The family drama continues. For Real Housewives of New Jersey, it’s no secret that there has been bad blood between Teresa Giudice, her brother, Joe Gorga, and sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, for years. However things escalated when Joe and Melissa decided not to attend Teresa’s wedding to Luis Ruelas in August 2022.
“How can I celebrate someone else’s marriage when they are constantly trying to destroy mine?” Melissa asked during the RHONJ midseason 13 trailer, released in April 2023. Elsewhere in the clip, Teresa could be seen crying when asked if Joe was attending the wedding.
Keep reading for everything we know about why Melissa and Joe skipped the wedding, their longtime feud with Teresa and more.
Why Didn’t Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga Attend Teresa Giudice’s Wedding?
Joe and Melissa opted to skip Teresa’s wedding after the trio had a blowout while filming season 13 of the Bravo show.
“She caught you in the backseat of a car kissing a guy,” Danielle Cabral told Melissa in the show’s midseason trailer, seemingly relaying allegations that she cheated on Joe. Elsewhere, Dolores Catania chimed in, noting, “If you don’t go to the wedding, Melissa, I think it’s over, over.”
Following the August 2022 ceremony, one source told Peoplethat Joe and Melissa had planned to attend the wedding until the Thursday before. They changed their minds when false rumors about their marriage surfaced while filming. According to the insider, Teresa’s involvement in the drama and Luis’ behavior led the Gorgas to skip the ceremony.
“Teresa betrayed them in a way that’s unforgivable,” one source claimed. “They’re not going to celebrate Teresa’s new marriage when all she does is try to tear apart theirs.”
An additional source told the outlet that Joe and Melissa’s decision was driven by a desire to protect themselves from the attacks they’ve received from Teresa over the years.
How Did Teresa Giudice React to Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga Skipping Her Wedding?
Teresa revealed her feelings about Melissa and Joe skipping her wedding during an August 2022 episode of her “Namaste B&tches” podcast.
“I found out a few days before my wedding that they weren’t coming. I’m totally fine with it,” she said. “You’ll see it play out on TV … The way that everything played out with my wedding, everything that happened is the way it was supposed to be. I’m all about that. I’m all about good energy, and whoever wanted to be at my wedding was there.”
Teresa also teased why they skipped the nuptials, saying, “You’ll see it the way it plays out on TV, so I can’t really say much on that.”
Did Melissa Gorga Cheat on Joe Gorga?
According to the BestofBravo fan Instagram account, Teresa’s feud with the Couple stemmed from rumors that Melissa cheated on Joe. Melissa’s cousin alluded to the cheating rumors in an August 2022 Instagram Stories post. “I’m the only other boy this girl kisses,” he wrote alongside a selfie with the TV personality.
The recent allegations are not the first time Teresa has accused Melissa of cheating. In June 2013, the mother of four discussed rumors that her sister-in-law had an Affair with an ex-boyfriend. After Joe called his siter “scum” for spreading the rumor, he got into a physical altercation with Teresa’s then-husband, Joe Giudice, during a trip to Lake George.
One month later, Melissa’s former BFF Jan DeDolce further fueled rumors by telling people that she cheated on Joe with her ex. However, Melissa denied the allegations. “I’ve never cheated on Joe,” she told Relationship-timeline/september-2013-12/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-auth=”NotApplicable” data-safelink=”true” data-linkindex=”11″>Us Weekly at the time. “This is all disappointing.”
RHONJ alum Kim DePaola called the cheating rumors “a hearsay thing” while appearing on an August 2022 episode of the “Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef” podcast, claiming they’re “not true” and it’s just “a bunch of bull.”
What Did Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga Do Instead of Attending Teresa Giudice’s Wedding?
“Blood doesn’t make you family,” Joe shared via Instagram Stories the day before Teresa’s August 6, 2022 wedding, revealing that they were spending time with family.
The Love Italian Style: The Secrets of My Hot and Happy Marriage author also seemed to snub Teresa when sharing a video of the group dancing. “God blessed me with an amazing family,” the reality star captioned a video of the gathering. She then shared a meme of Pete Davidson, who had recently broke up with ex Kim Kardashian, flashing a peace sign. “Pete, Tristan [and] the Gorga’s rolling into the weekend like …” the caption stated, while Melissa added a crying-laughing emoji.
Joe and Melissa weren’t the only people to throw shade at the bride. One of her family members shared a video of the group dancing and said the bash was “way better than a wedding.”
Teresa Giudice’s Husband Louie Ruelas Breaks His Silence
After the ceremony, a report claimed that Teresa sent a bill to Melissa and Joe for their meal since they previously R.S.V.P.’d but didn’t attend. Teresa’s friend and RHONJ costar Jennifer Aydin took to Twitter to slam the claims.
“I just saw some wackadoo #fakenews and Teresa and Louie would NEVER be so petty #facts,” Jennifer tweeted at the time.
Instagram fanpage All About The Real Housewives reposted a screenshot of Jennifer’s message and Louie took to the comments to further clarify the rumors and break his silence on the drama between him, Teresa and the Gorgas. “We would never in a million years ask for money from Joe and Melissa – we are not petty,” he commented. “Joe and Melissa were missed ❤️.”
‘RHONJ’ Season 13
RHONJ was full of family drama between Teresa, Joe and Melissa. Bravo released a first look at season 13 in December 2022, and Teresa could be seen referring to her sister-in-law as “disgusting” in one clip. While other cast mates will be going at it as well, a bulk of the episodes followed the lead-up to Teresa and Louie’s wedding — and the absence of Joe and Melissa.
“Get out of my f–king face,” Teresa seemingly yelled at her brother, who replied, “Shut the f–k up.” There appears to be an altercation between Joe and Louie on the horizon as well. The trailer ended with Louie telling his new wife, “I’m gonna f–king punch him in the face because I have nothing to f–king lose.”
Teresa added, “She’s always wanted to keep my brother and I apart. She got her wish,” seemingly referring to Melissa.