Besides that shocking infidelity reveal, the hottest topic in Season 12 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey concerns Teresa Giudice’s then-boyfriend, Louie Ruelas, who she has since become formally engaged to. A scandalous video of the 46-year-old businessman surfaced online right as filming was occurring. In it, Ruelas is supposedly butt naked on a “men’s retreat,” begging for forgiveness from a woman he reportedly abused. The cast obviously had a lot of questions about the situation, including new “friend of the show” Traci Johnson and her husband, Tiki Barber. Recently, Johnson opened up further about the drama that ensued with Giudice over their curiosity.
In a recent episode of the reality series, Teresa Giudice made it exponentially clear to her freshman co-star that she should mind her own business. The longtime Real Housewives of New Jersey alum specifically took issue with Traci Johnson questioning Louie Ruelas’ past and seemingly sending her hubby to get the deets about it during guys night. But evidently, Johnson doesn’t get the defensiveness to this day. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said:
I’m still in complete disagreement with Teresa. You cannot be mad at me for something my husband said. I am not Tiki’s keeper. I never tell him what to do — nor would he tell me what to do. I’m sure, 100 percent, he’s heard me talking with all the other girls about these Louie videos and allegations that have arisen in the past. I think he just was like, well, I really wonder what’s going on? If I’m going to sit here and break bread with someone, and eat with someone and hang out with someone, I want to know what they’re all about and I’m not going to let these allegations linger over everyone’s head. I want to hear what you have to say. So the fact that she’s annoyed at me for something my husband did is ridiculous, but pretty typical of Teresa.
“Typical” Teresa Giudice would be how the reality star can go H.A.M. for a romantic partner – no matter the cost, no matter the logic. She went to federal prison for a year in fact for ex-husband Joe Giudice (and still has some friends from that particular stint) after years of swatting down infidelity rumors and chatter about his questionable character. And in Season 12 of the RHNJ, she’s defending Louie Ruelas left and right, including over allegations that he’s just with her to be on TV. All in all, it could potentially mean the end of any friendship with co-star Margaret Josephs and the newcomer.
As for New Jersey’s Traci Johnson, though, she views it as kind of obvious that everyone and their mother (and husband) wants to know the truth about her co-star’s intended. In fact, Johnson thought when husband Tiki cut to the chase like how he did, it was the best opportunity for the businessman to get ahead of the matter. She admitted to the outlet:
I was asking him. I was asking Joe Gorga. I was asking everyone like, what is with these videos? They’re bizarre. What’s with these allegations that keep being popped up on Instagram all the time from these various outlets? I think Tiki finally was like, well, stop asking me, stop asking Joe. Ask the source. I think she should honestly be happy that Louie had a chance to tell his side of the story.
Louie Ruelas’ side of the story – as we’ve come to learn on The Real Housewives of New Jersey – is that the video in question was just a retreat to better himself. He denied any violence with any exes. He also implied that the accusations coming out are from jaded women seeking TV notoriety, not the other way around.
I think many Bravo alums would agree that you don’t critique Teresa Giudice’s world willy-nilly. And just like Jackie Goldschneider found out the hard way in her fight with Giudice over a coke analogy last year, Traci Johnson is seemingly learning the aforementioned point the hard way. Stay tuned for how the drama continues to unfold, with new Real Housewives of New Jersey episodes airing on Bravo, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST, as per our 2022 TV schedule.