Margaret Josephs, Jackie Goldschneider, Melissa Gorga, Teresa Giudice, Dolores Catania and Jennifer Aydin. Rodolfo Martinez/Bravo
Not even Andy Cohen’s diplomacy skills can resolve the drama surrounding The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast.
As Season 14 continues to air this summer on Bravo, multiple sources confirmed to Us Weekly that viewers will not see a traditional reunion when new episodes wrap later this year.
“The reunion is supposed to be about resolution and it’s clear there’s no resolving any issues between the women,” one source exclusively told Us on Monday, June 3. “There is no wrap-up in a bow and it’s not going to happen.”
While fans will have to watch what happens to learn more about the drama brewing in the Garden State, fans have already witnessed the cast seemingly break up into two teams — with some staying friends with Melissa Gorga while others aligning themselves with her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice.
“Teresa and Melissa are holding the show hostage,” the source explained. “Everyone has been forced to choose sides and not have any real interaction.”
Teresa, 52, and Melissa, 45, remain estranged and have not interacted in the first five episodes of season 14. Their family feud exploded at the end of season 13 when they vowed that any relationship between them was over.
A second source with knowledge of the situation also confirmed to Us that RHONJ will not have a traditional reunion this season. Instead, Bravo is figuring out a different concept to wrap up the season.
“A dramatic all-cast dinner in the season finale will make it clear to the audience that there is no path forward in a reunion setting,” the source shared.
Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
One idea being floated around is that the cast — which includes Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Fessler — participates in one final interview. But according to the second source, nothing official about the show has been decided.
Cohen, 56, personally addressed all the chatter surrounding this season during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Reality Checked with Kiki Monique. He told listeners that things will make more sense once the finale airs.
“When all of us producers saw the last cut of the finale, we all came to the decision separately and then we talked,” he said on Monday, June 3. “We all had the same thought, which is the finale is kind of the finale and the reunion all in one. It’s in the great tradition of absolute shocking, dramatic Jersey finales and they have this final epic group encounter, which is like, it feels like the Last Supper and is just so Jersey. And it’s shocking and it’s dramatic and it’s amazing TV. I’m telling you, when you see it, I think that you’ll feel complete.”
Fans may not be surprised by the strong divide amongst the cast. For the past two BravoCons, event organizers chose to have split RHONJ panels. The first episodes of season 14 have also showcased a rift amongst the two groups.
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While cast division can sometimes lead to good TV, they can also bring cataclysmic cast shakeups. Both The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac recently underwent major cast changes with some speculating that certain feuds proved to be unresolvable.
In Potomac specifically, both Robyn Dixon and Candiace Dillard Bassett exited the show after they failed to make peace in their long feud. On a related note, this is also not the first canceled reunion in Housewives history: the 2021 reunion for season 13 of Real Housewives of New York was also nixed. When the show finally returned for season 14 in 2023, it was with an entirely new cast.
Us Weekly has reached out to Bravo for comment on RHONJ.
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
