Credit: Andrew Eccles/Bravo
Jennifer Fessler received some advice from Margaret Josephs before she joined the cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. But did she also get a warning?
During a recent interview, Jennifer shared what Margaret told her as she took on her newbie role, explained what she regrets about attending Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas‘ wedding, and revealed which cast member surprised her the most during filming.
“[Margaret] gave me the advice she always gives me, which is really just like, be yourself. She didn’t give me too many pointers. I think she really wanted me to find my own way, which I appreciated,” Jennifer told Us Weekly in a recent interview.
Because Jennifer was a viewer of RHONJ before she joined the show, Margaret didn’t have to warn her “too much.”
“I know what she’s been through but she never set it up so that I should be her soldier. She let me have my own experience,” Jennifer noted.
One of the most difficult storylines to navigate, of course, was the family feud between Teresa and Melissa Gorga.
“It’s really tricky,” Jennifer admitted. “At times [I] really understood where Teresa was coming from. She was really open with me about what she was going through … [And] I really love Melissa and understand how she felt and feels.”
Although Jennifer “felt terrible for Melissa” after she was targeted with a false cheating allegation, which reportedly resulted in her and brother Joe Gorga, Teresa’s brother, sitting out of Teresa’s wedding, she ultimately made the “very tough call” to attend, although she left early.
“I did leave the wedding early with Margaret, which, in retrospect, I shouldn’t have done and I regret,” Jennifer shared. “I actually reached out to Teresa and apologized to her about it after the fact.”
According to Jennifer, she struggled over what the “right thing” to do was after getting “really, really close.” However, looking back she realizes it was not her place to take a stand.
“I had no right going to a wedding and making any kind of statement so I really felt like sh-t about that,” she explained.
But luckily, after reaching out to Teresa, she was met with grace.
“Teresa was very gracious … She was really nice about accepting my apology,” Jennifer shared, confirming Teresa was the RHONJ cast member who surprised her the most.
“I had some deep conversations with Teresa that I didn’t expect, really nice, deep conversations,” she revealed. “Teresa, um, interestingly, just was very sweet, kind, warm, and open with me. She knew I came in as Margaret’s friend. But she couldn’t have been any more welcoming, which means a lot.”
Jennifer also didn’t expect to become as close as she did with Jackie Goldschneider.
“We became very, very close. We’re a lot alike,” she said. “She has such a good heart and she’s a really good listener. I wouldn’t have suspected going in that I would’ve gotten so close with Jackie so quickly.”
While fans now know that the premiere reconciliation between Margaret and Teresa didn’t last, Jennifer said she was “happy” to see her castmates make amends.
“I was actually thrilled,” Jennifer shared. “Because when they’re not going at it, I feel like it’s very easy to see why they would be friends. They have this energy when they’re together that is so enjoyable to watch.”
Jennifer then said that while she doesn’t believe Margaret is “messy,” her friend does say things that she doesn’t always appreciate.
“She has a sharp tongue and she says some things that you’ll see as the season progresses,” Jennifer revealed. “I don’t always love the way she approaches things, because she has a really sharp tongue, but I would not call her messy.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.