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Jackie Goldschneider addressed the “breakdown” of her friendship with Margaret Josephs, an unaired convo with Teresa Giudice amid their new friendship, and who was most responsible for the dramatic finale fight – which was teased in a recent trailer and resulted in shattered glass.
On a recent episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey, Margaret argued with her then-friend Jackie for not reaching out on the one-year anniversary of her ex-husband’s death. She also was unhappy that Jackie hadn’t sent an advanced copy of her memoir, though it seemed Jackie’s budding relationships with Margaret’s enemies Teresa and Jennifer Aydin played a part.
Speaking with ET Online, Jackie said it’s “hard” watching back the “breakdown” of her relationship with Margaret, but she’s excited to show the “evolution” of her “other relationships” – because right now some people don’t “understand” it and have “conspiracy theories.”
Jackie claimed she and Margaret already had “issues” before the season began filming, but things “escalated on camera.”
“I think that Margaret expects and demands a lot of loyalty,” she explained. “And that translated into not being able to move forward with other parts of my life, and friendships should be easy, and it was not an easy friendship anymore and so I started taking some distance from it and I think that Margaret found that very very insulting and disloyal.”
She also reacted to Margaret’s displeasure that Jackie never reached out to her on the one-year anniversary of her ex-husband’s death. Jackie shared that she was there for her when he passed away and was “on the phone with her all the time.” Though she didn’t remember the anniversary, Jackie claimed she doesn’t “feel that bad about that.”
The star shared that when she and Margaret talked, it was “never” about her “grieving process” or the man she divorced “over a decade ago.” Because of these circumstances, Jackie found Margaret’s expectation a “really high standard to hold somebody to.”
Jackie then denied Margaret’s claim that she never got an advanced copy of her memoir. According to Jackie, Margaret simply didn’t receive the unfinished press copy of the book, which was only given to people who asked Jackie to do press with them.
“I sent the entire cast an advanced copy of the book before it came out,” said Jackie. “Jen Fessler‘s birthday party was literally two months before my book came out. There’s no reason why Margaret needed the book at that point.”
Jackie believes Margaret was “pissed” she was “getting friendly” with Aydin and Teresa.
Jackie shared there was an unaired conversation between herself and Teresa at Fessler’s birthday party.
“At that party, we were both kind of like, ‘Well this is nice. This is pleasant,’” she said. “I think [later] Margaret was really upset that I was moving forward with a friendship with someone that she doesn’t like so much.”
Responding to fan speculation that she befriended Teresa to get more screen time, Jackie said she and her family are “happy” she’s a ‘friend’ on the show, and “it works” for her.
“I’m not fighting for screen time,” she said. “I’m not engaging in ridiculous antics, and anyone who watches the show can see I did not start that fight with Margaret.”
She also said she and Melissa Gorga – who are no longer close – didn’t fight at all throughout the season, so Jackie was surprised to find herself “all of a sudden one day” at odds with her.
“I think that was another loyalty demand on Margaret’s part,” said Jackie. “I think there was a lot of games going on this season with ‘choose a side, pick a team. One’s gonna stay, one’s gonna go.’”
Though she admitted that Teresa may have had a strategy with their friendship at the beginning of the season, she shared that they’re now “super close” and their “friendship continues to grow.” They talk on the phone “multiple times a week.”
“No matter what it started as, what it turned into was a really nice friendship,” explained Jackie, who said she let go of the cheating rumor about her husband (which Teresa brought to light in a past season).
She claimed Evan was “fine” with her new friendship with Teresa.
When asked about the allegations that Teresa and Jennifer leaked info to influencers in order to bring it up on the show, Jackie said she has “no part” on “anything going on on social media,” but shared her belief that certain influencers are “looking for their 15 minutes” and saying “whatever they can.”
“I think lot of castmembers have engaged in not so great social media practices,” she said. “And I’m staying out of all of it.”
Jackie revealed there’s “space” for Margaret to come back in her life, but she thinks Margaret owes her an apology.
“She’s done a lot of nasty things to me this season,” said Jackie.
Addressing the expositive finale fight (that largely centered on Danielle Cabral and Aydin), Jackie suggested that Danielle was the most responsible for starting it.
She hinted that some castmates – who played games concerning who can film with whom – “shouldn’t be a part” of the group anymore.
Jackie also addressed watching her castmates “shrink” on “diet drugs.” She said this was difficult, given Jackie’s history with disordered eating – which she addresses in her memoir.
