The Real Housewives of New Jersey fans received grim news about the Giudice family this week. Joe Giudice will be deported after he leaves prison.
Though he has a chance to appeal, many are already fearing for how this will impact his family — especially his children.
A number of Housewives are weighing in on this looming reality.
E! spoke to multiple Housewives to get their take on Joe’s imminent ejection from America.
Caroline Manzo starred on The Real Housewives of New Jersey from Season 1 through Season 5.
“Wow, this makes me sad,” Manzo reflects.
She openly acknowledges: “Joe has made mistakes.”
But Manzo also notes that he has, importantly, “taken responsibility for his actions and has served his time.”
Like everyone, her biggest concern is the four Giudice daughters.
“He has four beautiful girls that need their father in their lives,” Manzo says. “And my heart hurts for them.”
Manzo points out that letting him remain with his family would be harmless, because: “He’s not a violent person, or a threat to society.”
“He has a good heart,” she notes, and has “lived his entire life in this country.”
Joe came to the United States when he was one year old. He is Italian by birth and ancestry, but he is absolutely an American.
“I’m not quite sure how his mistakes warrant such harsh punishment,” Manzo concludes.
Amber Marchese was only on The Real Housewives of New Jersey for a short time, but she definitely knows enough to weigh in.
“I think everyone feels for the kids,” Marchese says.
She’s right. No matter what you think of Joe, Teresa, or their alleged fraud, their children are innocents and do not deserve to have their worlds rocked like this.
As Marchese says, “they are far too young to live such instability.”
“And most importantly,” Marchese says, they are far too young to live “without a father.”
The youngest of the Giudice girls is only 9.
Marchese does then pivot to look on the bright side — as she hopes that the Giudice family will be able to do.
“Listen, it might not be ideal,” Marchese says, noting that it will be “totally life altering, and it will definitely be a major adjustment.”
“But,” she notes. “In the whole grande scheme of ‘sucky news’ that someone can receive, this is not all that bad!”
That can be difficult to hear, but sometimes people benefit from a little perspective.
“He isn’t banished to the pits of hell,” Marchese points out. “This is beautiful Italy we are talking about here.”
Marchese then attempts to diffuse the situation with humor.
“The question is, is Italy ready to take on one of our own crazy ‘Jersey house husbands’ full time?” she jokes.
She then returns to giving the subject of deporting a man from the only country he’s ever known the gravity it deserves.
“In all seriousness,” Marchese acknowledges. “They have been through hard times.”
“I know they will turn this around,” she expresses. “And make these sour grapes into amazing Italian wine.”
Siggy Flicker, who starred in Season 7 and Season 8 of RHONJ, told Us Weekly that she did not see this deportation coming.
“I never thought in a million years that this was going to happen,” Flicker admits.
She then shares that she is grief-stricken.
“I am so soggy right now,” Flicker adds. “Crying for those precious girls and that entire family.”
“It’s just not right to take a father away from his family,” Flicker laments.
A prison sentence is one thing. Banishing a man from where his children live over fraud seems like a big much.
(Though we all know that countless innocents have been deported for less, leaving behind children in far worse circumstances)
“I wish we could have done more than what we have done so far,” Flicker shares.
She concludes: “which was let the judge know how important it was that Joe Guidice stay here with his entire family.”
We somehow doubt that the judge who ordered his deportation would have been swayed.
