a opportunist to take advantage of the once in a lifetime opportunity to see my father and use it for a post.”
According to The Daily Mail, Joe Gorga responded to his niece with, “We both said horrible things about each other. It was a nice moment. We have a lot of history. Get the hate out of your heart.”
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