Not a very happy Easter. Jennifer Aydin‘s mother does not want to talk about her son Steven Altinel‘s sexuality — and makes that known during the Wednesday, January 1, episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
“At Church, the priest was talking about how God says to love everyone, but someone said the priests don’t support gays,” Gabby, 12, tells Jennifer, 42, and Jennifer’s mom in Us Weekly‘s exclusive sneak peek. “I was like, ‘Don’t the priests love my uncle?’ Because Steve is gay.”
Jennifer’s mother looks confused by the reveal and asks Gabby who told her. Quickly, Jennifer reveals that Gabby had overheard a conversation she had with her brother.
“I didn’t know that,” Gabby’s grandmother responds — an answer that Jennifer is not OK with.
“I knew my mother didn’t like talking about Steven’s sexuality, but hearing her lying to her own granddaughter … that really bothers me,” Aydin reveals in her confessional. “I grew up with my mom lying to keep up a facade and that was my normal, and that’s not what I want my kids’ normal to be. I live my life trying to be forthright and truthful with everything.”
Gabby then continues, informing her grandmother of the conversations she has at school.
“The school counselor was like, ‘Think of the person that you like. You don’t think if they’re a boy or girl, you just think, a person,'” she says, and her mom couldn’t be more proud of her daughter.
During the December 18 episode, Steven opened up to his sister about his sexuality and she admitted she had no idea. “I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere and music and theater allows the ‘weirdos’ to feel important, so it was, you know, finding my tribe. I think being gay was a huge part of that,” he revealed at the time. “But I didn’t discover that until I went to college.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
