REAL Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania revealed Bravo’s anger over the cast’s fighting on and off the screen as rumors continue to swirl that the entire cast could be let go from the series.
Dolores, 54, stars on the Bravo series alongside housewives Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral and Rachel Fuda, as well as Jackie Goldschneider and Jen Fessler who have guest roles.
Dolores Catania gave an update on where The Real Housewives of New Jersey stands today
The current cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Dolores gave insight as to why the series, which last aired in August 2024, is currently on hiatus.
“We have heard nothing from the bosses about our show. Nothing. Nothing from production nothing from NBC, we’re not even talking about it,” Dolores told The U.S. Sun.
“They’re probably just so mad at us by now, I’m not sure they know what to do.”
Dolores explained how the “fighting got out of hand,” resulting in the network leaving the show’s future up in the air.
The longtime Bravo star added, “A lot of things leaked, a lot of things [came out] on social media that shouldn’t have been, a lot of fighting outside [the show]. It just got too messy.”
As for the future of the show, Dolores doesn’t believe the rumors that the network will fire the entire cast.
“I don't think they want to revamp the whole cast,” she said. “We’re an ensemble cast. Like us or hate us, like one person, love the next, hate the next, we worked good together on our best of days and on our worst of days.
“I would hate to see anybody not come back.”
The RHONJ star would like to return to the series as the show is “a part” of her.
“Almost like an actor when they become a part," she said. "Being a Housewife doesn't define me, but it's really who I am. I have always played myself so I feel like something is missing,” she said. “We all do. [We] were always sincere and authentic and transparent, everybody was.
“I don’t like change. I would like to see my whole cast come back. I would bring back every single person.”
Dolores said of the cast’s current relationship, “Everything is pretty good. I was out to eat with Jennifer and Bill last week. I was in Miami and Joe and Melissa were there.
“Margaret called me on my way here. Jenn Fessler I speak to regularly. I speak to literally everybody. Rachel Fuda has a baby shower coming up, I’ll be there.”
Dolores said of if the series comes to an end, “[The cast has] to be okay. There is an expiration date on everything in life. I set myself up every year to say, 'I’m not coming back,' even if I was in the middle of the picture.
“I never put a lot of weight on becoming a housewife. I loved it, I just always prepared myself. I’m a realistic pessimist. I always prepared myself for this day. Financially too.”
NEW REALITY
Outside of the show, Dolores has kept busy with her relationship with boyfriend Paul Connell, being a mother to children Frankie and Gabrielle, and various business ventures.
“I am working on a beauty product right now,” Dolores explained. “I work very closely with New Beauty magazine. It’s called the Beauty Pass. It’s a pass that you text 52705, put in Dolores and every week you get a package featuring a very high-end product.
“And then hormones, female hormones for middle-aged women, it’s not sexy to talk about, it’s embarrassing to talk about, but it’s not been talked about for so long.
“Menopause is something women go through and even earlier now for a lot of reasons. There is no help for it but to take hormones Not everyone is eligible for them. If you ever had breast cancer, you can't take hormones. I'm looking for a homeopathic way to help with symptoms.”
Dolores will also star on Season Three of The Traitors, which will premiere on January 9 on Peacock.
She said of the reality competition show, “It was like a breath of fresh air. As hard as Traitors is and as in-depth as it is, you mentally get into the game, it was a nice break. [Fans] will not be disappointed.”
Dolores also has her sights set on another reality show, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
“My Instagram feed is basically ballroom dancing and dogs,” Dolores said. “I watch Dancing with the Stars all the time. I’m pretty obsessed with it and I think it’s a great workout.”
Dolores is focusing on projects outside of RHONJ while she waits for the network to make a casting decision
REBOOT RUMORS
In July, producer Andy Cohen sparked rumors of a complete cast reboot while on his SiriusXM radio show when he responded to a caller, “We are rebooting the show. We're going to reboot it. We're going to do something different.
"We're gonna see what we do. I don't know. Maybe just all fresh faces? Maybe. We'll see."
Earlier this month, Andy told Us Weekly, “You’re not gonna get it for, like, a year, so everyone stop asking. And I keep saying you are going to get nothing, so stop asking!”
FAMILY FEUD
A major issue in the most recent season was Teresa, 52, and her sister-in-law Melissa’s feud, as the stars rarely filmed together and refused to address their issues on camera.
A source previously told The U.S. Sun, "It seems like the cast is in part blaming Teresa and Melissa's feud for the poor ratings and the uncertain future.
"Fans followed their relationship since Melissa became a housewife in season three and they want to continue to see the ups and downs."
Bravo did not hold a reunion because of the dynamics in the group.
The insider further claimed that "everyone is walking on eggshells."
"They're scared of speaking out and possibly having it backfire and putting their job on the line," the source claimed.
"Execs are keeping a close eye on what they are posting on social media because there have been many leaks to fan pages."
During an interview with SiriusXM’s Reality Checked, Andy admitted he "hates leaks" and addressed the issues in the group.
"There are teams of people against each other and I think you would probably agree that one of the things that didn’t work about the last season of Potomac was that the group, it was kind of no coming together for this group," he said on the podcast.
"It was like unheard of, so that’s our thing to solve for next season of Jersey and we can do it and we will figure it out, but in terms of the leaks, I hate leaks.
"I just think that there’s a supreme level of kind of distrust amongst the cast with each other and that’s never healthy in terms of trying to make a great television show."
Dolores is hopeful the entire cast will return to the small screen
Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga's feud this season made filming difficult
