Fueling the family feud? Gia Giudice was quick to call out uncle Joe Gorga after he shared a sweet video of himself running into Joe Giudice in the Bahamas.
“Both walked into the same bar at the same time. A lot of history there,” Gorga, 43, captioned an Instagram upload on Sunday, February 19. “We have memories since we were kids. I’m happy he’s doing well and looks good. We were both happy to see each other and catch up. Glad someone caught it. #life #rhonj.”
In the clip, the men were all smiles as they shared a hug. Gorga’s 17-year-old daughter, Antonia — whom he shares with wife Melissa Gorga — gushed in the comments section: “So sweet 🥹.”
Gia, however, was more skeptical of the reunion — and wasn’t afraid to say so. “This is honestly comical knowing you were with him for not even 5 minutes and we’re [sic] able to have somebody take a video of the interaction meanwhile all you have done is talked so poorly about my father,” the 22-year-old wrote. “You are such a opportunist to take advantage of the once in a lifetime opportunity to see my father and use it for a post.”
Her uncle fired back: “We both said horrible things about each other. It was a nice moment. We have a lot of history. Get the hate out of your heart.”
Along with Gia, the Italy native shares Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 14, with ex-wife Teresa Giudice. The former couple were married from 1999 to 2020. Joe and Melissa, 43, share Antonia and sons Gino, 15, and Joey, 12.
Tensions have been high between the Gorgas and the Giudices over the years, but their dynamic took a turn in August 2022 when Teresa’s brother and Melissa were noticeably absent from her wedding to Luis “Louie” Ruelas.
“Obviously, there was something that went down at the finale of filming The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” Melissa hinted on her “On Display” podcast at the time. “Those exact details, I obviously cannot say today. Anything that we have filmed is something that I am not able to talk about.”
Us Weekly later confirmed that the couple, who wed in 2004, skipped the nuptials amid cheating allegations. “This ‘rumor’ was something that Teresa had known about for over a year and had been pushing for it to come out,” a source exclusively told Us, claiming that the Standing Strong author “played a part” in the drama being aired out during filming for the season 13 finale.
Melissa and her husband brushed off the allegations, exclusively telling Us in August 2022 that they were uncertain whether their relationship with Teresa could be repaired. “Let’s see what the future holds,” Joe said at the time.
With a wedge driven firmly between Teresa and her brother, Gia has thrown her support behind her mother. “I’m just also trying to be the bigger person,” the college student exclusively told Us at BravoCon in October 2022, noting that the family’s estrangement has been a challenge.
The New Jersey native — who has appeared alongside Teresa on RHONJ for over a decade — confessed that there’s “not really” much communication between the families. “I texted [Joe] for his birthday,” she added, revealing that it had been more than a month since their last conversation.
Teresa, meanwhile, asserted that she wishes Joe and Melissa “all the best” despite their ongoing feud. “I need to heal myself. I’ve been through a lot the past 10 years with them,” the Celebrity Apprentice alum told Us ahead of the Bravo hit’s season 13 premiere earlier this month. “I’m happy for them. I wish them well and I wish they wished me the same back.”
The cookbook author continued: “I’m focusing on my family, my daughters, on my stepsons, on my husband. So that’s what I’m working on. And putting myself first because for a long time I haven’t put myself first. So now this is my time.”
