Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Melissa Gorga is said to be in jeopardy of getting fired from The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
As executives from Bravo reportedly remain convinced that they’ll have “no show” without her sister-in-law and on-screen nemesis, Teresa Giudice, Melissa is allegedly on the chopping block as the network plans to move forward with Jennifer Fessler while parting ways with Jackie Goldschneider.
On July 4, The U.S. Sun said that because Jennifer was a hit with fans amid season 13, she will be back for season 14 while Jackie will not.
“She doesn’t bring much to the table,” the source said of Jackie, who initially joined the show back in 2018 for season nine.
As for Melissa, the insider said she could be “on the chopping block” because RHONJ is “Teresa’s show.”
“Higher-ups are saying if there’s no Teresa, there is no show,” the source continued. “If anyone’s going to be out, it’s Melissa. She could potentially be on the chopping block. From what’s being discussed, I would be nervous if I were her.”
There’s “no RHONJ without [Teresa],” they added.
That said, both Melissa and Teresa have denied they are leaving the show, although Teresa claimed Melissa would be exiting the series at the reunion taping for season 13 earlier this year.
“I can’t wait to never see your f-cking face again after today!” Teresa exclaimed.
“Oh, why? Where are you going?” Melissa wondered.
“You’re leaving!” Teresa replied.
But since then, the insider said Teresa has “changed her mind” about filming with Melissa.
“Teresa said that she will film with Melissa and she’ll just ignore her like she has done in the past,” the source shared. “At the end of the day, she’s not going to say no to her job. She needs income to pay for her daughters’ college funds. She wants to support the girls on her own and not use [her husband Luis Ruelas]’s money.”
The insider went on to say that the show is currently “on pause” with “no expected filming date at the moment,” and they added that production will likely begin “at the end of August.”
During a recent interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Andy Cohen said that he and his team aren’t yet ready to recast RHONJ in the way they did with The Real Housewives of New York City.
“I don’t think we’re at that place yet,” he confirmed. “I don’t think we need to.”
He then stated that whether Melissa or Teresa, or both, leave the show, it will still “be great.”
“I think there’s, I think you could keep them both on, you could take one or the other off, or you could take them both off, and the show would still be great,” he declared.