Melissa Gorga is staying put on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
On the latest episode of her On Display with Melissa Gorga podcast, the 44-year-old reality star responded to rumors that she planned to exit the Bravo series amid her ongoing feud with her sister-in-law and costar Teresa Giudice.
“I have no intentions on leaving,” Melissa shared. “I never run away when the going gets tough, that’s not my personality.”
“Our family has been through ups and downs for so many years on this show,” she added. “I have never left before and I have no intentions on leaving now.”
In February, the “On Display” singer told that she and husband Joe Gorga had seriously considered stepping away from the series.
“Yeah, I mean listen, when the time is right,” she said at the time. “I think we’ll know when the time is right and it’s just not working anymore.”
“For right now, I love Bravo. I love being a part of the show,” she continued. “I feel like we got this right [now]. We got it handled over here, we’re doing OK, but when the time is right, I will walk and I will take it as a wonderful memory.”
“I’ll know when it’s time. I’ll know,” she added. “But I’m not going anywhere as of now. You’re going to have me for a minute.”
Melissa’s decision to remain on RHONJ comes as she and Teresa, 50, have not been on speaking terms in months. Their family argument accelerated in the public eye when Melissa and Joe, 43, did not attend Teresa’s wedding to Luis “Louie” Ruelas in August 2022.
Two sources told Melissa and Joe backed out of attending two days before the ceremony when false rumors about their marriage surfaced amid filming. Both Teresa and Louie’s actions at the time ultimately influenced the Gorgas’ decision.
“Teresa betrayed them in a way that’s unforgivable,” one source said. “They’re not going to celebrate Teresa’s new marriage when all she does is try to tear apart theirs.”
The drama has also been unfolding on the latest season of RHONJ, with Melissa and Teresa recently getting into it after Teresa suggested that Melissa’s daughter Antonia was to blame for the family friction.
The latest episode featured Louie getting caught on camera purposely excluding Melissa and Joe from a celebratory pre-wedding dinner. After listing off nearly all of their mutual friends and their dates, Louie told Teresa via phone, “Except Melissa and Joe, I’m not inviting them.”
Teresa fumbled with her phone and quickly took him off speakerphone before telling him, “You know the camera’s on, we’re filming, right?”
“Oh s—… okay,” Louie responded.
In an attempt to mend the slip-up, Teresa told him, “You have to invite them. You can’t just invite some and not the others.”