The Real Housewives of New Jersey are officially back.
Bravo confirmed on Tuesday, March 24, that Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga will be back in action for season 15 of the hit reality series. The full cast has yet to be confirmed, but production is set to kick off this spring.
The network’s update comes hours after Margaret Josephs announced that she wouldn’t be returning to the show.
“I have to tell you something that might come as a little surprise to you, but not for me,” she said in an Instagram video on Tuesday. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of different things and I am moving on from The [Real] Housewives of New Jersey.”
She added, “I think the timing is right. A lot of things have changed in my life. I’ve been blessed to work on a different project, I’m on the set right now. I realized I have to spend more time with my family, work on my designing and just take a break and move on.”
Luxury Handbag Shopping confirmed earlier this month that Margaret joined the cast of an upcoming reality series for Amazon alongside Savannah Chrisley, Kaitlyn Bristowe and other fan favorites.
Following the RHONJ season 14 finale in May 2024, Bravo put the show on ice due to bad blood within the cast. Sisters-in-law Teresa and Melissa have since reconciled — proving there’s hope for even the worst feuds to heal — and Dolores couldn’t be happier.
“It also makes their lives easier, and I’m so happy for them,” Dolores exclusively told Us ahead of her role as a “friend of” on the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. “I see a lot of happiness with the kids and the families together, and the holidays together. That’s what Jersey is all about.”
Dolores told Us before the big announcement that she hoped RHONJ would return.
“It’s been a long time,” Dolores said. “We were a No. 1 show. We had amazing views, and it was so good.”
She even teased that there are some “things going on” in her romance with fiancé Paul “Paulie” Connell that she’s “put on hold a little bit” to share with the RHONJ fans.
“One thing about Jersey is [there’s] so much family, and [there are] really big family things,” she added. “We’ve been a part of each other’s lives for so long, I’d hate for people to miss out on whatever opinions they [have about] drama, things like that.”
While fans are waiting for RHONJ, they will get their Dolores fix on RHORI, which premieres via Bravo on Thursday, April 2, with a second episode airing on Sunday, April 5. The Housewives veteran teased what fans can expect — even comparing it to the early seasons of RHONJ.
“They weren’t guarded. They’re very relatable. They’re very transparent, like Jersey is. They’re about family,” she said. “I know who they are. They are a lot like us. They’re down to earth.”
