A Complete Timeline of Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga's Feud

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Costars and sisters-in-lawTeresa GiudiceandMelissa Gorgahave had a hot-and-cold relationship for years.

Fans ofThe Real Housewives of New Jerseyhave watched the ebbs and flows of the feud for more than a decade, with one of the earliest onscreen flareups happening when Melissa’s husbandJoe Gorga, who is also Teresa’s brother, called Teresa “garbage.” Since then, Melissa and Teresa have traded insults in between uneasy stretches of peace for family’s sake.

Teresa has accused Melissa ofbeing a gold diggerand of cheating on her brother, both of which Melissa denies. The pair temporarily called a truce when Teresa was imprisoned for fraud, but things between them began to decline again in the years that followed.

In 2022, Melissa and her husband decided not to attend Teresa’s wedding toLuis “Louie” RuelasafterTeresa betrayed themwhile filming season 13 ofRHONJ, according to a source.

Ahead, read a complete timeline ofTeresa GiudiceandMelissa Gorga’s ongoing feud.

May 16, 2011: Melissa joins Teresa and the cast ofThe Real Housewives of New Jerseyin season 3

Steve Mack/Getty

“I think the root of a lot of our problems is just that if Teresa says black, I say white,” Melissa shared with PEOPLE. “We may seem similar but we are extremely different people.”

June 24, 2011: Teresa accuses Melissa of being a gold digger

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She said, “Joe and I have been married for seven years and have three kids. We went through a time where we couldn’t even buy diapers. We had to sell every house we lived in … Did I go anywhere? Would I ever? No. It hurts me that she would even put that out there, to put that in someone’s head. And it doesn’t even hurt me as bad as it hurts her brother.”

April 23, 2012: Teresa accuses Melissa of cheating on Joe

Andrei Jackamets/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal

The cookbook author continued to spread rumorsabout Melissa on the reality show. In April 2012, Melissa responded to Teresa’s claims that she had cheated on her husband.

July 2013: Joe Giudice and Joe Gorga get into a fistfight over Teresa

Patrick Harbron/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal

The feud took on a new dimension in 2013 whenJoe Giudiceand Joe Gorgagot into a fistfightin season 7 ofRHONJ. The fight began when Teresa told her husband that her brother called her “scum.” Melissa was thrown against a window as she pleaded with Teresa to get help.

2013: Teresa, Melissa and their families reunite ahead of Teresa’s time in prison

Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal

Teresa ended up serving an 11-month sentence, and the Gorgas were there to take care of her four daughters during that time.

2015: Teresa and Melissa make a pact not to fight

When Teresa was released from prison in 2015, she and Melissaagreed to bury their feud.

“I just want us to get back to how we were when you first met Joey,” Teresa told Melissa in season 7. “I feel the same way,” Melissa added.

July 7, 2016: Teresa and Melissa unite against Jacqueline Laurita

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The sisters-in-law had a common enemy in castmateJacqueline Lauritathe following year. The two spoke toE! Newsabout what happened with Laurita ahead of the release of season 7 of their show. Teresa said that she and Laurita were on the outs and explained, “I think that my relationship totally changes this season, with her, completely. And it was pretty shocking and I think she tried to be hurtful in certain situations.”

Melissa then added, “I think[our trip to] Vermontis [a] big turning point. When we go away on the girls' trip, it was a big turning point for me, for my and Jacqueline’s relationship. It took my rose-colored glasses off and it was like really seeing someone in front of me that I didn’t see before.”

May 19, 2017: Teresa opens a restaurant with Melissa and Joe

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Teresa and Melissa were still on good terms in 2017 when they opened Gorga’s Homemade Pizza & Pasta together. The two teamed up on the restaurant withJoe Gorga, who told PEOPLE, “My mother loved to cook; it was like her drug. I always told her I was gonna open up a restaurant for her. Then I got busy. While I signed a contract on this place we lost her. So this is for her.”

January 2018: Teresa and Melissa’s restaurant shuts down

Unfortunately, Gorga’s Homemade Pizza & Pasta didn’t stay open long. During an interview withThe Morning Breath, Melissa explained, “I can speak about it mildly because it’s a major situation, unfortunately. I will admit one thing: We are overwhelmed with the amount of people that are going. We had no idea it was going to be as busy as it is; that’s first of all.”

She added, “Second of all, yes, there are partners, obviously, that we’ve gone into it with. We were having issues with the management and the way they were running it. There were a couple shady things going on.”

November 2018: Teresa tells Melissa to “control” her husband

Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal

By November 2018, Teresa and Melissa were at odds again when Teresa accused her brother and Melissa’s husband of not making enough time for his family.Teresa ended up telling Melissashe needed to “control her husband.”

