The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jenn Fessler is sharing more insight into the breakdown of her friendship with costar Rachel Fuda.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Monday, June 5, Jenn, 55, recalled an off camera conversation with Rachel’s husband, John Fuda, that left her with a variety of emotions.
“If I’m being really honest, we’d had some stuff happen before filming. And then things got a little sticky for me at BravoCon, and John and I had a discussion that I wasn’t necessarily so comfortable with,” Jenn told Us. “It takes me a while sometimes to figure things out, but once I do, I was like, ‘Wait a second. I need some space.’”
While Jenn’s friendship with Rachel, 33, started strong when they first joined RHONJ in 2023 during season 13, things slowly began to change. Viewers will continue to witness a different dynamic in season 14, airing now on Bravo.
“It was so great at the beginning, but now it doesn’t feel authentic to me,” Jenn explained. “I think Rachel said at one point, I heard her say that she took a break. I took a break. We all took a break. So that’s kind of where we’re at now.”
For nearly five months, the reality stars have not had a solid conversation together. But before fans speculate that Jenn is feeling anger towards her costar, she says it’s the opposite. The whole situation makes her upset.
“I feel it’s sad when you care about people and they care about you, and then all of a sudden, you’re not speaking anymore,” she said. “Of course it’s sad, but I don’t feel angry. I think Rachel and John may be angry at me. I’m not angry at them. I am more sad than angry.”
While fans will have to watch what happens to see more of their dynamic play out, Jenn assured viewers nothing “earth-shattering” happened between them and joked, “There’s no ax to grind.” Reality TV, however, can complicate things.
“She’s a great woman and she is a wonderful mother and all of that,” Jenn said. “But there were things that, I think for both of us, she didn’t know about me and I didn’t know about her before we kind of jumped into this.”
Last month, Rachel sat down with Us and shared her perspective on where things stand with Jenn. At the time, she expressed hopes that their relationship could improve over time.
“I don’t wish her ill will,” she said. “I’m just really disappointed, slightly angry — a little bit more than slightly — and I think that we can get to a good place, but things will never be the same and I think that’s really what bothers me is that I can’t really ever allow that in my life again on that level.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs on Bravo Sundays at 8 p.m. ET with old episodes streaming now on Peacock.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
