From the infamous hair pull of The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 10 to feuds with her costars, Margaret Josephs is no stranger to controversy.
The reality star, 56, revealed that she doesn’t have many regrets when it comes to her tenure on RHONJ while sitting down with Us Weekly to promote her drink brand, Soirée.
“That was an iconic moment,” Margaret exclusively told Us, referring to when she and Joe Benigno threw Marty Caffrey into a pool during season 9. When asked whether she regretted it, she immediately responded, “No,” and went on to defend the scene.
“I don’t want anyone to say, ‘Oh, that was violent.’ That wasn’t violent,” she said. “You know what I mean? That was hijinks.”
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For some of Margaret’s costars, “hijinks” have crossed the line into reprehensible roughness. In September, Danielle Cabral and Jennifer Aydin were suspended from filming RHONJ season 14 after they had an argument that turned physical.
“It’s unacceptable,” Margaret told Us of the incident involving Jennifer, 46, and Danielle, 38. “It’s gone too far, and I think it’s not necessary. We’re all grown adults. … We’re all grown women. Everyone has to be able to control themselves.”
Margaret Josephs Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Family Equality
Margaret has been a main cast member of RHONJ since 2017, joining for its eighth season. She was involved in her own physical altercation in season 10 when her hair was pulled during an explosive fight with Danielle Staub.
“That was very, very bad,” Margaret told Us. “It came from behind. I shouldn’t have even talked to her. You know what, she came in there looking for a fight, the whole thing, it was so bad.”
Margaret Josephs and Danielle Staub. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for WE tv
Another controversial moment for Margaret came in season 9 when she told Jennifer her lips look like a “monkey’s a–hole” — but she still stands by the comment.
“That’s what came to my mind,” she told Us. “It was the way her lip liner was on her lips. I didn’t think it was that bad.”
While the Housewives have had their differences over the years, Margaret wasn’t shy in complimenting Jennifer’s loyalty.
“That girl is loyal to the core,” she said. “Look at the way she rides and dies for Teresa [Giudice]. This girl, your hype person, she will never go against you. … If you’re holding the bloody knife, she will say you didn’t do it.”
While she conceded that Jennifer doesn’t “love” her the same way, Margaret has her own hype woman in her Soirée business partner, Lexi Barbuto.
Margaret Josephs and Lexi Barbuto. Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Vivint
“Lexi’s the best hype person for me,” Margaret told Us. “She’s my ride or die.”
Margaret and Lexi launched Soirée — a nonalcoholic cocktail line — earlier this year with the goal of being more inclusive of non-drinkers. The brand includes four unique flavors that are anything but boring.
“I always chose not to drink, so I was like, ‘I have to create something that [lets] everybody feel like part of the party,’” Margaret told Us. “The point of having a mocktail is something that doesn’t give you a mind-mellowing thing. It’s an alternative to alcohol, so I knew that we hit it.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
