16 Biggest Bombshells And Revelations From The Joe And Teresa Giudice Interview

Bravo fans know the drama never ends, even when filming wraps up. And one of the most famous housewives, Teresa Giudice, has been in the news a lot lately.

After her husband, Joe Giudice, was sentenced to 41 months in prison, beginning his sentence in March 2016, it was later revealed he would be deported to Italy after completing his time. He currently resides overseas in Italy awaiting a final verdict on where he will live the rest of his life.

There have also been rumors surrounding the couple, including infidelity from both parties’, Teresa being spotted with a new man, and even talks of divorce. But on October 27, Andy Cohen sat down with the couple for a special Watch What Happens Live episode titled “Joe and Teresa: Unlocked.”

Teresa joined Cohen in the clubhouse, while Joe called in from Italy. And with the couple setting things straight, here are the 16 biggest bombshells from the Joe/Teresa Giudice interview.

1. He had quite the experience with ICE.

While being moved to an ICE facility, Joe claims the officers took selfies with him. “I had two immigration officers, one on each side, taking selfies with me the whole time. One guy in front, and I think there was someone else who carried a gun on a plane. You know, I’m a very dangerous guy,” he recalled.

Joe then gave them recommendations on where to travel in Italy. “They stood on the plane all the way until we got to Rome. I told them where to go and have a good time, because they were staying there ‘til Monday, so they were heading out to a few islands in Naples and then they were heading back home. So told them where to go. I gave them recommendations to go and have a good time.”

2. Joe regrets not becoming a U.S. citizen.

Joe discussed with Cohen that he may have been able to avoid problems if he had become a legal citizen:

“My mistake was I never became a citizen, that was stupid of me. But when you’re raised here as a kid, you go to school here, you do everything here, it’s not a big deal. Especially when you’re not a criminal. All I did was bust my ass my whole life, and I was a hard worker. I wasn’t one of these guys who sat around all day doing nothing. I broke the law. When you come in illegally and break the law, I think it’s worse. And these guys have more rights than the people who come in legally.”

But he doesn’t blame his wife for not getting citizenship, adding, “I don’t blame her. When you’re in there, your mind is off. I blamed everybody in there.”

3. He had his reasons for wanting to be deported rather than staying in prison.

As he explained, “Sitting in immigration was a waste of time. You’re doing a whole other sentence in there. There was no way I was going to do another year in that county prison. Being in there is like having your head in a panini press.”

While he accomplished many things in federal prison, including getting his high school diploma and doing computer programming classes, he continued, “It’s ridiculous. That place should be shut down. My wife and kids came a few times to see me, and it’s terrible. You’re literally behind the glass and then I gotta be in an orange jumpsuit.”

4. They never thought to ask for a pardon.

Though Teresa was on season 5 of The Apprentice, the family didn’t consider asking the president for a pardon. “He has so much on his plate, that guy. Even if he could maybe try to do something, I don’t know if he would get criticized. I don’t know what they would do to him,” said Joe.

Teresa added, “Andy, with the whole immigration thing that’s going on, that he’s fighting for. I would never do that to the president... “I hate to predict what I’m going to do in the future, but we’ll see [if I’ll reach out]. You never know. I mean, I would love to be pardoned.”

5. Teresa is nervous about seeing Joe.

“I’m going to be honest with you. I haven’t seen Joe in three years and eight months. It’s going to be even longer when I see him. I’ve definitely changed, and I’m sure he has, too. And I thought he didn’t change speaking to him before, but now the way I’m seeing him speak, he looks changed. In a good way. I became more independent. I like the person that I am now,” she told Cohen.

As for Joe, he’s also changed, saying, “I definitely have a lot more patience these days. You take things for granted when you have everything and everything’s taken away, even your family. I’ve apologized to my wife and to my family many times. The only thing you can do is look forward.”

6. It’s taken a toll on their daughters.

Through tears, Teresa said, “I hate seeing my kids hurt. They’ve been through a lot and they’re doing so good, thank god. It’s been tough. They definitely did [have to grow up too fast]. I’m working a lot so they have to take care of themselves. My dad lives with me, but they’re so amazing, they’re so independent. They’re like me when I was growing up.”

7. He responded to Teresa’s interest in bodybuilding.

“It’s something she wanted to do, and I just supported her, and said, okay if that’s something you want to do. She did good, I think she got third place or something.”

Asked about how he thought her body looked, he paused and revealed, “It’s the way she looked when started dating, she was chopped up like that.”

8. Joe regrets missing milestones in his daughters’ lives.

Cohen asked Joe about the life events he missed and is upset about. Responding, he said, “I was very upset I didn’t get to see my daughter [Gia] graduate high school. I was very upset about a lot of things. Bringing her to college and everything else. At least out here, I can see my daughter on facetime or we see her play soccer, whether it’s on the phone or whatever.”

He then asked Joe about co-parenting: “I’m pretty good at that. I’m pretty close to my daughters. We talk all the time. I’m constantly texting and sending pictures and doing video chats with them, which is good.”

9. Seeing Teresa in prison was also difficult for him.

When Teresa spent 11 months in prison, Joe recalled how difficult it was for him and his family:

“It was very hard. I drank the most when she was away. I wouldn’t drink during the day but I would drink at night when I came home, I would literally drink a couple of bottles of wine — after the kids went to sleep, of course, I would literally drink two bottles of wine. Every night I thought about her. At the time I just lost my dad, so I’d think about my dad, and it was a tough situation.
I couldn’t stand going there, seeing her there. I would lose it. She didn’t deserve to be there. And me feeling guilty that she’s there, yeah, of course. But she didn’t deserve to be there.”

