Jackie Goldschneider is getting candid about her friendship with Teresa Giudice after a rocky road.
When asked to describe her friendship with Teresa, 51, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 47, exclusively told Us Weekly that their bond was “new, growing, and mutually respectful … unexpected.”
“It was really organic,” Jackie told Us at BravoCon on Saturday, November 4. “It was like we were just talking at a party and then we were talking more, and then we started calling each other and then we hung out and started hugging. We like each other. Yeah, it really grew organically.”
During season 11 of RHONJ, Teresa and Jackie’s friendship was tested after Teresa alleged that Jackie’s husband, Evan Goldschneider, was having an affair. After the season premiered in February 2021, Jackie reflected on the moment during an episode of the “Getting Real with the Housewives” podcast.
“She doesn’t even know who told her. I don’t even think anybody told her. I think she pulled it out of her ass,” Jackie said. “I was really caught off guard because I expect the best from people and I really thought that she was gonna make it right.”
Ahead of the 2021 season, Jackie revealed to Us that the drama almost caused her to quit the show, but she ultimately ended up staying.
“My family will always come first and when something threatens that, I take the time I need to make sure that it is something that is for me,” she said at the time. “I don’t want to end up a statistic. I don’t want to be just another Housewife who ended up divorced.”
But now, the pair seem to be on better terms. In September, Jackie exclusively told Us that she was in a good place with Teresa.
“All this stuff is in our past, and we both acknowledge that we’ve been through it,” she said at the time. “We know that we have and we’ve both not been very nice to each other, and it’s OK. It’s OK. We’re through it.”
At BravoCon, Jackie also gave Us an update on her friendship with Margaret Josephs, and she said that it was “very surprising” to her that they are not in the best place.
“Sometimes friendships … they evolve. They come to an end,” she said.
In September, Margaret, 56, hinted that there was tension between the pair.
“I do love Jackie and her book just came out. It’s powerful. I’m grateful she says so many amazing things about me in the book, and we are bonded and we have a bond,” she told Us. “For whatever reason, it is not the same right now, but I’m sure it will be.”
The same month, Jackie released her memoir, The Weight of Beautiful, where she discussed her battle with an eating disorder for nearly two decades. Margaret, for her part, said she was “moved” by Jackie’s “raw” and “inspiring” story.
Reporting by Christina Garibaldi
