‘RHONJ’ Star Jacqueline Laurita Calls Teresa Giudice ‘Selfish’ for Abandoning Husband Joe Giudice

Jacqueline Laurita is not standing by Teresa Giudice amid her husband’s immigration struggles.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star made headlines in January when she admitted during the series’ Season 9 reunion taping that she and husband, Joe Giudice, will separate if he is deported back to Italy after his prison sentence.

“I’m not doing a long-distance relationship. I’m not doing it,” Teresa confessed. “I want somebody with me every day.”

“I know exactly what happens — I’m sure he’ll be with other women. It happens,” she added during the final episode of the reunion this week. “You do the long-distance thing, it’s not going to work. I’d be like, ‘Bye-bye.’”

Laurita, who stopped being friends with Giudice following the reality show’s third season, responded to Giudice’s big reveal in a recent interview.

“I don’t understand Teresa’s decision to not stand by her man and keep her family intact,” Laurita told Us Weekly. “If Joe is truly the love of her life and the father of her kids, you’d think she would go wherever he goes to keep the family together as a unit! I feel like they’ve been separated long enough! Her decision seems a little selfish to me.”

She added: “I don’t care if I was making $1 million in the state of New Jersey. If my husband — the love of my life and father of my kids — said we were moving to a new state or a new country, I’d be like, ‘Bye, bye,’ and I’d get my kids together, pack up our s–t and go with him. That’s just what families are supposed to do. Ride or die.”

Laurita left Real Housewives of New Jersey ahead of Season 8, and has rejected offers to return to the show ever since.

Joe was ordered to be deported back to Italy in October 2018. He filed an appeal in November in hopes to avoid the relocation. The businessman is currently serving a 41-month prison sentence for fraud.

Teresa told host Andy Cohen during the episode that her decision not to leave with Joe is not exactly a surprise for him.

“We hate to talk about it,” she said. “Believe it or not we’ve only talked about it once, but he said it too. ‘Obviously if that happens, I’m going to move on with my life, you’re going to move on with your life.’ And that’s what’s going to happen.”

“I want to be happy,” she added. “I haven’t been happy in a long time. I’m tired of legal stuff! It’s a lot to deal with — my children, what’s going to happen to [Joe]… It’s a lot.”

Despite the couple’s decision if the worst case scenario does happen, Teresa added she plans to fight the deportation until the end.

“Everyone makes mistakes. But to get deported? That’s so sad,” Teresa said. “He’s been here since he’s a year old. And he did his time. So I’m doing everything I can. I’m spending all this money. I’m appealing it. Whatever has to be done, I’m doing it. I’ll fight to the end. I’m doing it.”

Photo credit: Getty Images