The Real Housewives of New Jersey stars have a lot to say about the future of the franchise.
“I see it coming back because it was too good not to,” Dolores Catania told Us Weekly exclusively on the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet on Wednesday, September 11. “In a perfect world, I feel we’re an ensemble cast. I would like for us to all come back, but that’s not up to me.”
Dolores, 53, made it clear that she has no insight into the show’s future after the season 14 finale aired last month, but she’s hopeful about returning.
Jennifer Fessler, who was on the show in a “friend” role, also has positive thoughts about the franchise.
“I predict it comes back with at least some of the current cast. I predict new people,” she told Us at the VMAs, joking that she would become a full-time cast member.
"We’ll see,” she continued, noting that she would go full-time if given the opportunity. “I should say — I know it probably is going to sound so cliché — I’ve just been thrilled where I’ve been. It’s all been perfect for me. So, either way, I’m good.”
The RHONJ season 14 finale featured the cast in a blow-out fight in a private room at Rails Steakhouse. Glasses were thrown and lines were drawn in the sand, resulting in a canceled reunion. Instead, Bravo opted for the women to return to Rails where they were separated into two rooms to relive the finale.
Jennifer, for her part, left the finale lunch at Rails because when “glass gets thrown and things are breaking” she’s out.
“I knew what I signed up for with Housewives,” she told Us. “It’s not like I expected it to be — like Dolores said — all kumbaya. But there’s always a line for everybody.”
Fellow “friend” Jackie Goldschneider also chimed in on the possible future of RHONJ.
"It’s such a great show that I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t come back in some form,” she told Us at the VMAs. “I do think things are gonna change because they sort of have to. It got too dark.”
Jackie added: “The problem with Jersey is that fights go too far, and they get too dark and they get too heavy. Then you can’t come back from them, then everybody hates. I would love to see a cast that includes me, where the fighting is more petty and you can come back from it and have a good time.”
Aside from Dolores, Jennifer and Jackie, the RHONJ cast is comprised of Margaret Josephs, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Danielle Cabral, Jennifer Aydin and Rachel Fuda.