January 30, 2019: Teresa and Melissa choose opposite sides during aRHONJcast fight

On season 9 of the reality show, the cast took a girls' trip to Mexico. However, during one dinner fellow costarsMargaret JosephsandDanielle Staubgot into anexplosive fight, prompting Melissa and Teresa to take opposing sides.

Melissa tried to defend Josephs, while Teresa tried to defend Staub — new HousewifeJennifer Aydineven broke a glass and pointed it at Melissa.

“Teresa, this one’s got you going in circles,” Melissa said, referencing Staub. “You don’t even know what you’re saying anymore. You drank the f—ing Kool-Aid.”

“You’redrinking the Kool-Aid,” Teresa replied. “Margaret says something about [Jennifer’s] kids, she says something about Danielle. That’s f—ing strike three for me. And it’s not right. It’s not right.”

May 19, 2021: Joe Gorga demands a “public apology” from Joe Giudice

During the first part of theseason 11 reunion, Joe Gorga told hostAndy Cohenthat he was still waiting for a “public apology” from Teresa’s now-ex-husband, arguing that Giudice landed Teresa in jail.

“So have you been holding back your anger atJoe Giudicefor a long time?” Cohen asked Joe, to which he replied, “A long time. An extremely long time. My parents held it in for a long time, because they had four granddaughters that they took care of and they loved. It was a very hard time.”

Teresa argued that she’d “done nothing but defend my brother,” and that her daughters were upset at how their uncle had talked about their father on the show.

At the end of the conversation, Teresa, Melissa and Joe agreed to put it behind them, with Joe telling his sister and wife, “We’ve made an agreement: it’s done. After this we’re never gonna say his name again, right?”

November 18, 2021: Teresa and Melissa star inThe Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

The sisters-in-law were both cast in the first season of theReal Housewivescrossover series, which premiered on Nov. 18, 2021, on Peacock. In the series, Teresa and Melissa joined fellow HousewivesKyle Richards,Cynthia Bailey,Kenya Moore,Luann de LessepsandRamona Singeron a weeklong vacation to Turks and Caicos.

There was tension between Teresa and Melissa on the show, and argued about how Melissa was originally cast onRHONJ. “She was like, ‘I’m not signing this paper if you cast my brother [Joe Gorga] and my sister [in-law on the show],’ " Melissa claimed of Teresa.

Teresa has asserted that Melissa and Joe never told her they were auditioning for the reality show, although Melissa said she spoke with Teresa about joining theRHONJcast after producers reached out to her.

March 16, 2022: Teresa does not ask Melissa to be a bridesmaid in her wedding

Jeff Kravitz/Getty

By March 2022, Teresa was planning a wedding with her then-fiancé, Ruelas.

While speaking to Cohen onWatch What Happens Live, Teresa said thatMelissa would not be a member of her bridal party. After Cohen asked if Melissa knew, the bride-to-be replied, “Don’t make a big deal. I mean, come on.”

She continued, “I pretty much assumed that, but I guess my big caution is, are her new sisters-in-law in the wedding? Is it a no-fam wedding other than the four daughters? Her four, beautiful daughters and a couple of her friends? If that’s the case, that makes perfect sense.”

April 20, 2022: Melissa says she and Teresa aren’t speaking

Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

Melissa gave several interviews about her relationship with Teresa following season 12 ofReal Housewives of New Jersey.During an appearanceonWWHL, Melissa said that she and Teresa were not on speaking terms.

May 3, 2022: Melissa says she and Teresa will never be best friends

A few weeks later, Melissa toldExtrashe and Teresa will never be best friends. As she put it, “I think that everyone was always rooting for us to be besties, but, and I just hate to let everyone down … but it’s just, it’s not going to happen.”

Melissa also said, “I just feel like I’ve tried for so many years and you know … at some point you have to throw in the towel. You know, at some point you have to say, ‘Okay, we’re not going to be this, but we’re family and we’re going to respect each other.’ "

May 16, 2022: Teresa and Melissa pledge to stop pretending to like one another

Greg Endries/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

The “On Display” singer also shared that she and Teresa made a pact to stop pretending they are friends or that they like one another while filming the reunion episode for season 12 ofRHONJ.

She said on theMention It Allpodcast: “It’s okay to say that [Teresa and I] don’t have the best relationship and I don’t feel guilty saying that because I tried really hard and I know that I tried hard — for my in-laws and for [my husband] Joe [Gorga].”

August 6, 2022: Melissa skips Teresa’s wedding

Teresa Giudice.Jill Zarin/Instagram

In early August 2022, PEOPLE confirmed that the Gorgas did not attendTeresa’s wedding to Ruelas.Two separate sources told PEOPLEthat Melissa and Joe had planned to be at the wedding until the Thursday before, when their own marriage was reportedly attacked while filming season 13.

