Skip to main content

The Real Housewives of New Jersey has had some of the most dramatic moments on Bravo as well as some of the most memorable stars, like Teresa Giudice and Danielle Staub. Here’s what one former housewife from the popular franchise said about being a stripper after she was on the show, and RHONJ’s many claims of stripping and prostitution. 

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" stars pose together for a reunion episode.
(L-R) Danielle Staub, Margaret Josephs, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Siggy Flicker, and Dolores Catania | Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

Teresa Giudice once accused her ‘RHONJ’ castmate Danielle Staub of being a prostitute

Season 1 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is still remembered by many fans as one of the best seasons of Bravo history. One of the franchise’s most iconic scenes took place in episode 10 (the finale) of that first season, which aired in 2009. 

Teresa Giudice, who would later show the world her divorce, prison experience, and more on camera, felt disrespected at a dinner party she threw. She confronted her adversary, Danielle Staub, who was widely regarded as the “villain” of the show. 

After Staub ordered Giudice to “pay attention, puh-leeze,” Giudice infamously fired back with, “You were stripping! Prostitution whore! You were engaged 19 times!” 

Giudice then flipped the diner table, much to the astonishment of her guests.

Danielle Staub opened up about working as a stripper after becoming a Bravo star

As Teresa Giudice mentioned in her tirade, Danielle Staub was a stripper before appearing on RHONJ. She also resumed stripping after she was on Bravo. 

Photos surfaced in May 2011 of Staub stripping at Scores Gentlemen’s Club in New York. Staub was 48 at the time the photos were taken. The Real Housewives of New Jersey first aired in 2009, so Staub had been working for Bravo for years when she returned to stripping. She filmed for seasons 1 and 2 of the popular show, but left before season 3 due to her falling out with Teresa Giudice. 

Days after the pictures were published, Staub announced that she had quit stripping and was seeking psychological treatment from Dr. Drew Pinsky. Scores filed a $375,000 lawsuit against the Bravo star for breach of contract. 

“That’s in litigation right now,” Danielle said in August 2011 (per Reality Tea). “I wasn’t handled properly, I’m going to put it that way. But I wasn’t there to do what ended up being and if you look at my eyes all I can say is you can see something is wrong. Something went very wrong.”

Related

Some ‘RHONJ’ Fans Are Turning on Teresa Giudice: ‘Your Behavior Is Embarrassing’

Another RHONJ housewife, Teresa Giudice’s sister-in-law, previously worked at a strip club 

Rumors swirled that another housewife from RHONJ, Teresa Giudice’s sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, worked as a stripper before the show. Gorga and Giudice have had a complicated and often contentious relationship, which fans watched play out on the show. In fact, many have blamed Giudice for starting and spreading the rumors. 

But Gorga’s former manager, Larry Guarino, spoke up in Gorga’s defense. He claimed that while the Bravo star did work for him at Lookers Gentleman’s Club in New Jersey, she was not a stripper.

“She was a bartender for a couple of months years ago, it was such a short time,” Guarino told Us Weekly in 2011. “Lookers was really upscale then too; it wasn’t like she was bartending in some hole in the wall.”

Best in Entertainment