5
Credit: Instagram
Gia Giudice is addressing claims of being fired by Bravo amid allegations of a supposed plagiarism scandal at Rutgers University.
On the latest episode of her podcast, the 24-year-old Next Gen NYC star denied that she was booted by the network, signaled comments Andy Cohen, 57, made about the situation, and shared her thoughts on being accused of cheating at college while also reacting to Lauren Manzo‘s statements about her interview with Lexi Ioannou, 29.
“I feel like something big that has been talked about so much is one, me being fired from Bravo. And two, me having this crazy Rutgers plagiarism scandal,” Gia began during a “Gia Diaries” segment of the June 26 episode of Casual Chaos.
According to Gia, who is also known for her role alongside mom Teresa Giudice, 53, on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, it is “not true” that she was fired from Bravo.
“I am very much still working with Bravo … I’m actually going to a red carpet tonight with Amazon Prime for a movie premiere that Bravo invited me to. So very in the loop with Bravo,” she confirmed. “They’re amazing. They are the network that I work for. But I don’t even know how that rumor transpired. Very weird. Again, kind of just I think another clickbait for people to click on, read the article, and then eventually find out that it’s not true and that I am still with the network.”
While it is unclear where the rumor originated, Andy did address the false report on his radio show.
“I am not an executive producer of Next Gen NYC,” Andy explained on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “This is the first I am hearing of any discord surrounding Gia. And I certainly only have positive feelings for Gia and her mom.”
“And by the way, I love Next Gen NYC,” he added.
Looking back at his statements, Gia continued, “Andy commented on it not too long ago, basically just as confused as I am. He never heard anything about this. Never heard anything related to this and basically said how amazing my mom and I are.”
Moving on to the Rutgers plagiarism claims, Gia noted that she “graduated from Rutgers two years ago with all [her] chords [and her] diploma.”
“It’s just not true,” she said of the cheating rumors. “Rutgers is a very prestigious university. If I was involved in some crazy plagiarism scandal, one, I would’ve failed the class. Two, I probably wouldn’t have graduated. Rutgers takes cheating and plagiarism very seriously. They’re all about integrity. So again, just another clickbait, people using my name for storylines.”
As for Lauren, 37, defending herself against Lexi’s suggestion that the Manzo family wouldn’t help her get her belongings back from her step-father, Tommy Manzo, after he kicked her and her mother, Dina Manzo, 53, out of their home, Gia said she didn’t feel that her story was much different than Lexi’s.
“My reaction on what her cousins have to say about it, they really didn’t say anything different from what Lexi said. They basically said the same story that Lexi said, but tried to make themselves look better in some way,” she noted. “There was nothing groundbreaking or shocking that any of them said. I think you all agree, and I think it’s very clear that Lexi is speaking her truth, and she is not lying, and is not leaving out any parts of the story. Ultimately, Lexi felt let down, and she’s entitled to her opinion.”
“You really saw Lexi being vulnerable and raw and real on Casual Chaos during that episode. You can feel it when somebody is really speaking their truth and they really went through something traumatic,” Gia continued. “I’m very close with Lexi. I respect her and … I’m happy that she feels validated and she just feels like her story’s out.”
After Lexi suggested that the Manzos should’ve done more to retrieve her childhood heirlooms, which were ultimately sold at a garage sale, Lauren responded on Instagram.
“I don’t have access to them. I do not have a relationship with my uncle, and I was told I was not allowed to access the house,” Lauren explained. “I went myself to the garage sale and tried to get her things back, and I was kicked out. I was on private property that wasn’t my [uncle’s] house. I could not break into the home to get her things. I tried everything.”
Next Gen NYC season one airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
