Blood isn't always thicker than water—just ask Teresa Giudice.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star's brother Joe Gorga and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga skipped out on her and Luis "Louie" Ruelas' Aug. 6 wedding, and now, they're offering up an explanation.
Addressing what Melissa called "the huge elephant in the room" during the Aug. 11 episode of her On Display podcast, the reality TV star said she and Joe had "a laundry list of reasons" not to attend; one of which was an argument that broke out while the cast was filming for RHONJ's upcoming 13th season.
"There was something that went down at the finale of filming," Melissa said. "Those exact details, I obviously cannot say today. Anything that we have filmed is something that I am not able to talk about."
She could, however, clarify that nobody knows "the full entire story" behind the group's most recent fallout. "There is drips and drabs of it," Melissa continued, "and that's because the stories that are out there are obviously not coming from my camp. So, pay attention."
Staying vague, Melissa added that it simply would've been "very strange" for her and Joe to "be sitting in the pews [and] wishing them well on their wedding day" after the fight they had.
Joe, for his part, was seemingly still trying to process what had happened. "I'm just shocked at the way I'm treated by my own family, my blood," he said on the podcast. "That's what kills me. Every day, you have to live a life like that."
"I can meet a stranger," Joe continued, "and they can know right away, they're like, 'Yo, this guy's great, I love him, he's awesome, he's real.' I'll brag about that, 'cause I am. And then it's shocking when I go and see our family. Why am I getting treated that way? Why are you treated that way? Why are we so bad?"
And for anyone who cites RHONJ as the source of the family's contention, Joe had this to say: "I know we're on a reality show, but if you're pure and you're honest and you just go in with open arms, why? Why do you have to fight? Why is this going on? Is there a jealousy thing going on? Not with us, we're not jealous."
Melissa and Joe's response comes after RHONJ fans have spent the past week speculating about their decision not to attend Teresa and Luis' nuptials despite previously RSVP'ing.
Teresa has yet to publicly acknowledge the couple's absence, but after a rumor popped up accusing her of sending Joe and Melissa a bill for skipping the wedding, her new groom shut it down, adding that Joe and Melissa "were missed."
Get all the details on the wedding here. Then, stream past seasons of The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Peacock.
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