Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga’s marriage will be on display during season 11 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and according to Margaret Josephs, it may be “upsetting” for fans to watch play out.
“I’m invested in [my costars’] relationships. We spent a lot of time with these women, My [husband] Joe [Benigno] and Joe Gorga are very good friends. I don’t want to ever see my girlfriends in pain, upset, or other couples that I’m close with,” Margaret, 53, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Wednesday, February 17, premiere. “I’m so invested in them, everybody. It was painful. … And you know, we’re Housewives, what do we do? We weigh in.”
The “Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget” podcast host added that she thinks Melissa, 41, and Joe, 48, are a “solid couple.”
She explained: “I think every marriage goes through growing pains at different points in your life. I think that’s all it was. I think they’re just very solid. And every marriage, you know, needs work at different points in time. I think really that’s what it was. And no one loves change. And women are forever changing.”
The season 11 trailer, which Bravo released last month, teased tension between Melissa and Joe.
“Everybody needs a little tweaking and a little help at different points. The strongest and solid and most amazing marriages can use a little help at any given moment,” Margaret added.
Melissa and Joe, who wed in 2004, share three kids: Antonia, 15, Gino, 13, and Joey, 10.
“This season, it’s very raw. It’s very real. It’s very different this season for Joe and I,” the “On Display” songstress told Us earlier this month. “We’ve done very good for 11 years. We’re a great couple. We try really hard. We fight really hard for our family and it’s not easy to be on reality TV for 11 years and still stand strong.”
Melissa added that Joe “likes things to stay the same” in their relationship.
“I’ve been with him since I was 24 years old. So I’ve changed and I feel like this is a scary part of marriage. Either you’re going to grow together or you’re going to grow apart. And I think we’re fighting really hard to grow together,” she told Us. “It’s not easy. We’re struggling. I’m not sitting here telling you that, like, I’m moving out of my house today, but we were struggling and we show it. … We’re fighting out of it.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey returns to Bravo Wednesday, February 17, at 9 p.m. ET.
Listen to Ramona Singer tell Us Weekly editors what it was like filming season 13 of ROHNY during COVID-19.
