It was one of the best eras for The Real Housewives of New Jersey when the Gorgas family
One of the best periods of The Real Housewives of New Jersey was when the Gorgas and Wakile families had a work-based family relationship. Season 3 introduced Cathy Wakely and her family to the viewers. She was at that time close to Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice, but a family feud eventually got her involved as well. Kathy left the series after season five and never looked back.
I can’t help but admit that I miss watching the Gorga/Giudice/Wakeley clan on my screen. It was the sense of family that made The Real Housewives of New Jersey so unique. But any hopes of reconciliation between the three families seem to have been dashed because they can’t see eye to eye. Any olive branch that might have been extended to these families is now being used as a marshmallow stick, roasted over an open fire.
Kathy Wakely has opinions.
Fans were surprised to see Kathy, during her appearance on Watch What Happens Live, speak out against her cousins. Last week, the 58-year-old actress mocked the Envy owner for her comments about a possible reconciliation. During the interview, Kathy noted that the kind words were “appropriate.” Andy Cohen wanted Kathy to confirm whether she would be moving into the same neighborhood as her cousins. The mother of two replied, “Yes, Melissa Way, because apparently she owns the street. I’ve had my eye on this house forever.”
Andy wasted no time in commenting that it might be easier if the two families got along since they would be living so close together. Cathy smiled and said, “Not to brag. But the property is at least one to two acres. So you won’t see your neighbor.” Oh boy, the shooting happened.
Melissa Gorga Calls for an Olive Branch
Melissa wasn’t happy with the gossip, and took to her podcast, On Display, to respond. Melissa revealed that she was “appalled” by Kathy’s sarcastic comments. Now Missy J regrets extending the olive branch to Kathy and her family, at first. “I felt like she had a negative taste when she was asked about us,” the amateur singer said. The RHONJ star added, “What I said on Jeff Lewis Live was so sweet and it was like moving forward in a way, and it wasn’t like, ‘Hey, I want you on the show’ or ‘I want you back in our lives.’”
Melissa doubled down, explaining, “That wasn’t really what I was saying. I was saying it would be great if we lived on the same street and there were two cousins who lived on the same street and they ran into each other, it would be really great for them to talk and sort it out and discuss it.”
It’s their loss.
Melissa had a lot to say about the subject, adding, “Do I regret saying that after she took that weird stance on WWHL? It was weird. I think she forgot who said they were going to cut out the cancer.” This was a reference to Teresa, who was the one who called her cousin cancer. Melissa continued, “Joe did what he had to do, which was support his family. His sister asked him for something and he was a good brother and did what he had to do. That’s what I was saying to Jeff Lewis on his podcast, like, these are real cousins. And that’s me extending an olive branch.”
Melissa had just wanted to get to a safe place with her cousin-in-law in case she bumped into them while walking down the street one day. But now Melissa was more upset than ever. “But you know what? Your loss,” she finished, “Stay on your side of the street. It’s okay. I tried to say something nice. I don’t think I liked this situation. It just felt weird. We hadn’t seen her in a really long time, so I thought it was a little petty.”
I think it’s safe to say that the family feud is still going on. And while it would be great to see the Wakeles back on TV, I doubt that will happen anytime soon — not if Melissa has anything to say about it.
Tell us – do you think Kathy and Melissa should make up?
