Why Teresa Giudice Says She’ll ‘Never Forgive’ Her Cousin and Former ‘RHONJ’ Co-Star, Kathy Wakile
RHONJ star Teresa Giudice is used to family drama. While she’s mended fences with her brother and sister-in-law on the show, the same cannot be said for the relationships with her and her cousin Kathie Wakilie. Giudice says there’s a reason she’ll never forgive Wakile.
Teresa Giudice claims Kathy Wakile joined the show without her knowledge
Wakile and her family, including her sister Rosie, joined RHONJ in season 3. Wakile is Giudice’s first cousin on her father’s side. Giudice’s brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Melissa Gorga, also joined the show as full-time cast members in season 3.
At the time of joining the show, the Gorga’s and Wakile’s were estranged from Giudice. The reasons appeared to be petty, with the Gorga’s alleging Giudice’s hate and competitiveness toward Melissa as the issue. Giudice’s reason for not speaking with her cousins was unclear, as they were once close and took yearly vacations together. The Wakilie’s were close with the Gorga’s at the time.
Related: RHONJ Where Are They Now? An Update On Former Cast Members
Things between Giudice and the Wakilie’s were never resolved. Despite several attempts to bridge the gap, Giudice made it clear that she did not want any communication with her cousins.
During BravoCon in 2019, Giudice explained why she was longer in contact with the Wakilie’s. “My family came on the show behind my back, and that was the worst thing that could have ever happened to me,” Giudice said. ”That’s why I don’t speak to Kathy anymore. I’ll never speak to her or Rosie [Pierri] ever again because I don’t want family like that. But my brother and Melissa, for my parents, of course, I forgave them.”
The Gorga’s and Giudice have since mended things and appear closer than ever. Now, neither Giudice nor the Gorga’s have a relationship with the Wakilie’s.
Kathy Wakile denies Teresa Giudice’s claims
Wakile told Bethenny Frankel in a 2013 interview that Giudice believed she joined the show to tear her down. Per Wakile, there were never any issues between her and Giudice until she joined the show and things only worsened from here.
In response to Giudice’s claim that she joined the show behind her back, Wakile told Us Weekly in 2019 that Giudice’s theory is false.
“First of all, I never approached Bravo to do the show. Second of all, I never did it behind anyone’s back,” she said. “I followed the protocol that Bravo set before me, you know? And so to keep pushing that and saying that, that I went behind Teresa’s back and … Enough already. I wish everyone well.”
As for whether or not Wakile sees a resolution between her and her family in the future, she says she’s not holding out hope. “I’m going on with my life. Happy to be busy with my family and I’m all about keeping it light and happy and I don’t really think about it that much anymore. I tried my best and more than that you can’t do,” Wakile said. “I just want people to keep it real and be honest with themselves as well.”
Since leaving the show, Wakile has been focused on motherhood and being a wife. She also continues sharing her love of cooking, particularly desserts.