One source said, “Teresa betrayed them in a way that’s unforgivable. They’re not going to celebrate Teresa’s new marriage when all she does is try to tear apart theirs.”

August 11, 2022: Melissa and Joe explain why they skipped Teresa’s wedding

On an episode of theMelissa Gorga On Displaypodcast, the couple hinted at a few reasons why they didn’t attend Teresa’s nuptials and called the decision to skip the wedding “devastating.”

“I will let all my listeners know this: obviously, there was something that went down at the [season 13] finale of filmingThe Real Housewives of New Jersey. Those exact details I obviously cannot say today. Anything that we have filmed is something that I am not able to talk about,” said Melissa, before adding that “the full entire story” is not public knowledge at the time.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that there wasn’t drama, that it wasn’t crazy. Yes, there was a little aggression from certain people that could’ve been a little scary,” she continued.

Joe added, “To me, it was devastating. It really was. It was one of the hardest days of my life. It was bad.”

“We supported everyone who went to that wedding,” Melissa later shared. “We sent them with love. We truly, honestly, even with everything that happened, we both will always love Teresa very much and hope that she has everything she wants now, and that her girls are happy, and that this is Teresa’s happily ever after.”

August 17, 2022: Teresa says she was “totally fine” with Melissa and Joe skipping her wedding

During an episode of herNamaste B$tchespodcast, Teresaspoke for the first timeabout her reaction to Joe and Melissa skipping her nuptials.

October 15, 2022: Melissa says she’s “done” with Teresa

Whiletalking to PEOPLE at BravoCon, Melissa declared that she is “done” with Teresa.

“I got off the roller coaster,” she shared. “I don’t want to be on it anymore. We’ll see what happens.”

Melissa added that her focus is on her husband and kids — and not on mending her relationship with Teresa.

“I think that sometimes this goes on. How many times do you want to go in and out, in and out? Eventually you need to protect your immediate family,” she explained. “We need to protect our marriage and our children and our life that we live. We can’t always just try to put our hands out and it doesn’t get reciprocated. We’re tired.”

January 26, 2023: Teresa and Melissa exchange jabs inRHONJseason 13 taglines

The feud between Melissa and Teresa is far from over — and they made that crystal clear in theirseason 13 taglines.

“You’ll never see how toxic someone is until you breathe fresher air,” Melissa said, likely referring to her rocky past with Teresa.

As for Teresa, she took a more direct route when hinting at the family drama.

“Blood may be thicker than water, but it’s harder to clean when it spills,” she said in a Bravo teaser clip.

February 2, 2023: Melissa addresses not attending Teresa’s wedding

During an appearance onSherri, Melissa talked about the"extremely sad” decision not to attend Teresa’s weddingto Luis Ruelas in August 2022.

“I think everyone will see why we made that decision,” she said, hinting at the upcomingRHONJseason 13 drama. “That was honestly the best thing for my family at the time. Sometimes you have to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ It’s sad. It’s a very sad situation.”

Host Sherri Shepherd then asked Melissa if she and Teresa will ever mend their relationship. The reality star responded, “I don’t know,” before justifying her uncertainty.

“Sometimes when things are super toxic, it’s hard to keep fighting that fight,” Melissa said. “There comes a time, as we get older, that I need to worry about my children, my family and my relationship with my husband. It can’t be so one-sided and selfish.”

She continued: “I need to open my eyes sometimes and say, ‘What is going to be good for the quality of our lives, and how toxic can you let something get?’ "

February 7, 2023: Melissa says the “door’s shut” on reconciliation with Teresa

Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga in 2019.Astrid Stawiarz/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Ahead of theRHONJseason 13 premiere, PEOPLE spoke with Melissa about the future of her relationship with Teresa.

“I mean,the door’s shut right now[on a reconciliation]. Just is,” she said. “It’s exhausting if I’m being honest. I think I say that a lot this season. It’s up and down, and in and out, and high and not high. I’m mad, I’m not mad. I’m going to stab you. Just, how about, get away?”

The reality star continued: “That’s the point I’m at. I’m comfortable enough in my skin. I am secure enough that I don’t feel guilty anymore. I know I’ve always done the right thing. Not perfect, but I’ve really tried to help and fix it, so I’m washing my hands now. I’m done. I’m done with the toxic.”

February 21, 2023: Melissa rejects Teresa’s request to be a bridesmaid in her wedding onRHONJ

Inan episode ofThe Real Housewives of New Jersey,Teresa and Melissa argued during fellow cast member Danielle Cabral’s mozzarella-making party. Teresa accused Melissa of not “rooting for” her and her fiancé before asking, “Listen, do you wanna be in the wedding? I mean if you would love to be a bridesmaid.”

Melissa responded, “Well, why are you acting like you’re doing me a favor?”

