Debuting in 2009, the Real Housewives of New Jersey chronicled the lives of socialites in New Jersey, the fourth installment in the Real Housewives franchise. The cast has gone through many members in the last seven years, with only two original socialites remaining. Sadly, that number is about be cut in half, as Jacqueline Laurita announced she would be exiting the series.
Loving my @zarianasjewels chokers! She has so many cute things!
A post shared by Jacqueline Laurita (@jaclaurita) on
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When speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the 46-year-old star revealed, “Unfortunately, I will not be returning. I think the feeling [from the network] is that I no longer have an authentic connection with two of the season’s cast members.”
She added, “I think they feel I no longer fit in with the group.” Although she didn’t specifically name the cast members that she clashed with, ET speculated she was referring to Teresa Giudice and her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga.
Laurita was apparently offered a role as a part-time cast member that could be bumped up to full-time if she “meshed with the group.” Rather than take the opportunity, she opted to cut ties completely.
The reality explained, “I just felt that after being on the show for seven years and putting my time and everything into that, to not have a confirmed full-time decision, with that feeling that I had to kind of tryout again, it just didn’t feel right.”
As one of the two remaining original cast members, Laurita had every right to negotiate her contract, but apparently, money was not a factor. “We didn’t even talk money. We didn’t even get that far!” she revealed.
Despite the bad blood, Laurita said she’d be willing to come back to the show in a full-time capacity, saying, “Then it would be worth the aggravation.”
With the time off from the show, Laurita can focus more on her family, including her son who has autism. “The first organization that really sat down with us was [Jenny McCarthy’s] Generation Rescue,’ Laurita said. ‘She gave me so many resources for helping my son.”
Will you be tuning in to Real Housewives of New Jersey if Laurita is no longer a cast member? Let us know in the comments!
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[H/T Daily Mail]