Joe Giudice, an OG husband on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, had some words regarding his lack of choice to appear on the show. The truth is, he never really wanted any part of it, which seems obvious while watching the seasons he is in. The Giudice family experienced a lot throughout their time on the show. From families breaking apart to getting sent to prison, Joe and his ex-wife, Teresa Giudice, had all their dirty laundry aired out, and in the end, they went their separate ways.
Joe Giudice was a guest on the "AllAboutTRH" podcast, where he talked about his time on the show. The hosts, Roxanne Bahri and Shantel Butras asked Joe if he was surprised that he had become popular. Joe did admit that he was shocked that he was well-liked throughout the show because he "didn't try." He told Roxanne and Shantel, "I don't really know why, I mean it was not like I was on it that much, you know what I mean? They'd have to force me to be on it. I didn't voluntarily walk and say, 'Okay, film me today.' It is what it is. But I mean, at the end of the day, I mean, you know, it's a Housewives show, so I mean it's supposed to be for the Housewives, not the husbands."
Joe Giudice Never Wanted to Join 'RHONJ'
Joe then explained that he never wanted to do the show to begin with, and he only did it because of Teresa. "No, I just did it because Teresa kept bothering me about it, so I finally gave in." During a separate interview on the "Reality Court" podcast, Joe mentioned that he never needed the show either. "I was in business for over 25 years before that show. I didn't even want to be on the show to begin with ... I didn't need the show. The first year, I think they paid us $25,000. I think Teresa threw a party that cost me $125,000. It cost me money to be on that stupid show."
Fans have witnessed Joe's treatment towards Teresa throughout the early seasons, and although there is no doubt that Joe is a short-tempered Italian man, Teresa has always defended his actions. During Bravocon, Teresa claimed, "I'm used to Joe, so to me, that was good Joe. I know how Joe is." Teresa also stated that Joe's behavior on the show compared to when cameras were not rolling, was totally different. "On the show, he would act like a macho guy. I would never take that. The way you saw him on the show being an as-----, he wasn't like that in person. When we were one-on-one around the kids, he wouldn't act like that. But around the people, he acted, however he acted. Otherwise, I wouldn't put up with that s---. I would be flipping tables all over the place!" Teresa then mentioned that because she was away from Joe for so long while he was in prison, it helped her realize the two different sides of him. "I had a lot of time to think when Joe was gone. I tell him all the time, 'You were such an ass on the show.'" Teresa added that Joe agreed.
RHONJ is available to stream on Peacock.
