The Real Housewives of New Jersey are no strangers to feuds, but few are as ongoing as the one between Teresa Giudice and former Bravo castmate Caroline Manzo.
The pair started as close friends when RHONJ debuted, but their relationship slowly unraveled. One of the causes of this unraveling is Teresa’s ongoing issues with her brother, Joe Gorga and his wife, Melissa. As Caroline became friendlier with the Gorgas and Teresa’s legal issues came to light, their relationship struggled.
Caroline explained on Bravo Insider’s Life After Bravo series that while she and Teresa knew each other “very, very casually” when they joined the show, she thinks it took a turn “when it became a competition for [Teresa],” as the show became more and more popular.
Tensions happened on RHONJ when Caroline was offended by Teresa’s comments about her in her cookbook. In the introduction, Teresa wrote that her then-costar Caroline “Is as Italian as the Olive Garden” and said she was a “huge fan of Caroline Manzo, even if she is only one-sixteenth Italian, or whatever she is.”
From there, the boxing gloves were off.
Why Does Teresa Giudice Blame Caroline Manzo For Her Jail Time?
For years, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo has been accused of calling the FBI on Teresa and Joe Giudice. When she appeared on the Bravo reality TV show, she correctly predicted that Teresa and Joe would serve jail time. This led Teresa to believe she was involved in sending her to jail and working with the IRS.
In 2015, Teresa and Joe Giudiuce were convicted of mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud. Teresa served 11 months, and Joe served a 41-month sentence.
Caroline has always maintained that she was not the one to call the FBI on Teresa during her 2013 fraud indictment, but, according to ScreenRant, does “know who did” because she “was there” when the call was made.
Housewife | Number of Seasons |
Teresa Giudice | 14 Seasons |
Caroline Manzo | 5 Seasons |
According to Page Six, Caroline and her daughter, Lauren Manzo, attended a live taping of the Virtual Reali-Tea podcast and admitted they knew who called the FBI but will “never say who it was.”
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“A forced seat on his lap and an awkward kiss on the cheek earned me a crisp $100 bill — a currency of affection I never asked for.”
“It’s not even about being a rat,” she explained. “There’s this thing called collateral damage. So, when you say something, who’s going to hurt? Who is this going to hurt by saying this truth?”
You can believe whatever you like about me. I know I never did — I could never do that, but if blaming me makes you feel better, OK, then your reality. It’s not going to change my day.
Caroline’s oldest son, Albie Manzo, believes that Teresa is fully aware that his mother had no involvement in the arrest. In an All About the Real Housewives podcast episode, he stated, “I have on pretty good authority that Teresa knows who did it, and no one has said anything.”
As reported by Collider, Albie continued that Teresa apologized to Caroline for involving her in the speculation, although he admitted the apology felt half-hearted.
Caroline Manzo Blames Teresa Giudice For The Divide Between Her And Her Sister
Real Housewives of New Jersey alums and sisters Dina Cantin (née Manzo) and Caroline Manzo’s family feud has escalated far beyond your normal Bravo TV drama.
Going as far back as 2011, Reality Tea shared that Caroline blamed Teresa for straining her relationship with Dina. During the reunion, she blamed Teresa for tarnishing her relationship with her sister.
On the flip side, Dina denies Caroline’s claims. “Teresa has nothing to do with my relationship with my sister,” Dina told E! News, at the time. “I had no idea of their discord until very recently.”
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Teresa has continued to build her friendship with Dina while Caroline’s relationship with her sister has only gotten colder. Despite Dina going through significant trauma with her ex (who is also, coincidentally, Caroline’s brother-in-law), Caroline has chosen to maintain a relationship with Thomas Manzo instead of her blood relative, as reported by Collider.
- Dina’s ex-husband, Thomas Manzo was charged with hiring a hitman with mob ties to attack Dina’s current husband, David Cantin, in 2015.
- In May 2021, Thomas was also linked to planning a 2017 home invasion robbery on his ex-wife.
- Caroline wrote a letter in defense of Tommy’s character.
- According to the US Attorney’s Office, Tommy was convicted of “hiring, then assisting, a soldier in the Lucchese Crime Family to assault” David.
Caroline is married to Thomas’ brother, Albert Manzo, and has expressed support for her brother-in-law rather than her sister.
Dina Manzo continues to be friends with Teresa Giudice, although they do not see each other as often as they used to. Reality Blurb shared that Dina was absent from Teresa’s 2022 wedding because she “doesn’t feel comfortable coming back to Jersey,” and didn’t want to be filmed.
What Is Caroline Manzo’s Relationship Like With Teresa Giudice Now?
Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice have never made up and are still feuding as of this article’s publishing.
In a 2023 Page Six’s “Reali-Tea” Live event, Caroline and her daughter Lauren slammed “monster” Teresa Giudice for becoming a “damaging” personality on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
“I miss the days of Season 1 Teresa. I do … that’s what makes me so sad because we had belly laughs.”
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Caroline and Teresa filmed a 2020 Super Bowl commercial together where Teresa opened up about her issues with her former co-star. She told Caroline that her issues stemmed from her relationship with Teresa’s sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga. “That is her claim. No arguing with that. Can’t argue with that. I’m not even gonna try,” Caroline revealed.
When asked during a 2022 episode of the Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino podcast whether Teresa wanted Caroline to return to RHONJ, Teresa was less than complimentary: “It’s not that we don’t get along; it’s just so passé…. She’s not even in my vision. She’s definitely in my rearview mirror; she’s not looking forward; [she’s] in my windshield.”
[Caroline’s] not in my friend circle, I don’t associate with her; I never see her, so it doesn’t even make sense. She doesn’t hang out with any of us [or] any of our friends. I don’t even know who she hangs out with.
As of this article’s publishing, Caroline is focused on her new cookbook, Food and Other Things I Love, while Teresa is promoting her appearance in the new season of the reality TV show, House of Villans.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
- Release Date
- May 12, 2009
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Creator(s)
- Scott Dunlop
- Cast
- Teresa Giudice , Jacqueline Laurita , Caroline Manzo , Dina Cantin , Danielle Staub , Melissa Gorga , Kathy Wakile , Teresa Aprea , Amber Marchese , Nicole Napolitano , Dolores Catania , Siggy Flicker , Margaret Josephs , Jennifer Aydin
- Seasons
- 13
- Franchise
- The Real Housewives
- Producer
- Andy Cohen
- Production Company
- Sirens Media
- Writers
- Scott Dunlop
- Number of Episodes
- 222
- Streaming Service(s)
- Bravo , E! , Peacock
- Franchise(s)
- The Real Housewives
