Melissa had some final words to share about her extended family during the RHONJ “Off the Rails” special episode.
During Season 14, Episode 14 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey — otherwise known as the “Off the Rails” special episode — Melissa Gorga shared some final thoughts on her relationship with Teresa Giudice and the rest of her extended family.
“There’s a lot of memories, good and bad. This [show] has been a part of my life since 2010. There’s just so many emotions when you watch it all, but what I see there is done,” she explained during the episode, which aired Sunday, August 11. “My relationship with my husband’s family, it’s over.”
That declaration is bittersweet for Melissa. “It sucks,” she noted a few moments earlier. “But at the same time I couldn’t be happier, in a weird way. To be over … I feel relieved.”
Prior to the episode airing, Melissa spoke to BravoTV.com about the future with her fellow RHONJ cast members, Teresa included.
“I don’t know where the group goes from here,” she said. “I will just say that there’s been a lot of great memories with a lot of the girls. I wouldn’t take anything back, but at the end of the day, I fight for my family and my husband and my kids and what’s morally right.”
She also shared the biggest lesson she’s learned through the show.
“I’ve learned — and it might’ve taken me into my 40s to learn — that if someone doesn’t wish you well and someone doesn’t clap for you or want the best for you, then it’s time to remove them from your life,” she added. “And I’m okay with that.”
Inside Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice’s drama
In case you’re way behind, Melissa and Teresa are related through marriage; Melissa is married to Teresa’s younger brother, Joe Gorga. After years of drama, Melissa recently explained that she does not see a future in which she’ll have a relationship with her sister-in-law.
“I don’t feel the pressure any more to kinda accept things I didn’t feel were right, or to keep moving forward with something that was at a complete dead end,” she said during a July 28 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “Having zero guilt any longer and knowing I’ve done the right thing for as long as I could is definitely my rose.”
Joe Gorga reveals he’ll always worry about Teresa Giudice
During a conversation with Melissa in Season 14, Episode 13, Joe opened up about his feelings toward his big sister.
“Listen, I’m concerned. I’m always concerned about her. She’s my sister,” he said. “But my sister’s old-school Italian. She really wouldn’t admit [things were bad] if it were true.”