Things weren’t quite kid-friendly between some Housewives at a children’s party happening on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
In a preview clip for Season 14, Episode 9, a few Housewives — including Melissa Gorga, Rachel Fuda, and Margaret Josephs — were chatting away at Danielle Cabral’s Boujie Kidz relaunch party. Jennifer Fessler rolled up on the conversation when Melissa asked if she was “talking sh-t.”
Jennifer joked that she was but then said she was “explaining” to Teresa Giudice and Gia Giudice that “John [Fuda] would never bring up Gia’s name.”
Though Jennifer said she was defending the Fudas, the mere mention of John’s name was enough for Rachel to storm off. Even Melissa wondered why Jennifer was discussing John.
“What the f-ck?” said a taken-aback Jennifer.
“Talking about John Fuda, you know that’s gonna piss her off,” said Melissa.
Why did Jennifer Fessler bring up John Fuda?
Jennifer told Melissa that it was Teresa’s daughter, 23-year-old Gia, who’d made mention of John.
“She’s a child; why are you talking to a child about adult conversations?” Melissa asked. “It’s so f-cking weird that a child is even — that’s so f-cking weird.”
Teresa Giudice attends the “Variety Women of Reality” event at Spago on November 29, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California; John Fuda attends the 39th Annual Artios Awards at The Edison Ballroom on March 07, 2024 in New York City. Photo: Amy Sussman/Variety; Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
When Dolores Catania joined the then-scattered group and asked what was going on, Jennifer said Rachel was “furious” that she tried defending the couple.
“What is wrong with this woman?” Rachel wondered aloud in her confessional. “We’ve asked you multiple times, do not get involved. What part of don’t defend my husband are you not understanding?”
Rachel added, “I need space.”
Margaret told Jennifer she’d be wiser to “stop campaigning” for the Fudas, though Jennifer maintained, “Gia brought it up.”
Trying to calm Jenifer down, Margaret advised Jennifer not to talk about Gia and John “in the same sentence.” Meanwhile, Jennifer repeated, “They said it.”
“I’m not f-cking campaigning!” Jennifer said while becoming increasingly agitated. “I’m not campaigning.”
Gia posts a photo of herself on January 9, 2024 to Instagram. Photo: Gia Giudice/Instagram
She questioned what the alternative to not defending John would have been.
“So, I just should have just let them say, ‘You know what? John Fuda used Gia’s name … to slander Gia’s name.’ You have got to be kidding me.”
Why is Gia Giudice involved in the drama?
Gia’s involvement comes from the ongoing feud between her mother and the Fudas, which largely stemmed from the Season 14 premiere when Teresa publicly called John “the biggest drug dealer in Bergen County.”
John ‘fessed up that he had, in fact, sold marijuana, but that it was way back when he was 17 years old.
To drive home the point of just how young he was, at Melissa and Joe Gorga’s housewarming party in Episode 7, John mentioned Gia in front of the men in the group, including Joe Benigno, Evan Goldschneider, and Paulie Connell.
“I mean, listen, I was younger than her daughter Gia is,” John explained. He also cited Jackie Goldschneider as an example of how rumors can spin “out of control.”
Teresa was unsurprisingly upset when hearing John used her daughter’s name to make his point, and she said as much in Episode 9 when meeting with Jennifer Aydin and Dolores.
“I mean, why is John talking about my daughter?” Teresa asked. “Next time I see him, I’m gonna be like, ‘Take my daughter’s name out of your mouth.’ He can go f-ck himself, now.”
Only time will tell if peace between Teresa and the Fudas can ever be found, but there’s still more to come as Season 14 continues.
Watch all-new episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, airing Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock.