Is RHONJ on pause? Real Housewives fans react to those rumors

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The feud between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga has sparked 'RHONJ on pause' rumors

Is RHONJ on pause? Pictured: (l-r) Jennifer Fessler, Teresa Giudice from The Real Housewives of New Jersey
(Image credit: Dave Kotinsky/Bravo)

The big finale of The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 is coming up on Tuesday, May 23, which will be focused on the much-awaited (and hair-raising—literally) nuptials between Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas. But before the end has even arrived, the future of the long-running Real Housewives franchise is in question. 

Several sources told Page Six that after a tense season that culminated in the May 16 episode with the reveal that Teresa had secretly gone to her brother Joe Gorga about rumored infidelity from his wife Melissa—leading to a massive fight between the family members while at Dolores Catania's speakeasy-themed party—Giudice and her sister-in-law have become officially estranged. 

In Tuesday night's episode, viewers see Melissa and Joe ultimately decide that they would not be attending Louie and Teresa's wedding, an event chronicled in the upcoming Teresa Gets Married special episode, which will air on May 23. (A three-part reunion will kick off the following week on May 30, with the second and third parts to follow on the subsequent Tuesdays.)

"How can I go and celebrate someone else's marriage when they are the people that are constantly trying to destroy mine?" Melissa can be seen telling Dolores over the phone the day after the siblings' big blowout the night before. 

Naturally, that complicates production on the Bravo series, on which Teresa Giudice has been an original cast member since 2009, with Melissa Gorga joining the show in the third season. According to the outlet, producers don't know how to proceed due to the familial estrangement and so far no one has been offered a contract, or been fired, for next season. 

There is also no set date yet for filming to begin on The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 14, and sources reportedly told Page Six that production might even get pushed back all the way to 2024. 

Is RHONJ on pause? Fans react to those rumors

So what do RHONJ viewers think of the news? Naturally, some folks have divided themselves into Team Teresa and Team Melissa camps, but others are actually happy at the "pause" news and believe that a cast shake-up will improve the franchise overall. Here's what fans are saying on social media: 

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Christina Izzo
Christina Izzo

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. 

When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.