From Housewife to friend. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jackie Goldschneider joined the Bravo series in season 9 but returned to season 13 in a new role: “friend.”
“It’s hard to go into a room that you were once the center of attention and now there’s what, seven Housewives? So to be the eighth person in line, that was, like, a little bit of an ego punch,” Jackie, 46, said during an exclusive interview on Us Weekly’s “Getting Real with the Housewives” podcast on Thursday, February 9. “My ego hurt at first, of course, but there really was no difference.”
The reality star admitted that she didn’t think she “could have handled” a full-time role because at the time of the season 13 casting process, she was not in a good place in her eating disorder recovery.
“I love this show and I love Bravo, so I wanted to stay a part of it. So, going in it was a little rough because I didn’t really understand what a ‘friend’ did, but once I got into it, I didn’t really feel different about my job,” the lawyer admitted to Us. “I did my job exactly the same as I always have done. I went into every scene, I moved story along, I gave my opinion on everything, and the cameras were constantly on me. I was a part of every single cast event and cast trip.”
She added, “Once I took my ego out of it, then I was able to fully embrace it and I think I had probably one of my best seasons.”
RHONJ brought in two new Housewives for its 13th season — Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral — who Jackie didn’t believe were there to take her position.
“It’s important that you understand that I never for one minute thought these women came and took my job. That’s not the way it happens at all, because they’re very different from me and I am my own person,” the Bravo star told Us. “Them coming up and me going down had absolutely nothing to do with each other from my perspective. Other people might have a different opinion, but that’s how I feel about it. I thought the new girls did their parts this season, nobody phoned it in.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Tuesdays on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET.