If you follow the Real Housewives of New Jersey ( RHONJ) then you’ll know the feisty, blond known as Margaret Josephs.
While we’re used to seeing the “powerhouse in pigtails” going at it with her fellow cast members, we don’t really know much about Margaret– except for the little glimpses of her life revealed on the show.
We know that she is married to her second husband Joe Benigno, and has one son, and 3 step children from a previous marriage.
But what else do we know about Margaret?
Margaret Josephs was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey but grew up in New York
Her love of fashion was evident at an early age, and she eventually attended the Fashion Institute of Technology FIT, graduating with a degree in Marketing and Fashion Design.
Margaret started her career designing dresses at the New York Garment Center and in 1999 launched her own label, the Macbeth Collection, which reflected her “style” and “sensibility” and embodying ‘”luxury for less.”
Macbeth started as a capsule collection of distinctive, stylish home decor in signature prints and eventually blossomed into a global lifestyle brand. Since its launch in 1999, it has extended its offerings to include beauty, tech, luggage and travel, ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories. The brand currently has a presence in over 6,000 stores globally.
The Macbeth Collection also has over 50,000 followers on instagram and is always showcasing trendy new designs on the page — like this luggage set gifted to Margaret’s fellow RHONJ castmate, Melissa Gorga for her birthday.
Margaret is also often featured on the page showing off her items from her line,like this cosmetics bags,which is currently available in Walmart. The caption read “FABULOUS. Me. All day. Every day.”
Some of the beautiful makeup bags from the Macbeth Collection
She also has colorful tunics, rompers, wraps, tops and swimwear
The 52-year-old, entrepreneur introduced others brand under the Macbeth Collection; Candy Couture was introduced in 2015 and House Candy in 2016. She also added a clothing collection and her new jewelry line was recently featured in an episode of RHONJ.
How much is Margaret Josephs worth?
Margaret’s net worth was estimated at $50 millions at one point, but this amount has decreased over the years.
She was sued for 12 million dollars by Vineyard Wines for trademark infringement and eventually, Margaret’s company filed for bankruptcy. She also reportedly owed back taxes on her business.
Two of her former friends also sued the entrepreneur for $200,000 and Page Six even reported in 2018 that her home was in foreclosure. Add lawyer fees and you can tell that her finances have taken a huge hit over the past few years.
Margaret has spoken about her money woes in previous episodes of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. She told the other women that she is paying the final lump sum owed to Vineyard Wines.
Margaret seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. After all, her tagline for Season 10 is “You can’t take the truth, sue me,” which is a play on the fact that she has been sued so many times.
The always positive Josephs still has much to be happy about; her company celebrated its 20 year anniversary in 2019 and she is still making her mark on the reality tv scene.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.