I had the chance to see part two last night of Teresa and Joe Giudice’s very special post-sentencing Watch What Happens Live. I have to give Andy Cohen credit for asking hard questions. He didn’t follow up much when Joe and Teresa recited their standard lies, but he asked hard questions. Teresa probably had some pharmaceutical help getting through the interview but she came across as more coherent than Joe, which truly isn’t saying much. Joe mumbled and shrugged through the interview, seeming like he was drunk and/or drugged out of his mind. The interview supported this, with Joe admitting he drank at least two bottles of wine a night or took Xanax to get to sleep. Teresa kept repeating that Joe “has to be there for my daughters,” but it was more about how he was going to care for them when she was away in prison. Teresa didn’t seem to make the connection that Joe was too inebriated on a daily basis to wipe his own ass, nonetheless look after four little girls. She downplayed his alcoholism, insisting that he only drank at night. Teresa is going to stick by Joe despite the fact that he’s a thug and an idiot. She is not one to cut her losses. She’s also not one to pay attention to any of the details regarding her finances. She has other people to do that.
Here’s some of what Teresa and Joe said. I’ve tried to cut it down but it’s still pretty long:
On if everything on RHONJ was scripted
Flipping the table I did. My family coming on the show… [it’s] not that I didn’t want them, they didn’t tell me they were coming on the show. I didn’t like the way I was portrayed… this mean person, the villain.On her “nice” personality this season
That’s the real Teresa. I have grown from season one. I’m not going to let people provoke me. I’m not going to lose my temper.On why she stayed on the show after her charges
Everything I do, I do for my daughters. I want them to have a good life.On if she still blames the show for her troubles
Joe: I don’t blame anybody
Teresa: I take responsibility, you know.On if she thinks she would be going to jail if it wasn’t for RHONJ
I’m not going to answer that. I don’t feel comfortable answering that.On why they failed to list assets in statements required by the court
I wasn’t aware that we needed to put all that information down… I wish our accountant would have come to our house and walked through our house and then filled out the paperwork. I didn’t know.
Joe: I hand walked the probation guy through our house. It’s not like I was hiding anything.On why they only listed $25,000 in furnishings
How Joe came up with the $25,000… [they argue briefly over who will speak]
Joe: Me and the account came up with… four years later if it was appraised at 50 or 60 thousand what could it be worth today? Half right? Nobody is gonna want a used bed.On why she listed her jewelry as worth nothing
[My lawyer] got up during court and said I did tell him, you need to list my engagement ring and wedding band. Joe has a Rolex, Joe has a wedding band. These [earrings] are not real. I wear a lot of costume jewelry.On why they failed to pay the court the $200,000 restitution they owed
Teresa: First of all we didn’t have the money
Joe: I had it set up and I don’t know what happened. It was there it just wasn’t. I don’t know, whatever.
Teresa: Can I speak? We didn’t have the money.On if they considered selling their stuff to raise the money
Joe has an old corvette. We put that on eBay. [Our three homes] are all for sale.Asks Joe if he’s worried about being deported
I’m going to worry about that when the time comes… It’s not such a bad thing. [To live in Italy with his family]Teresa on not worrying about the future
I just go day to day.
Joe: There’s no guarantee we’re going to be here in five years.Asks Joe about his attorney asking the court to send Joe to rehab
Joe: Before you started this Real Housewives stuff I used to drink only on the weekends, now I drink every day. Just wine, I don’t drink anything else really… I might have a little problem, I’m not going to lie. A night I could easily do 2-3 bottles, 4 bottles you know with another person… one bottle’s like sucking a bottle of milk. It’s nothing… It does help me sleep. It’s either that or I gotta take a pill.I don’t have a problem to where that’s all I think about is drinking though. I take care of business during the day then at night I’ll have a few bottles of wine after dinner. My kids are usually in bed by then. Either that or I’ve gotta take a Xanax.
On if Teresa’s family will help when she’s in prison
I want my husband to be there for my daughters. What breaks my heart is that I don’t want to be away from my dad, because my dad is always in and out of the hospital… after what happened with Joe’s dad… All I want is my brother to be there for my parents and I want Joe to be Mr. Mom. He has to be there for my daughters.On if she has resentment for her husband for putting her in this position
I don’t think he meant to hurt me in any way. I think it’s a learning lesson for both of us. Since yesterday he’s been feeling bad and keeps coming up to me and hugging me.Joe on if he feels guilty for Teresa ending up in prison
I do but at the same time what am I going to do? I did everything I could to get her out of it but it didn’t work.On how it feels to know that Teresa is a convicted felon facing prison
Obviously not good I mean definitely not good. [To Teresa] I just want to apologize that I got you into this mess. I don’t even know what else to say. If I could take it all back I will, but I just can’t and I’m sorry you have to go through all this. I did everything I could to convince the judge, but I had no control over that.Teresa: I love you [kisses him] You’ve gotta be there for my daughters for our daughters. I want to apologize for the people I let down and I want to say I’m deeply sorry.
[From Watch What Happens Live, 10-9-14]
Both Joe and Teresa cried separately during the interview. Joe started crying silently when he talked about his dad’s death this June and Teresa cried when she talked about her own dad’s poor health. It’s sad that Joe’s dad died, but that doesn’t excuse his addiction. Notice how much he downplayed his drinking and how he practically blamed Teresa for it. “Before you started this Real Housewives stuff I used to drink only on the weekends.” His apology to Teresa was weak and laughable, he barely could string a sentence together, and yet Teresa ate it up.
Joe faces even more time during a sentencing hearing on October 15 for a completely separate charge, obtaining a driver’s license under his brother’s name when his own license was suspended for a DUI. Andy asked about that but Teresa kept telling Joe he couldn’t talk about it. The only good thing to come out of this interview is that Teresa said that both of them have family nearby to help with the kids. If it’s just drunk idiot Joe taking care of those girls it’s going to be a disaster. Who am I kidding there are probably going to be camera crews there at least some of the time. That worked out great for the Gosselins.
