‘RHONJ’ Star Teresa Giudice’s Lawyer Reveals Heartwarming Memory of Her Prison Release

Fans of The Real Housewives of New Jersey have been with OG Teresa Giudice through her highs and lows. When viewers first met Giudice, she was a spoiled housewife who spent endlessly on fashion and her daughters. She proudly showed off her NJ mansion, built from the ground up by her husband Joe and furnished in cash. But by season 2, the Giudice’s lives were unraveling and they were accused and eventually sentenced to bankruptcy and wire fraud.  

Teresa and Joe were both sentenced to prison time, with Teresa getting 15 months and her husband serving just a few months afterward for 3 ½ years. Joe was also deported to his native country of Italy. They fought to keep him in the country to no avail. Teresa served her sentence first, with a judge wanting one parent with their four young daughters at home. 

Teresa’s journey to and from prison was heartwrenching, with her departure and return captured for Bravo cameras. Her emotional reunion with Joe and their daughters will go down in Housewives history. Now, her lawyer, LeJames J. Leonard Jr., is sharing something viewers didn’t see on the Season 7 premiere.  

“I want to tell you something about this scene. Obviously, I drove her home so I was there. I purposely stayed behind in the garage because I didn’t want to ruin that moment, that was for the family,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “A few months later one of the producers and I went to dinner and she showed me the cut…if you listen, when she and I are walking past the dogs cage, her mic picked up her heart beating out of her chest … that is absolutely the most authentic scene in the history of reality television. 100 percent REAL emotion. Period. Makes me cry every time I see it because I know how real that was for all of them.”

Teresa echoed her lawyer’s sentiments, responding to his post: “Just seeing and reading this post remembering all of this,” she wrote. “And now I am crying.” Teresa and Joe have since divorced and both have moved on with other partners.