Following Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s “pretty epic” season premiere on Feb. 17, Jennifer Aydin opened up about the rest of the season, which she said includes “a lot of conflict”, her falling flat on her face, and plenty of family drama that she thinks will be “hard to watch”. So if you thought Teresa Giudice and Jackie Goldschneider‘s fight was pretty epic, you’re going to feel even better when you see what’s to come.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Your family life is going to be covered a lot this season. What’s it like to be going through this now?
JENNIFER AYDIN: It’s kind of hard to watch. My dad was watching it with me yesterday and at some part during the scene, he ended up walking out of the scene because he felt uncomfortable. I’m from a middle eastern culture off the boat. In their eyes, you don’t share that much. It’s easy for me to share, but I’m first generation here. I was born here. For my parents, it’s a lot different. It was a little hard to watch.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Did this bring you and your family together, Bill especially?
JENNIFER AYDIN: Obviously I can’t do anything without Bill’s support. He’s been so wonderful. He doesn’t even say anything and I don’t even ask him to make these executive decisions for my dad to come stay here. I’m so appreciative that he allows me to be who I am and do what I want to do without criticizing or judgements. I think this definitely brought us closer together. He’s more my cheerleader now. I’m not on speaking terms with my mother which is a little difficult.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Is your dad still living with you and what’s that been like to still be living with your father?
JENNIFER AYDIN: Growing up, my dad has always been this mystical, mysterious man that went to work and didn’t talk too much, so I didn’t really know him aside from being Daddy’s little girl. He never spoke too much and he showed affection by going to work every day, providing for his family and basically every night coming home, sitting on his spot on the couch and watching the news. So, I feel grateful because we’ve had this time to bond. It was always just me and my mom. It wasn’t that I was deliberately leaving my dad out. It’s now habit that my dad is here. He’s still very quiet. If he had his choice, he would like to stay with my mom if they would be able to get along better. They tried to stay together. Because of the pandemic, our jewelry store closed. So my brother and my dad have no jewelry store to go to every day. Because of the pandemic, it forced them to be together all of the time and it was driving them crazy.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: What else are we going to see about your family life this season?
JENNIFER AYDIN: You’re going to see me adjusting to life with my dad. Me referring my mother and my dad and me trying to let my mother know that everything that I’m doing right now is for her. She’s always been my number one. It’s always been automatic for my mom to be my right hand. I just feel bad for my dad. He’s disabled. He’s 75-years-old, walking with a cane. And I lost my housekeeper so you’re going to see that. You guys are going to see me doing a lot of cleaning this season, definitely, and there’s no shame in my game. They come in like a revolving door. Listen, if I can do it better than them, I’m like, why pay them? I’ll just do it myself. OK? And that’s what I do. I move couches, I clean toilets and I have a method to have the shiniest floors. I just finished cleaning my tiles in my bathtub with a toothbrush.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Where are you at with Jackie now?
JENNIFER AYDIN: Listen, I went in this wanting to start fresh, having a clean slate. I feel like we did that. I’m done with critiquing Jackie’s parties, so that’s to my benefit. It’s baby steps with Jackie and me, that’s what I will say about that but I’m happy about how that progresses. But I’m happy about where we are at this point in time, yeah. I don’t believe the rumor. I never believed it. Teresa heard it. The way that she said it may have not been the right way, but she apologized for that. Then Jackie had to go and say what she said, which the whole thing is really just extremely disappointing, I have to say.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Were you afraid to tell Teresa how you felt and how’d she take that criticism?
JENNIFER AYDIN: I wasn’t afraid. I told her that maybe she shouldn’t have done it at the party. She was having a couple of drinks. It wasn’t her intention to be a shit starter. I’m not afraid of Teresa, but having said that, Teresa is my friend and Jackie and I have just started to become friends and I’ve never seen Jackie, Teresa or Margaret for that matter, any one of them, coming to my aide or defense for anybody else so I am not going to sit here and argue with my friend about getting into a fight over Jackie. I told her she shouldn’t have said it at the party and then I’m done. The fight was between the both of them. I feel like what Jackie did, two wrongs don’t make a right because where as before, we could’ve all gotten mad at Teresa and moved on. Now Jackie said what she said which is just appalling really. Now you’re just as guilty if not even more. Right because Jackie never said, ‘Well, how would you feel if I said?’ and no me watching it along with you guys, I’m realizing she said that as and actual statement. Now we all know it’s an analogy but will the audience know that it’s an analogy? It may take until the next episode for them to know. That’s why it really was just very hard to watch.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: What did you think about having the conversation at Margaret’s home?
JENNIFER AYDIN: I think Marge’s home was the best place actually because it’s neutral ground, it’s not in a public place. They have the benefit of being private without having to impose on anybody so I actually think it was the perfect spot.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Does this set the tone for the entire season?
JENNIFER AYDIN: There’s a lot of conflict this season between all of us and it’s not the whole season. We’re not going to have a Beverly Hills thing where we’re going to talk about it until the end of time, no. No. I feel like we all find a way to make it work which is very interested to see which is all I’ll say about that.
HOLLYWOODLIFE: Was the drinking scene of you in the super tease for the season hard to watch back because the ladies clearly aren’t afraid to tell you how they feel!
JENNIFER AYDIN: Hard to watch? Are you kidding me? I wanted more! I don’t remember anything that happened that night. I remember arriving. I remember the beginning. The rest is just memory fragments. Everything that you guys saw in the trailer, I also saw for the first time and had no recollection of. When they told me I fell on my face, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I feel like I would remember that.’ And then when I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ Me drinking the water like that, no recollection of that whatsoever. I’m actually eager to see that episode. Yeah honey, because I think it’s a good time! It’s not an alcohol problem, it’s a, ‘I haven’t socialized problem.’ Because I haven’t socialized my tolerance level is itty bitty bitty. I don’t know how many drinks it takes to get me drunk, plain and simple. I was so excited to be with the girls. I am above 21, last I checked. I have my husband with me the whole time. We’ve been quarantined for how many. months now? You’re going to see a lot of that this season.
Want more? New episodes of RHONJ air Wednesdays at 9pm on Bravo.