Luis Ruelas may be the love of Teresa Giudice’s life, but he is a polarizing presence on Real Housewives of New Jersey. Initially, fans were hopeful that Teresa would find love again after her divorce from “Juicy” Joe Giudice. In the end, Teresa’s marriage to Juicy couldn’t overcome their financial problems and prison stints.
So, viewers initially thought that Luis seemed great. But later, he displayed flashes of temper, and he became heavily involved in the feud between Teresa, and her brother, Joe Gorga.
The battle was so bitter that Joe and his wife, Melissa Gorga, skipped Teresa’s nuptials. Afterward, Teresa cut off ties with the Gorgas. During the Season 14 trailer, there appeared to be tension in Luis and Teresa’s marriage. Then Margaret Josephs alleged that Luis ran through all of Teresa’s cash.
So, that begs the question. How does Luis Ruelas make his money?
What does Luis Ruelas do for a living?
What Luis does for a living has always been a bit mysterious. According to his LinkedIn account, Luis has “over 25 years experience within the digital response marketing industry.” He has “perfected the ability to effectively increase revenue with whomever I work with while maintaining a strong sense of integrity, an honorable work ethic, and a witty sense of humor.” Maybe the humor part doesn’t translate on RHONJ.
Luis was the co-founder and CEO of Interactive Marketing Solutions from January 2000 until August 2012. This company is “a direct response marketing company.” Interactive Marketing Solutions handled “the needs, wants, and desires of direct response marketers.”
Then Luis moved on. He was a co-founder of Digital Media Solutions, which is a media and marketing business. His LinkedIn profile lists him working for the company from 2012 until the present. But that no longer seems to be the case.
During the Season 12 RHONJ reunion, Luis revealed that he was asked to step down. And it was all because of the negative press generated from his exes and the show.
TMZ reported in March 2024 that Luis was involved in a new business called Vinivia. “This is a live streaming platform that’s being launched on April 4, 2024, solely for creators and influencers around the world,” he explained. “We’re gonna take over TikTok.”
Luis’ legal woes
Just like Juicy Joe, Luis has been involved in several lawsuits. The U.S. Sun reported that Luis’ company, Produce Depot, was sued by several vendors. In March 2022, the business filed for bankruptcy to the tune of $1,660,488.10.
Then, according to US Weekly, Digital Media Solutions was named in a lawsuit. In May 2023, Juanita Williams claimed that Luis’ company, along with Choice Health Insurance, sent her telemarketing calls. In the class action suit, she stated that she was part of the “Do Not Call” registry. She requested $1,500 for each telemarketing call that she received.
But there’s more, folks! Then Luis’ ex-fiancée, Vanessa Reiser, took out a restraining order in June 2023, alleging that Luis was harassing her. Vanessa, who is a psychotherapist, alleged that Luis hired private investigator Bo Dietl to place an operative undercover to pose as one of Vanessa’s “patients.” Just to harass and stalk her.
Then Luis hit back. He sued Vanessa for a cool $5 million in damages for sullying his reputation, which was “damaged beyond repair.” The court documents stated, “Ruelas believed Reiser was disclosing confidential information to patients and cast members of Real Housewives of New Jersey (RHONJ) to use against him and his wife, in an attempt to bolster the collogue of the show and continue the relentless campaign of harassment.”
Plus, Luis claimed that Vanessa’s lawyer, Kevin S. Johnson, fabricated emails under fake names because he had an alleged “obsession with Ruelas and RHONJ.” The lawsuit is still ongoing. Yikes!
No pizza for you!
There was also a business deal between Joe and Luis that soured, adding further salt to the family’s open wounds. Joe said that he came up with the idea for a pizza oven to honor their late father, Giacinto Gorga, affectionately known as Nonno. Joe stated that Luis put some money in, and he thought that the business would be split evenly between them. But he claimed that Luis and Teresa stole his idea.
Meanwhile, Teresa claimed that Luis lost his shirt in this fiasco. “My fiancé lost a quarter of a million dollars,” she claimed. Further, she said that Luis put all the money in, and her brother wanted half of the profits. In other words, we will never know exactly what burned this pizza venture.
Are Luis and Teresa having financial problems?
The Season 14 trailer for RHONJ hinted at money and marital woes for Teresa and Luis. Margaret, Teresa’s arch-enemy, claimed that Teresa’ new hubby “pissed her money away.” Am I the only one who is concerned because Teresa didn’t sign a prenup?
In fact, Luis just took out a $1 million loan on their home. The duo bought their home in Montville, New Jersey in January 2021. They paid $3,350,000 for the seven-bedroom property.
In March 2024, Luis took out the $1 million loan, and is listed as the LLC’s “sole member.” It is unknown how long the couple has to pay off the loan. That lends some credence to the theory that Teresa and Luis needed a financial boost.
What is Luis Ruelas’ net worth?
Life & Style reported that “according to multiple outlets,” Luis has a net worth of $2 million. That’s not too shabby.
Some of the details about how Luis makes his money still seem a bit vague. Perhaps we will learn more about his job in Season 14 of RHONJ.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED BY HOW RHONJ’S LUIS RUELAS MAKES HIS MONEY? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HIS NET WORTH?
