‘RHONJ’: Joe and Melissa Gorga Receive Gag Order From Bravo
Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is filled with the family drama between Teresa Giudice and her brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Melissa Gorga. They have been estranged for nearly a year and have not held back from speaking of one another in the media. Unfortunately for Joe and Melissa, talking too much has gotten them in trouble with the network.
Why Joe and Melissa Gorga received a gag order from Bravo
The current season of RHONJ chronicles the road to Joe and Melissa’s rift with Teresa Giudice. They ultimately decided to skip Giudice’s wedding. Though both sides have shared certain tidbits in the press about what transpired, Joe and Melissa say they were reprimanded by the network.
“We got a gag order for the first time ever cause it’s Bravo. Let’s tell the truth,” Joe said during an episode of Melissa’s On Display podcast. “We’ve been on this show for 13 years, and we’ve never been on a gag order through Bravo. We’ve never had them say you cannot talk about the show, you cannot talk about anything. You can’t repost anything really about the show.”
Melissa added: “We all got a little slap on the wrist because, for some reason, this season has been really kooky, this is like the first time ever that this has happened to us, and it’s just so weird this year. Everything’s different, and like, just everything’s just like, different.”
The longtime cast members say that the network contacted the entire cast and forbid them from discussing the currently airing season on their social media pages. “Something’s different!” Joe added.
Despite the drama on the show, Melissa Gorga says she and Joe have no plans of leaving
Many wonder what benefits the couple receives from having their family drama aired on the show. They have been asked over the years whether they’d walk away from the show, and Melissa says the thought has never been too constant in their minds.
“For right now, I love Bravo. I love being a part of the show,” the Envy by Melissa Gorga boutique owner told PEOPLE. “I feel like we got this right [now]. We got it handled over here, we’re doing okay, but when the time is right, I will walk, and I will take it as a wonderful memory….[I] know when the time is right…[but viewers are] going to have me for a minute.”
Unfortunately, she admits Season 13 was tough to film for Joe. “I think Joe was like, ‘I’m out.’ Joe was sitting in the corner, couldn’t fake it. He is very heavy-minded this season,” she explained. “He’s upset for a lot of reasons that you really don’t hear until the end, and so he was not faking it. He couldn’t even bring himself to a lot of the events. He was like, ‘I’m good.’”
Melissa and Joe Gorga say the show has strengthened their marriage
Another reason why the Gorgas aren’t willing to say goodbye to the show is because they say it’s done wonders for their marriage. They are proud that within the nearly 19 years they’ve been married, only the first five years were not filming the show. The couple is one of the few reality show couples to avoid the alleged reality TV curse.
