‘RHONJ’: Jackie Goldschneider Admits She Felt ‘Awkward’ Being Demoted as Friend to the Show

The Real Housewives of New Jersey fans grew to love Jackie Goldschneider for her ability to be honest about her personal struggles, and her being unafraid to battle it out with Teresa Giudice. When it was revealed she’s been demoted this season, many were disappointed. She admits it was an adjustment for her also. ​​

Jackie Goldschneider says it was awkward being demoted on ‘RHONJ’

Goldschneider spent four years as a full-time housewife. Much of her storyline centered around her issues with Teresa Giudice, as well as her personal eating disorder history. For Season 13, fans are seeing her less as she’s now a friend to the show. It’s something she admits was unsettling and took time to get used to, especially because there are two new cast members on the show.

“In the very beginning it was awkward, if I was being honest. At the beginning, I don’t think anyone knows what their role really is,” she said on Yahoo’s We Should Talk. “Anything can change. They looked at me as a threat, and I looked at them as a threat. Danielle [Cabral] decided she didn’t like me right from the jump, so whatever. I don’t really care about that. I also know that I stand alone, and my job is not dependent on them having their jobs. I don’t look at them as competition, so I was fine with them. I will fully admit that I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ at the beginning. Listen, it is an ego hit. It’s weird. It feels bad to suddenly take a dip.”

Still, she’s grateful to the network for having her back in any capacity. “I’m really so appreciative of them,” she told PEOPLE. “The fact that they understood where I was coming from and were willing to work with me on this so that I could remain a part of the show and still prioritize my health was such a gift. At every turn, they told me how important I was to the show. They never made me feel unvalued. I’m just so grateful.”

She says taking a step back from filming full-time allowed her to focus on her recovery

While Goldschneider grew accustomed to being on the show full-time, she says lessening her role was imperative for her eating disorder recovery. In a separate interview with PEOPLE, she explained the treatment plan in detail.

“My recovery was not in the place that I expected it to be. It was moving very slowly. I was still being triggered by stress [from the show], and I still needed a lot of intense therapy,” she said. 

Luckily, the executives were willing to work with her. “I just wasn’t sure how to balance the time commitment for the show with my recovery,” she added. “They were so supportive,” she said. “And even though that was a really tough pill to swallow, and it was hard for me to step back a little bit after having been such a big part of the show for so many years, I really knew that that was probably the best solution.”