Since Season 1 of Real Housewives of New Jersey, fans have watched Teresa Giudice make more enemies than friends.
She never learned the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But one Jersey girl has stuck by her. Dina Manzo starred with Tre during the first few seasons, and the two moms just seemed to hit it off. For years, Dina has been a ride-or-die for Teresa, but recently, fans have noticed that they may have had a possible fallout. What was once a sweet friendship has now turned into a complicated relationship.
Dina Manzo didn’t RSVP
In 2022, Teresa threw a My Big Fat New Jersey Wedding, complete with over-the-top hair and a larger-than-life ballgown. All seemed well as Tre started to ask her friends to be bridesmaids. Dina was one of the women asked and expected to be by Teresa’s side on her big day. But during Season 13, it became evident that Teresa chose Dina over her other close friend, Dolores Catania.
As Dolo announced she would be a bridesmaid and Melissa Gorga was left out, fans also learned that Dolores, one of Tre’s closest friends, wasn’t invited to the engagement party. Melissa noted, “Dolores wasn’t even invited to the engagement party. Why? Because Dina was. I hear Louie and Dina’s man had an argument over business, and these two are no longer friends. All of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Dolores, I was meditating.’ So convenient that meditation moment.” That was the first time fans thought there could be issues between Dina and Tre.
Damage control for Teresa and Dina
However, after the August 2022 nuptials, both Dina and Teresa maintained that there had never been a falling out. Dina took to her Instagram Story after a fan asked if she was friends again with the OG. The mother of one answered, “We were never not friends. Sometimes friendships go through phases, but in the end, true friendships will always find their way back when the time is right.” Again, the answer seemed a bit ominous and almost solidified that there had been some sort of falling out.
Teresa also made a statement on Two T’s in a Pod in October 2022, telling listeners, “We’re good, we’re all good, yeah. Tre told Tamra Judge and Teddi Mellencamp, “Once you are on TV and then you aren’t on TV anymore, you don’t want to be in front of the camera. I totally get it. It’s like you’re working, and you don’t want to work. Unless you are getting paid. And the thing is not that she wanted to even get paid, but I get it. And her husband doesn’t want to be on camera. I respect that.”
Teresa Giudice sets the record straight
While on Carlos King’s podcast, Reality with the King, Teresa opened up about the state of her friendship with Dina. It turns out she doesn’t hang around with Dina as much as she once did. But according to Tre, it isn’t anything she did. Dina “just doesn’t feel comfortable coming back to Jersey.” Fans will recall that Dina’s ex-husband, Tommy Manzo, allegedly hired a hitman to attack Dave Cantin, her current husband, in 2015. Dina and Dave were also assaulted in their home during a separate incident.
The mother of four seemed to understand her friend’s apprehensions, noting, “It’s scary for her cause of what happened, and I totally respect that, so that’s it. But we’re good. She just wants to keep her distance. She doesn’t want people to know when she comes to Jersey… Like her and Audriana Giudice text, we text.” Teresa went on to say, “And I totally respect it. I understand. At first, I was upset that she didn’t come to the wedding but… it’s really damaging what happened to her, now I totally understand. You know, if I was her, I wouldn’t want to come back to Jersey ’cause it’s scary.”
I would argue that Dina is the only friend that Teresa has never really spoken badly about or tried to argue with. There must be a deep level of respect for the OG to keep her mouth shut for all these years.