Credit: Bravo
The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Margaret Josephs will not be on the upcoming 15th season of the show.
When Margaret revealed she was not returning to the show earlier this year, fans were shocked, as she had been a staple on it for eight seasons.
Margaret, 59, recently sat down with Page Six for a tell-all interview, where she revealed what ultimately made her decide to exit the franchise.
“I think a cast member – and I’ll just say, it was not even Teresa [Giudice], it was her husband,” Margaret explicitly shared of what made her leave. “It was – there was such tumult there, and I couldn’t, you know, be around him.”
She also confirmed she did shoot test footage with new cast members last August alongside Dolores Catania and Melissa Gorga.
“That is the God’s honest truth,” she said. “Yeah. And at that time, we were told, you know, by production, she wasn’t in the mix, and that wasn’t going to happen. I said, ‘I won’t even test film if she’s in the mix.'”
She also claimed no one tried forcing her to stay, as they saw the direction the show was going and told Margaret it “didn’t feel right” for her.
“It was so dark,” she noted of the show when she was on it. “It was so bad. Andy [Cohen] said it was like the darkest thing he’s ever heard on TV. He’s, you know – besides the fact, he [Luis Ruelas] said he wanted me to suffer, he wanted my son to suffer. It was like I couldn’t even be in the same room with him.”
Margaret also addressed her behavior on the show, stating she can be “sarcastic and tough.”
“I’m very direct, and I think I’m still direct, but people misunderstand that,” she elaborated. “People take that as I can be mean or I am digging up things. No. I’m perceptive.”
Margaret officially announced her departure from RHONJ in March.
“HI guys, it’s the Marge. I’m dialing in,” she began in an Instagram post. “I have to tell you something that might come as a little surprise to you, but not for me.”
“I’ve been thinking about a lot of different things, and I am moving on from the Housewives of New Jersey,” she continued. “Sorry, I don’t look a little more glamorous for you. I’ve been in the talks with the network and Andy Cohen since December. We’ve discussed it, and I think the timing is right.”
Margaret noted a “lot of things have changed” in her life, but she confirmed she was working on a new project.
“I’m on the set right now, and I realized I have to spend more time with my family, work on my designing, and just take a break and move on,” she shared.
She wrapped by sharing how grateful she was, stating, “I also wanted to say I want to thank NBCUniversal, Bravo, Andy, our production company, my cast — the good and the bad — I really do love you all. I’m very grateful for this opportunity. This will not be the last you guys see of me on television. That’s not a threat, it’s a promise. And I’m excited for all the new opportunities, and I’m grateful for all of you for supporting me for all these years. And you will see me very, very soon back on your TV screens. Love you.”