After a controversial season on Real Housewives of New Jersey, Margaret Josephs insists she never went after Teresa Giudice. Or her fiancé Louie Ruelas. Or Jennifer Aydin. Or Jennifer’s husband Bill.
In Margaret’s mind, her motives are pure. She recently stated she was helping Teresa and Louie when she brought up all those allegations against him. Unfortunately, Teresa never saw it that way. Instead of thanking Margaret for her help, the ‘OG’ threw a drink at her face.
On the May 2 episode of the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, Margaret suggested the season 12 reunion was destructive for her friendship with Teresa.
“You know, Teresa and I, we’re real friends,” said Margaret. “I don’t think she thinks we could ever make up. I mean, she said some horrible, horrible, horrible things to me at the reunion. I went in thinking that there could be some resolve… Now it’s very up in the air. I mean, she, it’s a rough one. It’s a rough one because I’m not that person.”
Margaret claimed, “I’m very careful to say things that… I can come back from. I think she says some things that she is very hard to come back from… She said some things to me they’re really hurtful, really hurt, that… They’re shocking.”
According to Margaret, the group made a pact of nonviolence (which Teresa apparently broke). “Everyone says, Margaret, you poured water, you poured wine [but] we agreed after the ponytail pull as a collective group, that [Teresa] had orchestrated, that we’re not going to behave this way anymore. And that we’re going to use our words. And you know, since that incident, last year, we didn’t have any physical altercations.”
What was Margaret’s least favorite season on RHONJ? “I will say my first season was very hard for me,” she answered. “The worst thing that has ever happened to me on Housewives, worse than having my hair pulled is being called an anti-Semite. That is just so, I think it borderlined, it’s like criminal, it is the worst thing to ever happen to me because I, like I’ve said, my child has had a bar mitzvah.”
Regarding her exposure of Bill’s affair, Margaret said, “I do regret causing any pain to [his wife Jennifer’s] family. If I knew she would react that way, I wouldn’t have said it… She is not that tough. She is not that tough… You know she is much more sensitive than she lets on to. I mean, what upset me after the fact, even after we had our sit down, she was very aggressive on the after show.”
Interestingly, Margaret now seems to prefer Louie over Teresa. “At this point, he is much sweeter to me than she is,” said Margaret. “I mean, after the season finale, it’s not pretty, which you guys all saw, he says some things that, I’m not too happy about, but I think after everybody sees the reunion, we come to a better place. And I think he realized, I don’t know if she tainted him towards it. I don’t know what it is, but he’s much easier to talk to after the fact.”
She went on to say, “Teresa, I’ve never met somebody who holds a grudge that long. I mean, listen, she still holds a grudge against her sister and brother, you know her sister-in-law for coming on the show some years ago… I’m not a grudge holder.”
Margaret hinted that Teresa needs to change. “You know what? Maybe it’s time for change … Teresa’s got, you know, everybody has got to grow… You have to evolve.” Then, Margaret seemingly shaded Teresa’s age. “At one point, you’re not so young anymore.”
The host of the podcast mentioned Teresa’s anger toward Dolores Catania, who stayed by Margaret after the drink-throwing incident (Teresa interpreted this as a sign of disloyalty).
“That is the dumbest thing I think I’ve ever heard,” said Margaret. “Dolores has been nothing but loyal to Teresa… That’s just ridiculous. Because I mean, Dolores is the most loyal good friend to everybody. You could be a good friend to someone and not agree with what they do. And what Teresa did that day was, no one could.”
Margaret added, “It does not validate what [Teresa] did to me. It just doesn’t. I am sorry. It just doesn’t. I mean, if she threw a drink at me, I’d get wet. It wasn’t that. She threw an entire table of food and she cleared the table. Glass could have broken. And what would happen if my face got cut? Anything could have happened.”
Many fans think Margaret, who once shoved a man into a pool, is being a bit hypocritical.
“People would like to say, ‘Margaret, you’re calculating, you’re manipulative.’ No, I’m not,” she insisted. “I don’t have an ulterior motive… People say, ‘Oh Jackie and Melissa are so afraid of Margaret because she knows everything.’ Well d**n right, I f**king know everything.” But she was quick to add, “I’m not holding something in my back pocket.”
Margaret struggled to think of anything she regretted on the show. “Hmm… Maybe I shouldn’t have poured water on Danielle’s head, but I don’t give a crap cause I think she, she came in there looking for a physical altercation.”
Then, Margaret remembered something regrettable.
“Pigtail extensions [my] first season … They had me looking like the queen of Narnia.”
RHONJ Live Viewing – This is also the live viewing thread for tonight’s episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 12. Please share your thoughts below as the episode airs at 8/7c on Bravo.