Now that the Real Housewives of New Jersey’s anticipated Season 13 trailer is out, the rumors about Jackie Goldschneider’s Housewife status have finally been confirmed. Jackie will appear on RHONJ this year as a “friend of” the cast. After four years as a mainstay Housewife, fans were shocked by this sudden move from Bravo, especially since the Jersey cast hadn’t been changed in several years. Additionally, Jackie was really one of the only cast members who went toe-to-toe with Teresa Giudice, the series’ OG. Changing the cast wasn’t something I expected, but from Jackie’s interview with People, maybe she did.
“When Bravo approached me about casting for Season 13, I obviously was very excited to be a part of the show again because I love the show,” Jackie said. “But my recovery was not in the place that I expected it to be. It was moving very slowly. I was still being triggered by stress and I still needed a lot of intense therapy.”
Fans may remember Jackie opening up about her eating disorder during Season 12. Many hoped for her Season 13 return so they could continue following her story. But it sounds like committing to both her recovery and the show at the same time simply wouldn’t work.
Jackie stated her “recovery was my priority.” And she “just wasn’t sure how to balance the time commitment for the show with my recovery.” So before all the Jackie haters (I’m not the biggest fan myself) start sounding off about how she was fired or demoted for being boring, wait just one second. Jackie added that Bravo was “so supportive” of her decision and offered her a “friend” role.
She did admit that her reduced role was a difficult reality to adjust to. She said the transition “was a really tough pill to swallow and it was hard for me to step back a little bit after having been such a big part of the show for so many years, I really knew that that was probably the best solution.”
Although she was sad to take a step back, she noted that this was what she needed to do. “In retrospect, it was the best decision that I could have made. It was really tough to do, but I’m really proud of myself for prioritizing myself,” Jackie said. “I’m so incredibly healthy now and I don’t know that wouldn’t bee the case if I didn’t do this. So I have no regrets.”
Despite being a recurring cast member, it sounds like Jackie had a great year. Think Marlo Hampton from the Real Housewives of Atlanta before she finally got her peach.
“I had a killer season and, aside from seeing the poster without my face on it — which is a little bit of an ego punch — other than that, I really don’t feel like there was that big of a difference between this season or any other season for me as far as being in the mix. It was just much less stress,” Jackie added.
And I love that she’s being honest about how it stings not to be in the mix as a full-time Housewife this year. Because she’s been a cast member for four years, the network and the editors will not let Jackie be forgotten. I’m optimistic she will be in every episode, at every group scene, and will have confessionals.
Jackie explained that the show is “very busy” when you’re full-time, and not having “the cameras around me while I was in therapy” helped her get “a lot more done.” The reality star said that she’s in a “really good place” now and is “really, really healthy.”
Jackie and the rest of the Real Housewives of New Jersey return to Bravo on February 7th, 2023.
TELL US – ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE JACKIE BACK ON THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY? WHAT WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT DO YOU HAVE FOR JACKIE?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
