REAL Housewives of New Jersey's Joe Gorga has shed light on new marital issues with wife Melissa at his comedy show, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
Joe, 47, took the stage at Catch A Rising Star comedy club in Princeton, New Jersey, on Saturday, October 14.
The reality star had his first show since before the pandemic and, not only did he throw major shade at his estranged sister Teresa Giudice, he also made his wife of 19 years, Melissa, the butt of his jokes.
An eyewitness told The U.S. Sun: "Joe kept calling out his wife in his jokes, making it seem like they have marital problems.
"He began by talking about having this dream he normally has about seeing this gorgeous mermaid with curly hair and 'big t**s'.
"When the mermaid touched him, he said he enjoyed it and joked, 'I haven't been touched in 18 years, I haven't been kissed in 18 years.'"
The eyewitness added: "He explained two instances when he thought Melissa was in the mood for sex but gave excuses like she had a stomach ache and another time, only gave him five minutes for sex.
"He made it seem like she keeps on avoiding sex."
This might come as a surprise to Bravo fans since in the past, the housewife husband has boasted about how their sex life - having lots of it - is their secret to a happy marriage.
Joe explained to the audience that he loved his fantasy mermaid because Melissa, 44, would call him a loser if he didn't take out the garbage, according to the insider.
He also mentioned that she would tell him that she was "bored" because he works a lot and she wants to go out and have fun.
LIE DETECTOR TEST
While on stage, Joe recalled a time when Melissa made him take a lie detector test to see if he was lying about cheating on her; however, it is unclear whether the story was fact or fiction.
According to Joe, the instance all started when he accidentally pocket dialed his wife and she heard him make all these noises, leading Melissa to think he was with another girl.
Instead, all the noises he was making was coming from being hard at work at one of his construction sites.
The eyewitness shared: "When he got home, he said Melissa had her mom [Donna Marco] and her sister over waiting for him to ask him about the affair.
"They also had a guy with a lie detector test who hooked up the wires everywhere, including his penis."
The insider continued: "One of the questions Melissa asked him was, 'Do you ever fantasize about any of my friends?'"
Joe said he passed the test and they realized he was telling the truth about not having an affair.
The insider concluded: "If I were Melissa, I would be completely embarrassed by some of the stuff he spilled on stage, even if things he said weren't true."
Melissa, who supported her husband in Princeton, was joined by co-star Rachel Fuda and her husband, John Fuda, as well as Margaret Josephs' husband, Joe Begnino.
The evening was hosted by Magic Mike Live's emcee Jaclyn Caprio and featured a set by comedian Mike Marino, who performed before Joe.
'REAL S**T'
Prior to taking the stage, Joe spoke to The U.S. Sun exclusively, teasing what was to come.
"It's more like inside real family stuff, which is stuff [fans] don't see on TV. I talk about my kids, stuff that happens with them in life.
"And it's just real s**t that people that are married, people that are dating, people that have children go through every day," the TV personality explained.
When asked for Melissa's take on him talking about their sex life, he insisted that "sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't."
He continued: "That's why you never tell your family what you're going to do. I was taught from the beginning, from all the comedians- you never show your material to your family.
"They're your worst critics. So I really don't let her see anything. And you got to remember something - it is comedy.
"It's not serious, even though it might be true, but you're laughing about it...It's just funny."
HEARTBREAKING TRUTH
Three months ago, Joe made the bombshell revelation that he was unhappy in his marriage.
During an in-depth conversation about his marriage on the podcast On Display with Melissa Gorga, the real estate developer explained that his role in their marriage is to please his wife.
He exclaimed: "I might not be. I'm not happy. You think I'm happy?"
Joe then listed all the manual labor he does around the house to please his wife.
Melissa fired back: "No, you're happy."
She ultimately said that while her husband of 19 years might get frustrated with some things, he's happy overall with his life.
RUMOR GONE SOUTH
As seen in last season's RHONJ's finale, Danielle Cabral addressed a rumor she heard about Melissa.
The Housewives newbie said she had heard Melissa cheated on Joe from Jennifer Aydin, who said she had heard it from a former friend of star Margaret.
The friend claimed Melissa was making out with another man in the back of a car.
However, Melissa had already heard about the rumor from Joe after he was told by Teresa's husband Luis "Louie" Ruelas.
This sparked an explosive argument between the Gorgas and Teresa and Louie. Their feud then carried on into the reunion.
When it came time to film the new season, all parties involved avoided each other at cast filming events and refused to speak to each other.
The rivals might have an explosive showdown by the end of the season - despite Teresa not wanting an on-camera confrontation - as the cast will soon head to The Berkshires for their cast trip.
