Melissa Gorga clapped back after Real Housewives of Dubai star Chanel Ayan questioned if she paid for Instagram followers. Melissa, from Real Housewives of New Jersey, also addressed the recasting rumors, and she suggested there’s a “need” for a “small shakeup.”
Earlier this month, Chanel responded to a fan who pointed out that Melissa has more followers than sister-in-law Teresa Giudice and Kenya Moore. Chanel challenged this idea and asked if she purchased them.
On her On Display podcast, Melissa clapped back at Chanel’s comment.
“I would never come at anybody because they had a lot of followers, and assume that they did something wrong to get them,” said Melissa. “I know Chanel’s not a weak-minded individual. She’s a tough, strong woman. I’ve seen her on the show.”
“She’s snarky and I think she’s great at what she does. So I don’t … really get it,” said Melissa. “So hit me up girl if you ever want to talk, because I’m confused.”
Melissa called it a “fact” that she has “so many more followers” than “a lot of the Housewives” – and has “much more” than “a lot of my cast members.” According to Melissa, Chanel is “questioning” this “fact.”
Melissa also claimed she’s shown “authenticity” since “day one.”
In an interview with E! News, Melissa addressed her own show’s recasting rumors.
“The truth is none of us know,” she said. “The Bravo gods are working their magic somewhere and making decisions.”
“I think there is a need for a small shakeup,” she went on. “I don’t know if we need a large shakeup, but I do think a couple things need to change.”
But Melissa claimed their viewership is great.
“Our ratings are amazing,” said the star. “We do really well.”
After it was revealed that the current season would not film a traditional reunion, rumors surfaced that the cast would be rebooted. Bravo exec Andy Cohen, however, has suggested this isn’t the case.
“Everything that you’ve heard about casting on The Housewives of Jersey is untrue,” said Andy in a June interview with E! News. “There will be no decisions made for many months on Jersey, so anything you read about casting on Jersey is not true.”
He then addressed the show’s future.
“I think there are several different ways we can go with it,” he said. “And that’s what the fun of doing this job is. We get to figure it out as a team and see what we do.”
