Dolores Catania wanted to pay tribute to her “lucky charm” Paulie Connell on his birthday, but her post is garnering backlash.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star and her beau have been getting heat in recent weeks after people spotted some red flags in their two-year relationship.
The most glaring fact is that Paulie is still married to his first wife despite being separated for over a decade.
The worst part is that, based on the conversations we’ve witnessed on the show, Paulie is in no hurry to finalize his divorce.
That was the source of the backlash on Dolores’ birthday greeting for her Irish beau, as critics reminded her that Paulie is still married.
After she attempted the sweet gesture with throwback photos of their time together, the comments started to roll in.
We spotted birthday greetings from the RHONJ star’s current castmates and well-wishers, but it was hard to ignore the critics who also shared their two cents.
Dolores Catania shares a birthday greeting for her ‘lucky charm’ Paulie Connell
Dolores posted a carousel of photos with Paulie from their time spent together over the past two years and a sweet birthday message.
The images showed the couple enjoying a romantic dinner during a night out and a fun-filled day at the beach.
The images also showed Paulie by Dolores’ side during a recent trip to New York for her latest appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
“My lucky charm is turning 50 today! ☘️💚🎂,” exclaimed the RHONJ star in the post.
“May you know deep joy, may your dreams take flight. Happiest of birthdays to you Paulie. ❤️ you,” she added.
Several Bravolebrities, including Dolores’ Season 14 costars, Jenn Fessler, Teresa Giudice, Margaret Josephs, Danielle Cabral, and Melissa Gorga, jumped in the comments to show Paulie some love.
Their birthday messages proved that her friends approve of Paulie, but some RHONJ viewers are still wary.
RHONJ critics remind Dolores that Paulie is ‘someone else’s husband’
After Dolores shared the post on Instagram, a few naysayers jumped into the mix to express their disapproval.
“You can do better. Any man that’s not falling at your feet to marry you isn’t the one!!! Sorry girl,” wrote a commenter.
“Happy Birthday. But girl you deserve better. You’ll be celebrating his 70th before celebrating your 1 yr marriage anniversary,” said someone else.
Pic credit: @dolorescatania/Instagram
Another commenter told Dolores, “It’s time for you to move on from him.”
“That’s still someone else’s husband 😤,” exclaimed an Instagram user.
“Happy Birthday to the brothel owner. How does it feel dating a married man?” someone else asked.