Wendy Williams is standing her ground about her opinion that Teresa Giudice should end her marriage with Joe amid his deportation appeal. Following the couple’s tell-all interview on Sunday’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Wendy was blown away by how “checked out” Teresa and Joe, both 47, appeared to be from their marriage. Teresa joined Andy Cohen in studio, while Joe called in via satellite, as he is residing in Italy with family until a decision is made about if he will remain in Europe permanently.
“I don’t think this was scripted at all. I think it was painful to watch, but I couldn’t stop,” the talk show host, 55, said when she kicked off Hot Topics on October 28. “In my opinion, Teresa and Joe clearly do not want to be together… They seem to have both checked out of their relationship… It seems like nobody is fighting to keep this relationship together, like, they’ve both checked out,” Wendy continued.
The host went on to “disagree” with critics who slammed Teresa after her admission that she blamed Joe to a degree for the time she lost with her mother while she served her prison sentence. Teresa’s mother passed away shortly after she was released from prison.
“The best thing she can do is get a divorce and continue dating,” Wendy said, adding that the mother of four is much “sharper” and “smarter” these days. “And, I still don’t care about her plot line on the ‘Housewives’. I don’t want her to fight to get back with Joe. I want her to go to Italy and shade Joe while she’s over there and get her a little authentic Italian out there. Then leave him in Italy and come back to Jersey. I want to see her rebuild her life, get a divorce and date!”
Wendy also noted that she smells something “rotten with the Gorga’s” — Teresa’s brother, Joe and his wife Melissa. She also added that she smells “something stinky with the Manzo family” after Teresa questioned if former RHONJ star, Caroline Manzo had something to do with her legal situation with Joe. Teresa made the assumption after Andy played a past clip of Caroline predicting that Joe would end up in prison and Teresa would suffer from it, before they were even in trouble with the law.
As for the latest with Joe? — Following his October 11 release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, he flew to his native Italy, where he was granted permission to stay with family as he continues to appeal his deportation order abroad. Joe completed his 41-month prison sentence for fraud in March. From there, he was immediately placed in ICE custody.
As previously reported, Joe and and Teresa — who share daughters Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10 — both pled guilty to multiple charges of fraud in 2014. They were given consecutive sentences, with Teresa having served her time behind bars first. She was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, which started in January 2015. Teresa was released early in December of that same year.
Teresa previously made it clear during the RHONJ season 9 reunion that she will divorce Joe, should he get deported. And, after her tell-all interview, a divorce doesn’t seem too far off. Teresa and her daughters plan to visit Joe in Italy, where the Bravo cameras will follow as part of the new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Season 10 will premiere on Bravo, Wednesday, November 6, at 8 p.m. ET.