10. But Teresa does blame Joe for losing time.

“There’s no one else to blame, so yes, I do blame him,” she told Cohen. A little more than a year after she was released, Teresa’s mom, Antonia, passed away.

“I got really angry after I lost my mom. All the anger came out. Before that I wasn’t really angry but then afterwards, that’s when it all just hit me. And I became more open and more expressive of how I felt. And I think that helped me to express myself. No one should judge me unless they walk in my shoes. No one should judge anyone going through legal situations because unless they’ve walked the walk, they don’t understand it,” she added.

11. Joe spoke about Teresa being seen with another man.

In February 2019, Teresa was spotted holding hands with a younger man, revealed to be a man named Blake Schreck. Asked about his reaction to seeing the paparazzi photos of them, Joe said, “I looked at [the photos] and I said, listen, whatever floats her boat. If she’s into whoever she’s into, then that’s fine. I’m in here, she’s out there. I don’t know what’s going on. I wasn’t happy about it, of course.”

Cohen then asked Teresa about her husband’s “laid back reaction” and what she thought. She said, “He’s not really the jealous type. One time, I jumped on a guy and [Joe] didn’t like that.” Joe then added, “If we stay together, we stay together, if we don’t, we don’t. It’s a conversation, we’ll see. I don’t like that she took a photo with another man, but I’ve asked her about the guy, she said he’s just her friend. I don’t know.”

12. Both discussed fidelity in their marriage.

When asked about the man she was spotted with, Teresa maintained that they are just friends:

“If I was trying to hide it, I wouldn’t leave my hotel room. I wouldn’t be in public if i was trying to hide anything. Joe was photographed with women also. Right, hon? You were photographed with women also. We’re in the public eye, things like that happen. When I was away, he was photographed with women, and again when we first started the show.”

Teresa doesn’t think he’s been faithful, but says she’s been faithful to him:

“I’ve been on my own now for three years and seven months. We’re both two different people now. And I don’t know, I’m not the same Teresa I was, and I know he’s not the same Joe. No matter what, I want us to always respect each other. And I do love him as a person. I do care about him. I love him. He’s my husband, we have four children together.”

13. But she felt different visiting him in prison.

Cohen asked if they were still attracted to each other. Teresa responded, “Not while he was in there. Every time I went to go see him, I felt nothing. I don’t know what it was. I never wanted to kiss him or anything because I just didn’t like the whole environment. He knew I didn’t like to kiss him in front of all the people watching him.”

And though things are different, she added, “I’m happy he’s free. I’m happy now. We’ve been through a lot and I’m just happy he’s free.” Cohen questioning her crying, saying it didn’t seem like happy tears. She continued, “There’s so much mixed emotions I feel, but I’m happy my daughters can FaceTime him... it was torturous, him being in there. Like, mostly the last seven months when he was in ICE. It was mentally draining me. It was mentally draining my daughters. That’s why they were like, ‘he has to get out of there.’”

Joe also didn’t find Teresa attractive when she was away. “It’s just that environment where you don’t like to see the people you love in there,” he said.

14. Divorce may be in the near future.

Cohen then probed, asking if the couple was going to divorce in the wake of Joe’s deportation. He responded, “As long as she’s happy, that’s all that really matters. I’m not going to tell her what to do. If she doesn’t feel like she wants to be with me anymore, then that’s the thing to do.”

Cohen then asked if the couple’s four daughters are aware of the situation. On last year’s reunion, Teresa said she would divorce Joe if he stayed in Italy.

“I don’t see it working. Yes, they are [aware]. The baby, not so much. They get it. I don’t think they wanna see it happen, obviously, but I think they understand because the way I explained it to them. How are we going to live apart? I don’t think he would be faithful, I think he would have someone there and me here, and I just don’t want to live that life,” Teresa said.

Joe shot back, “It’s been three and a half years. If I wanted to be with somebody, I could be with somebody this week. That’s not what I’m looking to do.” When asked if he’s still in love with Teresa, he added, “Of course, she’s my wife. I’ve been with her a long time. I’ve known her since she was a kid. So of course, I’ll always love her. No matter what happens, I’ll always love her.”

15. Joe is already giving Teresa dating advice.

With what appears to be an imminent divorce, Joe said, “She’s gotta get someone with a lot of money. She needs to not date these little young guys that have no money, she needs to date someone that has money. You’ve got four kids, her way of living isn’t cheat, and she’s high-maintenance. You gotta have some money. She makes a good paycheck, but at the end of the day she still needs more. I’ve supported her for a long time. I’m trying to give her good advice. If that’s what she wants, I’m fine with that.”

16. Teresa thinks Caroline Manzo may have reported them to the government.

Years ago, Cohen says, there was a clip of Manzo predicting Joe would go to jail. Cohen asked Teresa what she thought, and she responded, “It’s so sad. She lived that crooked life, but I guess she has, and who she comes from and where she came from. How could she predict that? Did she have anything to do with what happened to Joe and I? Was she a rat? By her saying that, why did she say that? Those words would never come out of my mouth regarding anybody. Maybe [she called the feds].”

Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.