“I would love for you to be a bridesmaid in my wedding. I’m being for real,” the bride-to-be insisted.

“I would never go back. It’s like an ex boyfriend saying, ‘I f—– up. I want you back.’ No, you can’t f—— have me back,” Melissa said.

February 28, 2023: Teresa causes Melissa to cry with “chosen family” comment onRHONJ

During an episode ofRHONJ, Joe didn’t show up for Teresa’s “Love Bubble” party after alluding that he might make an appearance with Melissa.

“I’m kind of frustrated that Joe isn’t coming because this is just gonna be the next thing that Teresa decides to hold over his head,” Melissa explained in a confessional. “[Teresa will] make him look like the bad guy for not coming.”

Melissa predicted correctly. At the party,Teresa made a toast to her “chosen family.“The jab at Joe caused Melissa to cry, and she excused herself from the party.

March 14, 2023: Teresa learns her “only option” is to “move on” from drama with Joe

Teresa invited cameras into a session with her therapist, Tegan Sorvino-Quille, during an episode ofRHONJ. It was there that Sorvino-Quille asked Teresa to consider letting go of the idea that reconciliation between her and Joe is possible.

“If he doesn’t listen, thenmoving on is your only other option,” the therapist said after Teresa shared that she’s scared to be around her brother because “his temper is out of control.”

March 21, 2023: Teresa admits excluding Melissa’s family from her wedding was “not an oversight”

During an episode ofRHONJ, fans discovered that Teresa’s now-husband Luis “Louie” Ruelas was in the dark about excluding Melissa’s family from the wedding guest list.

“No, that’s not an oversight,” Teresa told costar Jennifer Fessler after Louie tried to rectify the situation at Melissa’s luau party. “We have a history, so I’m just gonna leave it at that.”

She later detailed the “history” in a confessional.

“Melissa’s mother and sisters were writing stuff about me on social media. And I know my mother would never write about anybody on social media. So, I always just kept my distance after that,” Teresa explained.

April 24, 2023: Andy Cohen says he “almost walked off"RHONJreunion set due to “hate” between Teresa and Melissa

Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty; Bryan Bedder/Getty; Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

Andy Cohencandidly discussed the upcomingRHONJreunion on his SiriusXM radio show,Radio Andy.

“I’ve gotta tell you, the level — I won’t even say vitriol, I’ll say hate — between Teresa and Melissa … the gloves are off. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “The way the two of them were going back and forth, it was that thing of — neither wanted the other to have the last word in any petty fight.”

Cohen continued: “I almost walked offat one point. I was just so annoyed.”

May 2023: Teresa and Melissa have no plans to exitRHONJdespite ongoing feud

In early May, Melissa made it clear that she has “no intention” of leaving theRHONJ.

“I never run away when the going gets tough, that’s not my personality,” she stated on her podcast,On Display withMelissa Gorga. “Our family has been through ups and downs for so many years on this show. I have never left before and I have no intentions on leaving now.”

“That’s not true,” she told E! News. “Honey, I started this show,I am not going anywhere. I am not goinganywhere.”

May 23, 2023: Gia Giudice says Joe “completely burned the bridge” with her family

On an episode of RHONJ, which followed Teresa and Louie’s wedding day,Gia Giudicerevealed that her mom, Teresa,was “stressed” over Joe Gorga not attending the event.

“When I heard he wasn’t coming, I was just like, ‘Wow,’ ” Gia said of her uncle. “At this point, it’s like, you really did just completely burn the bridge. Like, it’s over for everybody, including me and my sisters.”

June 6, 2023: Melissa and Teresa argue during part 2 of the RHONJ season 13 reunion

Melissa and Teresabickered through part 2of theRHONJreunion and even went as far as “canceling [their] sister-in-law-ness.” At one point during the reunion, Melissa called Teresa’s husband, Louie, a “bitch boy,” the same phrase Teresa used to describe Melissa’s husband, Joe, at the season 12 reunion.

Still, another insult seemed to be more memorable. At one point, Melissa said, “I know you hate me, but just try to control yourself,” while applying lip gloss. Right after the reunion episode aired, Melissareleased sweatshirtswith her quote printed on them. The merchandise quickly sold out.

July 6, 2023: Melissa and Teresa will return for season 14 of theRHONJ

PEOPLE learned thatBravo extended verbal offersto Melissa and Teresa regarding their return for season 14 of theRHONJ.

November 8, 2024: Melissa says she and Teresa have “no relationship”

Melissa Gorga, Teresa Giudice.Brian Ach/Getty; Lars Niki/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

While speaking to the PEOPLE, Melissa said “nothing has changed” between her and Teresa.

“There’s just no relationship,” the reality star added. “It’s pretty much right where it was and I just think that’s how it’s got to be for a while.”

source: people.com