By Lynn Gibbs
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Highlights
- Margaret Josephs is under fire for RHONJ's Season 14 low ratings, but the show's downfall is a collective effort of tired storylines.
- Teresa Giudice fans blame Margaret for series demise, but Andy Cohen believes RHONJ needs a break to regroup and make big changes.
- Ratings dropped in Season 13, pointing to a need for a fresh start in future seasons with new storylines and cast dynamics.
After 13 incredible seasons of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the Bravo series hit a record-breaking low with Season 14. Between tiresome feuds, leaked storylines to bloggers, and past issues that have nothing to do with the cast today, the series is on a downward spiral. With an inevitable cast shakeup in its future, some fans and Teresa Giudice stans are pointing their fingers at cast member Margaret Josephs.
The dissolution of Season 14 was a long time in the making. And some theorize the trajectory of the series happened when Margaret joined the series in Season 8. Coincidentally, Margaret has also been a part of some of the best seasons and most iconic feuds. Because of her rivalries with Teresa, is she the reason why RHONJ’s ratings are at an all-time low?
Is Margaret Josephs The Reason RHONJ’S S14 Failed?
According to TV Deets on X (via Collider), it was reported that Season 14 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey was its lowest-viewed episode with 589,000 viewers. Considering the season premiered with 0.837 million viewers, according to Spoiler TV, that's quite a drop in viewership.
Margaret and Teresa initially started out as friends after Margaret consoled Teresa after the death of her mother.
With a full cast of entertaining characters — many of them returning Housewives — could the downfall of Season 14 be pinpointed at Margaret Josephs?
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Many Teresa Giudice fans point the blame at Margaret because of the drama she's been involved with since she started the series back in Season 8. Since joining, she has been a part of some of the biggest fights in RHONJ history — many of them involving Teresa.
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Teresa Giudice Believes This 'Fake' RHONJ Scene Led To Her Prison Sentence
Teresa Giudice received a 15 month prison sentence for bank fraud, but she thinks it was a fake Real Housewives scene that sparked the investigation.
Season 10 | According to ScreenRant, one of RHONJ's most controversial Housewives was a friend of the series in Season 10, Danielle Staub. Danielle and Margaret got into a heated argument at a private shopping event when Teresa told Danielle to pull Margaret's hair. Danielle did just that, causing a huge shift in dynamics. Margaret felt betrayed Teresa and was stunned she would enforce violence against her. |
Season 12 | When Teresa and her then-boyfriend, Luis Ruelas, got serious, Margaret became concerned about his intentions. As soon as they started dating, his past was spread all over tabloids, including a past with aggression, sex addiction, and anger. An old video to his ex-fiance also appeared online, which was both embarrassing and concerning for Teresa. Teresa stood by Luis' side and blamed Margaret for spreading false information online. |
Season 13 | Season 13 was a hard one for Margaret and Teresa. Margaret didn't trust Teresa's husband's intentions because of his past, and insinuated he called her son at work and threatened him. Margaret had proof of Luis' phone number on her son's call log. When Andy Cohen confront Luis, he confirmed that was his number, but he never called her son. Despite the proof, nothing was resolved and the threesome never squashed this storyline. |
Season 14 | After going head-to-head all season long, Margaret and Teresa had a jaw-dropping moment in the Season 14 finale. Margaret admitted that she reached out to Luis' ex-fiance to verify some of the rumors she had been hearing about him, out of concern for Teresa and her's wellbeing. However, Margaret revealed she never met with Luis' ex or shared any of the information she was given... Jackie Goldschneider did. Jaws dropped when Jackie backtracked and admitted that she was behind Luis' smear campaign — not Margaret. But that didn't mean Margaret and Teresa were friends. |
Because Teresa is the "Godmother" of the series and an original Housewife, anyone who attempts to bring her down is considered the death of the franchise.
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RHONJ Fans Were Horrified When Luis Rueles Wished 'Suffering' On Margaret Josephs' Son
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As far as ratings and viewership are concerned, ratings started plummeting in Season 13. This could easily be blamed on newcomers and dying storylines between Teresa and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. If anything, in Season 14, Margaret validated that she had been telling the truth all along and that it was Jackie behind everything Teresa had been blaming Margaret for.
Season 13 started out with just 0.860 thousand viewers and dropped from there.
Andy Cohen Confirmed RHONJ Needs A Breather
Between the low ratings and decades-long feuds among some of the women, The Real Housewives of New Jersey needs a break to regroup. Bravo fans new a shakeup was coming their way when the Season 14 reunion was canceled — a first for the franchise.
Later, a source told The Daily Mail that cameras will be down to let the dust settle.
There are not going to be any decisions about what will or won't happen with the show until [2025].
Fans feared a total recasting, like the network did with The Real Housewives of New York. However, Andy Cohen squashed those rumors. On a June 2024 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Andy said, "Everything that you've heard about casting on The Real Housewives of Jersey is untrue. There will be no decisions made for many months on Jersey, so anything you read about casting on Jersey is not true."
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Teresa Giudice Happy Fans Will Finally 'See The Truth' With New RHONJ Reunion Format
Teresa Giudice, Jennifer Aydin, and Dolores Catania were very happy to skip the traditional RHONJ reunion and enjoyed the new format.
Andy did reiterate, however, that the cast would be taking a "pause" until they figure out the best solution for the growth of the show.
While some fans blame Margaret Josephs for the demise of RHONJ, others see the failed season as a collective effort. Storylines, feuds, and friendships have grown tired. When the series does come back, big changes would need to occur for a fresh start.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
TV-14
Reality
- Release Date
- May 12, 2009
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Creator(s)
- Scott Dunlop
- Cast
- Teresa Giudice , Jacqueline Laurita , Caroline Manzo , Dina Cantin , Danielle Staub , Melissa Gorga , Kathy Wakile , Teresa Aprea , Amber Marchese , Nicole Napolitano , Dolores Catania , Siggy Flicker , Margaret Josephs , Jennifer Aydin
- Seasons
- 13
- Franchise
- The Real Housewives
- Producer
- Andy Cohen
- Number of Episodes
- 222
- Streaming Service(s)
- Bravo , E! , Peaco*ck
- Franchise(s)
- The Real Housewives
