Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jackie Goldschneider recently detailed what it was like to be demoted on the Bravo series. Frank Catania confirmed in the summer of 2022 that Jackie would appear as a “friend” following the RHONJ Season 12 reunion.
Shortly after, Jackie responded to the rumors. She said, “I don’t know that my role is diminished, but if it is, you have to believe that the universe put you in that position to raise awareness about something, and then put you on a path to continue raising awareness.”
At the time, Jackie had started opening up to the audience about her struggles with her eating disorder. It’s likely that RHONJ’s production company, along with Bravo executives, decided to feature Jackie in a smaller capacity so that she could continue her healing journey.
In July 2022, Jackie said, “No matter what, I show up. I’m filming all the time no matter what you want to call me, so whatever Bravo decides to call me, I’m here and doing the same thing, so it makes no difference to me.”
Although that may be true, Jackie admitted that filming the newest season in a part-time role was initially difficult. “It’s hard to go into a room that you were once the center of attention and now there’s what, seven Housewives? So to be the eighth person in line, that was, like, a little bit of an ego punch,” Jackie said on Us Weekly’s podcast, Getting Real with the Housewives.
I’m sure it’s even more challenging after Teresa Giudice gloated about RHONJ being her show. “My ego hurt at first, of course, but there really was no difference,” Jackie continued.
Jackie explained she didn’t think she “could have handled” a full-time role at the time because she wasn’t in the best place. However, she still wanted to be part of the show.
“I love this show and I love Bravo, so I wanted to stay a part of it. So, going in it was a little rough because I didn’t really understand what a ‘friend’ did, but once I got into it, I didn’t really feel different about my job,” the reality star said.
“I did my job exactly the same as I always have done,” Jackie explained. “I went into every scene, I moved story along, I gave my opinion on everything, and the cameras were constantly on me. I was a part of every single cast event and cast trip.”
The mom of four added that after getting acclimated to her new position on the series, she could genuinely engage with her cast mates. “Once I took my ego out of it, then I was able to fully embrace it and I think I had probably one of my best seasons,” she told Us Weekly.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 is now airing on Bravo. After one episode, I am already more invested in this Real Housewives city than RHOSLC, RHOP, and RHOM combined. I’m eagerly waiting to see how the rest of this season plays out.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT JACKIE’S FEELINGS ABOUT BEING DEMOTED? WILL YOU MISS HER AS A HOUSEWIFE? HOW DO YOU LIKE THE NEW ‘WIVES?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
